2017 Nissan Juke

Nissan’s varied lineup of SUVs, pickup trucks, and EVs usually perform well in our road tests, but their Overall Scores suffer because of up-and-down reliability and average to below-average owner satisfaction. Inconsistent quality across the brand means some Nissans are a better choice than others. Many of its gasoline vehicles use small turbocharged engines and continuously variable transmissions to give owners both competitive fuel economy and sporty performance. Most new Nissans come standard with a full suite of active safety and driver assist systems. It’s also one of the few remaining brands that sells a sub-compact sedan, the Versa. The compact Sentra, a mainstay within Nissan’s lineup, earned a high score in our road test and is recommended. Nissan was an early EV trailblazer with the Leaf hatchback, and now sells larger five-passenger EV SUVs. Used Nissans have average reliability according to our surveys.

Derived from the Nissan Versa, the funky-looking Juke has the raised ride height and optional all-wheel drive of an SUV, but the steeply raked rear quarters of a hatchback. Nimble handling and punchy power from the 188-hp, 1.6-liter turbo four-cylinder make it fun and agile. Our testers enjoyed driving it, but very tight rear seats and trifling cargo space limit its usefulness. Fuel economy of 24 mpg overall isn't bad for an all-wheel-drive vehicle, but the need for premium fuel is a downer. As in some sporty hatchbacks, a noisy cabin and stiff ride come with the territory. The 2014 Juke scored Poor in the IIHS small-overlap crash test and continues to do so as of 2016. A rear-view monitor became standard for 2015. NISMO models got various suspension and styling upgrades, and the NISMO RS got 215 hp. Infotainment systems added Siri Eyes Free for 2016.