Back in 2011, Nissan decided to stuff the powertrain from its mighty GT-R into the Juke mini-crossover (which we called “the perfect ride for a speed freak with a sense of humor”), creating a monster known as the Juke-R. Now, this chimeric crossover is getting an upgrade.
The Nissan Juke-R 2.0 debuts this week at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. Originally teased as the Juke-R NISMO (the last part of the name is short for “Nissan Motorsports”), it’s even more insane than version 1.0
Nissan’s latest monster Juke still features the 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged GT-R, but it’s been upgraded from the previous production version’s 545 horsepower to 600 hp. That’s the same output as the GT-R NISMO, the most extreme version of the GT-R available to customers.
Nissan didn’t say specifically, but seems logical for the Juke-R 2.0 to pack the GT-R NISMO’s 481 pound-feet of torque as well. An all-wheel drive system derived from the one used in the GT-R helps put that power to the ground.
In addition to giving the Juke-R 2.0 an extra shot of horsepower, Nissan made some visual upgrades as well. The new version is based on the facelifted Juke that debuted for the 2015 model year — although it takes an eagle eye to spot the differences between the two.
More noticeable changes include a new front bumper with larger cooling apertures, a carbon-fiber rear bumper with integrated diffuser, carbon-fiber fender flares, and newer-style GT-R wheels.
Those steroidal add-ons, combined with the stealthy matte-black paint, almost make the Juke-R 2.0 look sinister. Until you remember that this is still a Juke, and see its goofy face.
The dissonance between the serious performance implied by the GT-R hardware and the laughs brought on by the Juke bodywork helped make the previous Juke-R a fan favorite. The same will probably be true of the new model.
Besides the two original concept versions, Nissan actually built a handful of production Juke-Rs for people to buy. The carmaker won’t discuss plans to sell the Juke-R 2.0 right now, but you can bet that if it does go on sale, it will cost as much as the supercars it seeks to imitate.
