Nissan Bringing Juke NISMO to U.S. Eventually, European Sales Begin Next Year

Earlier this year, Nissan announced that it will sell a NISMO-upgraded Juke model in Europe based on the Juke NISMO concept car.  Bummed as we were that the U.S. wasn't a part of the mix, today brings reason to turn our frowns upside-down: Nissan has declared the Juke NISMO fit for American consumption sometime in the future. When in the future? The company isn't saying, but the sportier Juke goes on sale in Europe early next year, so . . . likely sometime after that. The good news, besides the future U.S. availability, is that most of the Juke NISMO concept's upgrades will carry over to the production model. That means you can look forward to a unique body kit and fender flares, a stiffer suspension, 18-inch wheels, and a NISMO steering wheel and special suede-trimmed sport seats. As for what to expect to see under the Juke's stubby hood, Nissan isn't revealing that yet, saying only that the Juke NISMO will get a modified version of the standard crossover's turbocharged 1.6-liter four, which makes 188 hp in U.S. spec. Also unknown is whether the NISMO model will get front- or all-wheel drive. The announcement of the U.S. availability included a tidbit that torque-vectoring capability will be on offer, suggesting that it will indeed have all-wheel drive. The torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system in the normal Juke is only available with a CVT, so here's hoping that the system can be paired with a manual transmission in NISMO trim. (For the record, the concept had a manual, but its driveline configuration was never revealed.) Comparison Test: 2012 Nissan Juke vs. 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman, 2012 Jeep Compass First Drive: Nissan Juke-R Instrumented Test: 2009 Nissan NISMO 370Z Whenever the Juke NISMO makes its way to our shores, it will join the NISMO 370Z in Nissan showrooms, doubling the number of turnkey NISMO-fettled Nissans available for purchase. Pricing and technical specifications will be revealed closer to the Juke NISMO's on-sale date. If you can't wait until next year, or this Juke doesn't seem compelling enough, there's always the wacky GT-R–based Juke-R, which can be yours for around half a million dollars. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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