Midnight Edition Nissan Juke lands

NISSAN Australia has announced the arrival of the Juke Midnight Edition, which is limited to 200 units and adds $3300 worth of extras to the Juke ST and ST-S.

Midnight Edition upgrades include 17-inch alloy wheels, roof spoiler, mirror caps and headlight finishers – all in black. It also gains a Midnight Edition badge, Juke branded floor mats and complimentary premium paint.

With its 86kW/158Nm 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox, the Juke ST is normally $22,090, plus on-road costs, but Nissan has priced the Midnight Edition ST at $24,990 driveaway.

Buyers won’t pay any more than the regular price of $24,490 for the continuously variable transmission (CVT) version.

The price tag stays the same for the higher-grade Midnight Edition ST-S too, at $28,490, with its 140kW/240Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder and six-speed manual gearbox.

Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Richard Emery said the Midnight Edition adds features which buyers are drawn to when customising their car.

“The Juke Midnight is one of the smartest looking SUVs on the road. The package includes the enhancements Juke buyers look for when personalising their vehicles,” he said.

Standard features on the ST include 17-inch alloy wheels with space-saver spare, front fog-lights, CD player with USB and Bluetooth connectivity, climate control, leather-clad steering wheel and tinted glass.

The ST-S adds a five-inch colour screen, reversing camera, satellite navigation, push-button ignition, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers.

Launched in October 2013 the British-built Juke is competing in the fierce compact SUV segment (under $40,000) dominated by Hyundai’s ix35.

Since the start of the year to the end of September, 1876 Jukes were sold in Australia while the similarly positioned Holden Trax shifted 4499 units in the same period.

In July this year Nissan launched the Qashqai, which competes in the same segment but is positioned higher with a starting price of $25,850.

Nissan appears to be upping the ante in the crossover war with the Japanese car-maker releasing a shadowy image of an SUV concept which will debut at the Sao Paulo motor show on October 28.

Whether it heralds the arrival of an entirely new SUV or an update for an existing model remains to be seen.