The updated Nissan JUKE debuted in Geneva this month, with only a light refresh visible outside. Until it gets dark, that is!
The LED updates now place V-Motion swish marks in the top indicator lamps up front, bi-xenon LEDs for the main round beams below, and some refreshed lower trim styling that now includes painted areas inside the lower grille region.
The main front blinkers are still in the top lamps on the hood — just as much smaller amber LED units, we expect. This remains unknown as of now.
The overall appearance is greatly enhanced by these revisions, and speaks to one of our key concerns when crowning the JUKE Nismo the Best Turbo Sports Car Under $25,000 for 2013. What was this concern?
As cool as the GT-R-based LED accent lights are during the day, they cannot be illuminated at night in combintation with the main lamps.
This is largely technical/electrical — LEDs in night-time mode are typically a bit less bright than they are as DRLs. So the Nissan JUKE Nismo is missing one tiny circuit-board to dim these slightly, or perhaps new dim-able LEDs in general.
But the headlamps in the JUKE immediately cut the LED accent down below. It is a compromise too far for many of the fashion-aware clients the JUKE Nismo seeks.
Step in, this European JUKE remodel. This is not on the 2014 JUKE books for America yet, but is expected in the near-term future.
Out back, the V-Motion flow theme continues with the best-yet execution of LED light tubes in this shape. Worth recalling is that the JUKE does not have LED brake lights yet at all here.
Even the 370Z’s brake lights are a but less chic than these, because the Z-car is saddled with yester-tech LED dot matrices versus the solid light tubes that are the latest and greatest.
LED tubes? These are not exactly tubes in a technical sense. It is an opaque piece of acrylic to diffuse any LED dots from the brake light visage. This is imperative. The LED dots ofthe Honda Accord show how searing and unpleasant this Murano and G35-style LED dot styling has become in the 11 years since its debut on these Infiniti and Nissan models.
Still ahead-of-the-curve? Oh yes. The G35 and Murano had LED brake lights before even the Audi A6 or Audi TT.
But the game has moved forward, and trendsetters do not get that name by re-hashing tired styling ideas.
Other tweaks to the Euro JUKE? Painted surfaces in the lower rear bumpers as well, along with a new panoramic glass moonroof and LED repeaters in the mirrors.
All JUKE models deliver amazing value for handling balance and standard turbo power. But for LED lighting bliss, the European JUKE has ours shaded pretty conclusively after sunset.
Overall, however, we hope this Eagle Talon-style yellow paint will skip the overseas crossing….
Mustard Yellow must be the new Carrera White for Euro-coloristas. The BMW M4 and many others have also worn absolutely Vile (Bile?) Yellow paints in the last six months of auto shows.
A color flash most Americans would be eager to flaunt for the next six years of car ownership. Unclear.
But the Euro JUKE’s new LEDs? Clearly good news for all.
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.
2015 Nissan JUKE Secures High-Style LEDs All Around in Design Refresh + Official USA Pricing December 1, 2014, 9 pm Updated 12.1.14 The 2015 Juke in the USA now brings the latest styling enhancements seen first in Geneva on the Euro-market Juke. Included below are 2015 USA Juke prices. Watch this space for a follow-up article on the 2015 Juke's new Color Studio accessories. NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan announced U.S. pricing for the new 2015 Nissan JUKE sport cross, which features a revised exterior and enhanced standard equipment – plus a new JUKE "Color Studio" personalization program. The 2015 JUKE goes on sale today at Nissan dealers nationwide, following its North American debut at the Los Angeles…
2015 Mercedes-AMG GT Edition 1 Packs Dark Style and Huge Rear Wing + 60 New Photos October 10, 2014, 7 pm Updated 10.10.14 The wraps have come off the AMG GT's Edition 1 package! 2015 Mercedes-AMG GT Edition 1 PREVIOUS The relationship between PlayStation and Mercedes-Benz has been very strong since the AMG SLS was the cover car for GranTurismo 5. That relationship is a three-way affair: among AMG, Polyphony Digital as the GT game developers, and Sony itself in extending the reach of PS4. The new DRIVECLUB game seeks to be a new type of social racing experience -- where friends battle one another for track glory both in real-time and as part of championship leagues.…
2015 Nissan JUKE-R 2.0 Updated to GT-R NISMO Mechanicals + New Style for Goodwood June 29, 2015, 2 pm Two must-watch videos to show off the incredible, gravity-defying performance of the 2015 Juke-R 2.0! The upper video embed is the Juke-R 2.0 flying up Goodwood hill, while the below video is the Juke-R flat-out around the fabled TopGear test track. The Juke-R sequel doubles the airflow to the GT-R NISMO's 600HP engine up front via an all-new carbon-fiber bumper, widebody fenders, and diffuser element out back. Still utterly sideways on command, the Juke-R 2.0 also shows off the latest 2015 model-year Juke nose, lighting and panels. JUKE-R 2.0 Dunsfold Track Testing Video 2015 Nissan JUKE-R 2.0 THE NISSAN…
2014 Nissan Juke NISMO in 60 High-Res Photos + Video Walk-Around June 3, 2014, 3 pm The 2014 Nissan Juke NISMO is incredible value at just above $25,000 all in, with a choice between a manual transmission and front-drive or a NISMO-tuned CVT auto and AWD with a "V" mode for extra shenanigans. Sunny Day Gallery Rainy Day Gallery
2015 Nissan Juke NISMO RSnow Trax Concept Reignites Juke-R Halo Effect February 2, 2015, 5 pm We recently gave the Juke-R concept from 2012 a hall of fame write-up - extolling the incredible global awareness the GT-R/Juke hybrid created. The next step? A new Juke RSnow Trax - highlighting the new Juke LED boomerang lamps and new projector-beam lights up front, which are fresh for the 2015 model-year. This machine was created as a support car for an ice-driving school, with the tires replaced by individual tank-like treads. The rubber and steel-spiked treads spin in sync with the new hubs up top, controlling a contact patch that is 50X larger than four tires. This upgrade…
2015 Hyundai Azera – LEDetails Front and Rear + Cabin Feels Very Lux!? January 28, 2015, 6 pm Hyundai is really learning the luxury ropes very, very convincingly. The speed of the Hyundai Evolution is so quick that this new Azera totally shames the flagship Equus in classiness of design, materials and touchability. Outside, the style is still pretty blah, but the LEDs are extremely striking. Not quite sure if the impact the nose delivers is a good thing or a bad thing for the retiree target clientele -- but we love the gatling-gun look on any headlamp. Complementing these striking LED lights up top as DRLs are the primary HID projector low-beams and halogen reflector high-beams.…
Update1 – 2015 QOROS 2 SUV PHEV Concept Previews Upcoming Juke-Fighter April 20, 2015, 9 am Updated 4.21.15 with 10 Real-Life Photos Qoros is by far our favorite Chinese car brand -- plucking exceptional talent from the UK car scene like Gerte Hildebrand of MINI fame and Jamie Barrett from the RCA design program. The goal is to bring global car safety, design and equipment standards to China-made vehicles. This is more than lip-service: QOROS has the only Chinese vehicles to pass the tough EuroNCAP crash tests and on sale across the highly competitive European car market. Qoros recognizes the opportunity for new brands in the crossover and SUV space -- with this latest Qoros 2…
Houston Auto Show – 2015 BMW X6 xDrive50i – LEDetails Front and Rear in 50 New Photos January 27, 2015, 6 pm The first-gen BMW X6 seemed like a huge joke, if we're honest. All the impracticality of a tiny rear seat, plus barely half the total luggage volume of the X5. But the new X6 really does make a convincing style argument for itself versus the very-practical new X5 shape. The X6 also wears the new wide-spaced LED headlamp signature only visible on the X5M. The base X5's have an indicator in the corner of the lamps, and tighter and smaller angel eyes inside. The M Sport model shown here does a very impressive M truck impression, despite being just…
2014 Kia Optima Hybrid Updated With New Grille, LEDs Front and Rear – Specs, Features… July 11, 2014, 9 am The Kia Optima is a run-away success for the brand: since its latest design debuted, sales of the model are nearly double what the nameplate has ever achieved before. To keep this momentum and address buyer priorities, the Hybrid model has rounded out the base and turbo engine options. For the current model-year, the Hybrid brings a few updates both outside and in. The LED accents in the nose are a Hybrid exclusive, as are the lower double fog-lamp elements. These are not nearly as cool as the quad-LED setup in the SX-L trim, but are still pretty nice…
Houston Auto Show – 2015 Chrysler 300S Reveal + LED Detail Shots Front and Rear January 22, 2015, 9 pm The new Chrysler 300S is the real pick of the range. With V6 and Hemi V8 power offered, the 300S is sporty in all ways: suspension tuning and handling feel, but also exterior style and cabin ambiance. The most impressive part of the 300S is plain to see: stunning gloss-black details and a full de-chrome of the exterior. The 2015 Chrysler 300 feels familiar, but updated and very nicely refined in all ways. We love the cool technical detailing of the 300S grilles up front, the flush-mounted exhaust finishers in back, and the subtle but convincing rear end with…
2015 MINI Countryman Debuts Dark-Trimmed Style and LED Foglamp Rings May 4, 2014, 4 pm Okay, these updates probably could have been grouped together, considering the below is almost a complete Search/Replace for Paceman --> Countryman. But such is life. Here are the 2015 MINI Countryman details. MINI USA UNVEILS 2015 MINI COUNTRYMAN WITH WORLD PREMIERE AT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW 16/04/14 MINI Countryman is currently the second highest selling model in the U.S. by volume, led only by the MINI Hardtop New safety and functional features enhance the premium crossover model Expanded range of paint finishes now includes Jungle Green metallic, Midnight Grey metallic, and Starlight Blue metallic Woodcliff Lake, NJ…
Ugur Sahin Designs a Ferrari-badged Concept F Hypercar – But Style Says Koenigsegg To Us May 9, 2014, 6 pm The second Ugur Sahin Designs article today! This one is much more supercar-focused - or maybe hypercar is more like it! While Sahin based this on the Ferrari 458 and includes Ferrari branding, the style of the visor windshield, bubble canopy roof and long rear deck all seem like a far better fit as the next Koenigsegg. Cruise over to Sahin's website portfolio below to see all his outstanding work... http://www.ugursahindesign.com/ Ugur Sahin Design - Project F
