ONE of the most headline-grabbing changes Nissan Australia made to the facelifted but still striking Juke crossover when it launched in April this year was the manual entry model with turbocharged 1.2-litre petrol engine, but we didn’t get a chance to drive it on the launch.

This direct-injection four-cylinder unit is bang up-to-date and is shared with Euro-chic models such as the Captur and Clio from Nissan’s French sister brand Renault.

Overseas, Nissan created a trend-setter with the compact, quirky, high-riding Juke and the automotive industry has fallen over itself to develop competitors – many of which actually beat the Nissan to the Australian market.

We spent a week behind the wheel of a Bumblebee yellow 1.2 ST manual to find out if the updates and new engine help the Juke keep its pioneering position.

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