Nissan Juke

Top marks for effort but the Juke isn’t quite as interesting or as fun as it looks.

What is it?

There isn’t another family hatch on sale that’s quite like the Nissan Juke. Its styling really is unique, combining crossover, supermini and SUV in a way like nothing else. Underneath, though, it’s much more normal.

Driving

The Juke looks like a crossover but only the expensive ones actually get four-wheel drive. The rest drive just like a normal front-drive family hatch, so are rather forgettable.

On the inside

More style-first on the inside, with a coupe-like dash that makes it feel very modern. The high-set view out is good too, but space in the rear isn’t great and the shape seriously compromises boot space.

Owning

Good reliability is a given with a Nissan, and the diesel delivers strong fuel economy too. It’s on the pricey side though: frequent special editions offer best value.

The price is the maker's recommended retail price only and is not a quotation.
There are 17 variants of Nissan Juke.

Model types	Price (OTR)	Ins. group	Fuel	CO2	0-62	MPG	BHP
Juke 1.6T 200 4WD CVT Nismo 5d	£22,600	24	Petrol	169	8.20	38	200
Juke 1.6 DiG-T 190 4WD CVT Tekna 5d	£20,700	19	Petrol	175	8.40	37	190
Juke 1.6T 200 Nismo 5d	£20,395	26	Petrol	159	7.80	40	200
Juke 1.6 DiG-T 190 4WD n-tec 5d	£20,000	19	Petrol	169	8.90	38	190
Juke 1.6 DiG-T 190 Tekna 5d	£18,495	20	Petrol	159	8.00	40	190
Juke 1.5 dCi 110 Tekna 5d	£18,390	13	Diesel	109	11.20	67	115
Juke 1.6 DiG-T 190 n-tec 5d	£17,795	20	Petrol	169	8.00	40	190
Juke 1.5 dCi 115 n-tec 5d	£17,690	13	Petrol	109	11.20	67	115
Juke 1.6 117 Stop/Start Tekna 2d	£17,195	12	Petrol	139	11.50	48	117
Juke 1.6 117 Tekna 5d	£16,995	12	Petrol	139	11.00	47	117
Juke 1.6 117 Stop/Start n-tec 5d	£16,495	12	Petrol	139	11.50	48	117
Juke 1.5 dCi 110 Acenta 5d	£16,390	13	Diesel	109	11.20	67	115
Juke 1.6 117 n-tec 5d	£16,295	12	Petrol	139	11.50	47	117
Juke 1.6 117 Stop/Start Acenta 5d	£15,195	12	Petrol	136	11.50	48	117
Juke 1.6 117 Acenta 5d	£14,995	12	Petrol	139	11.00	47	117
Juke 1.5 dCi 110 Visia 5d	£14,895	12	Diesel	109	11.20	67	115
Juke 1.6 94 Visia 5d	£12,995	11	Petrol	138	12.00	47	94

Source:   TopGear

Nissan 370Z

Automotive ‘soul’ coupled to tail-happy dynamics and a meaty V6 power-plant.

What is it?

It is a handsome, brutish and striking front-engined rear-wheel-drive sports coupe hewn from the rock of old school. The 370Z is bigger and tauter than its 350Z predecessor and has refined that car’s wayward raucousness by adding a touch of refinement.
But it’s still a 3.7-litre V6 with 326bhp, a roaring soundtrack and a tail-happy chassis. Yes, it’s been to finishing school but you can’t tame a wild heart, and this one is happy to play the thug in a suit.

Driving

Gone is the vision-blurring experience of the 350Z, the 370Z opting instead for a more supple, relaxed approach to ride philosophy. That’s not to say it’s gone soft, not by a long shot. It’s not uncomfortable, but firm and purposeful – where the purpose means understanding how hard you can push the chassis on any given road. The understeer has been greatly reduced and power oversteer is still only a dab of your right foot away.
And, with that torque-laden engine, the temptation to indulge in a spot of hooning is irresistible. 326bhp and 267lb ft of torque equals a 0–62mph time of 5.3 seconds and a limited top speed of 155mph, and the very codename of the engine (VQ37VHR – where VHR is Very High Revving) signals some serious intent. To make flogging this engine to obliteration that much more enjoyable, you must spec the synchro rev, surely one of the finest modern car gadgets of our time. It automatically blips the throttle on downshifts to match engine speed. Instant driving god beckons.

On the inside

Nissan has been busy on the interior of the Zed, upgrading the quality of materials substantially over the 350Z. Where that car was an artless aff air of brittle, unattractive black plastic with functional ergonomics, the 370Z is a more agreeable mix of leather, alcantara and more solid, quality points.
The high-tech instrumentation feels like it was made with intent and adds to the feeling of expense in the cabin as a whole. Yet the major controls feel lovely and meaty and focus the strong-arm attitude of the Zed.

Owning

The 370Z might be a welcome shot in the arm of a body sedated by economics and the environment, but you’ll pay quite handsomely for that shot. Yes, the V6 makes a lovely noise and you’ll never tire of it, but with emissions of 249g/km of CO2 and a combined mpg figure of 26.9 – less so when you inevitably have an ankle spasm – it is rather pricey to run on a daily basis. But, and this is a justifying but, it costs less than £30k for the entry-level model and that, dear readers, makes it astonishing value.
The price is the maker's recommended retail price only and is not a quotation.
There are 3 variants of Nissan 370Z.

Model types	Price (OTR)	Ins. group	Fuel	CO2	0-62	MPG	BHP
370Z 3.7 V6 GT Pack 2d Roadster	£36,495	47	Petrol	262	5.50	25	326
370Z 3.7 V6 GT Pack 2d	£31,995	46	Petrol	249	5.30	26	326
370Z 3.7 V6 Standard 2d	£26,995	46	Petrol	249	5.30	26	326

 Source:   TopGear

Nissan GT-R

The cheapest way into this kind of speed you can find. Awe-inspiring in many ways and a living legend to boot.

What is it?

The fastest car down an unknown road. Which sounds like the title of a concept album, but is nevertheless true. The R35 GT-R is Nissan’s finest hour, and almost makes up for the Micra. A four-seater two-door with a decent boot and four-wheel drive that’s mightily rear-biased. Bolt that to a suite of electronic cleverness that’ll boggle whatever’s left of your mind, and you’ve got a legend that reliably minces cars twice the price.
The engine is a 3.8-litre V6 (VR38DETT, if you want to get technical), punting out 550bhp and 466lb ft of torque. It’ll do over 193mph, but more than that, use the ‘R-Start’ launch control, and you can get 0–62mph acceleration times below three seconds, run after run. That’s not a car, that’s a missile. But it’s not enough for Nissan: it’s to get Nismo branding and become even faster. Like, wow.

Driving

Comments have been made that the GT-R makes speed ‘too easy’, and that there’s too much help on offer if you like driving. Absolute poppycock. You just need to learn to drive the GT-R – and when you do, it’s genuinely mega. It’s also an assault on the senses: the standard damper mode will smash your teeth out, the acceleration is fierce enough to hurt your neck and the noise it makes is part industrial vacuum cleaner and part white noise sonic weapon.
Nissan has got gloriously geeky for the latest cars as well. To account for the weight of a driver in a right-hand drive car, it now gets asymmetric suspension. Yes, settings are different left and right. That’s how special the GT-R is.

On the inside

The GT-R has traditionally let itself down here. To be fair, Nissan has tried to make it a bit more bespoke and special, but you need more than blue lighting in the rev counter to take on a Porsche or AMG Merc. Alongside these, the GT-R feels a bit like a boosted average coupe rather than something bespoke. There’s a large screen in the center of the dash that should keep techheads happy, though: you can measure and record pretty much everything, from lap-times to lateral g, acceleration, any temperature you care to mention, yaw, pitch, boost pressure, speed, distance, the colour of your underpants. OK, so the last one was a lie, but you get the picture.

Owning

The GT-R is famously reliable, but it is a suspiciously usable car too. It has a big boot, four decent seats and feature-packed cabin. You don’t need a stripped-out racer when the GT-R exists, especially in latest ‘MY2012’ spec which get an even better Bose stereo and reversing camera. All this for just under £75k? Sounds like the performance car bargain of the decade. 

 

 

Source:   TopGear

Toyota GT 86

Glorious return to form for Toyota's rear-drive coupe line.

What is it?

Toyota's chief engineer for the GT86 outlines three key elements that define his new creation: no turbo, no 4WD, narrow tyres. A quick lap time is not the priority from this sports car: rather, driver involvement is. The firm's new rear-wheel drive sports car is here to prove that vehicles do not necessarily have to become ever faster, gripper and less socially acceptable.
The sibling to the Subaru BRZ, similarities are oh-so obvious. The differences are confined to the merest detail changes: a slightly different grille, alternative details within the headlight structure (the units are shared), different colours, alternative markings on the rev counter...don't go looking for headline variations because you won't find them. Does this matter? No. Simply see it as two ways of getting one of the best driver's cars you can buy...

Driving

Toyota says the GT86 is dynamically identical to the Subaru in every way apart from spring and damper rate changes. Experience here in the UK reveals any variations to be minimal in the extreme - few will tell any difference at all. We may have detected a bit more softness and roll in the GT86, but it's really hard to tell any significant contrasts between them. So, yes, like the BRZ, the GT86 is a fantastic little coupe. Light on its feet, eager to change direction, it also rides beautifully and has delicious brakes. The offbeat flat four engine is sweet and best of all, it's joyfully well balanced when you turn off the stability control and have a bit of fun. Even the electric power steering is masterfully good.

On the inside

It's all nice and simple in here, with low-set seats and a perfectly positioned steering wheel that nestles into your hands as naturally as the stubby, slick-shifting gearlever. The rev counter is positioned right in the middle of the dial pack, proudly showing its 7,400rpm red line, although there is also a nod to sophistication with the availability of colour touchscreen navigation in the center of the dash. Just don't go looking for the delicate finish of an Audi TT as that's not what this car is about. Instead, it's again about simplicity and focusing on the driver. Pride comes in the fundamentals, not the soft-touch details.

Owning

Surprisingly, Toyota and Subaru have not differed on pricing strategy: like the BRZ, the GT86 comes in at £24,995. Equipment levels are identical too: the single trim has just two key options, sat nav and an automatic gearbox, the latter of which which we'd of course avoid, despite it being more economical than the manual - thank the gearing, says Toyota. No, we reply.

 

Source:   TopGear