Nissan were one of the first major manufacturers to introduce a fully electric car, the LEAF in 2011. The range in the LEAF used to be around 120km, but thanks to a more powerful batteries it has gradually increased to over 350km. You will see LEAF’s being used as taxis in urban areas.
Last year, Nissan introduced a mild hybrid version of their best-selling Qashqai and just a few weeks back the company revealed their new fully electric Ariya. Nissan hope the Ariya will be able to challenge the VW ID4, Hyundai’s Ioniq5 and Kia EV6, which are the best-selling electric cars in Ireland right now.
Last week, Nissan took group of motor writers to Milton Keynes in England to have a first drive in their new Juke Hybrid. It was one of the warmest days of the year and it felt like we were in Spain or Portugal when we stepped off the Ryanair flight in Luton Airport.
Milton Keynes is close to Nissan’s design centre in Cranfield and we got to drive the new car around the roads and roundabouts where the Juke Hybrid had been tested.
At first glance, the new hybrid is much like the old model which was first introduced in 2010. I suppose you could call it a small version of their Qashqai. Externally there are a few subtle changes like a new badge and a dark strip over the grille. There are few other small external changes, but you would probably need to be wearing a ‘Nissan Anorak’ to spot them.
The Nissan Hybrid is powered with a new combustion engine specifically developed for working in a hybrid powertrain application. It produces 69kW (94hp) and 148Nm of torque.
The main electric motor produces 36kW (49hp) and 205Nm of torque. The net result is a powertrain providing 25% more power than the current petrol engine option and a fuel consumption reduction up to 40% in urban cycle, and up to 20% over the combined cycle.
As with their LEAF, the Juke Hybrid is equipped with Nissan’s e-pedal, enabling the driver to launch, accelerate and decelerate using only the accelerator. You can now drive from Belfast to Cork using the e-pedal as there are no traffic lights on that stretch of road.
The car starts in 100% electric mode and can reach speeds of up to 55kph in pure EV mode. Room for five adults at a squeeze, but two adults in the back seat is probably more comfortable than three. The boot space is 354 litres.
Seámus Morgan, M.D. of Nissan Ireland said: “Nissan is thrilled to accelerate the expansion of our electrified line-up and to provide the growing number of Irish motorists, who are making the switch to electric driving with the best choice of electric, hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles on the market.
“Nissan is charging towards an electrified future and building upon a decade of EV expertise. We are paving the way to a sustainable future and we are committed to ensuring that 75% of our sales mix will be fully electric by 2023,” added Seámus.
The car will be available in a range of colour combinations. Pricing for the new Juke Hybrid will be announced later this summer.
