The Appia Antica, the Regina Viarum. With its 2300 years of history, it is the Roman road that connected Rome to Brindisi and allowed commercial exchanges with Magna Grecia. Beaten for centuries by chariots and horses of leaders of the rank of Augustus, Vespasian and Trajan, it remains one of the most famous 'imperial' streets in Rome.
Today, in all likelihood, to travel that disconnected paving without any difficulty, even the emperor Augustus would have opted for an SUV. And why not refer to the brand that has invented this type of bodywork for over a decade? More compact than Qashqai, but without giving up on space, the new generation of Nissan Juke seems to be right for us.
Raised seat, internal spaciousness and driving comfort make life on board pleasant. The new crossover coupe from the Japanese manufacturer, which in its latest version features an even more muscular and athletic appearance, combines performance, efficiency and stability thanks to the 117 HP DIG-T engine, combined - in our trial version - with a manual gearbox. you are marches.
This 1.0 three-cylinder turbo engine, the only one currently available on the new Juke, manages to express a lively character that gives greater sportiness by limiting vibrations to a minimum. An excellent result if one takes into consideration the extreme difficulty of traveling on four wheels on the Roman pavement built two millennia ago at the behest of the censor Appio Claudio Cieco. New Juke is doing very well (although the 4x4 version is not available) even if it is not helped by the 19 '' wheels on the path of our test.
Habitability has definitely improved compared to the past: now four adults occupy armchairs and sofa in comfort thanks to the larger dimensions, but this urban-SUV is still extremely compact. The length of 4,210 mm, the height of 1,595 mm and the width of 1,800 mm guarantee greater internal space without compromising agility thanks to the light and direct steering, even on uneven surfaces.
Returning on board, the space for the knees increased by 5.8 cm, the rear space for the head grew by 1.1 cm and the boot capacity (which reaches 422 liters) registered a + 20% compared to the previous generation. The strength of the passenger compartment is the technology dedicated to safety: the intelligent emergency braking system with recognition of pedestrians and cyclists, the detection of road signs, the intelligent lane-keeping system, the rear detection of obstacles in motion and the blind spot warning.
Also available is the ProPilot which maintains the safety distance from the vehicle in front for less tiring driving even on long journeys with intense traffic.
It is the most connected Nissan ever, with the most advanced infotainment installed by the Japanese brand that provides an in-car Wi-Fi, perfect integration with smartphones and an app to control and monitor Juke. The latest version of the NissanConnect infotainment system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and allows you to play your favorite smartphone apps on the integrated 8 ”display. Thanks to compatibility with Google Assistant, Juke allows drivers to send destinations to the car's navigator directly from their mobile phone (price € 22,620).
