Got to sit in a Juke today (but still no test drive).
I'm coming from a MINI Cooper.
I'm going to go with my negative impressions, and would like some input on those:
1) Felt really cramped and small compared to my MINI (which to those who don't have a MINI, this must sound shocking).
2) Was surprised at how hard/cheap the dash surrounds were. I was expecting them to be soft-touch for how they looked, but they are HARD.
3) Thought it was very weird how the steering wheel controls ride on the horn and that the spokes aren't fixed (and housing the steering wheel controls). Pushing buttons on a moving surface? Odd!! Do they trigger the horn at times, or do you have to press dead-center for that to occur?
4) Couldn't get a read on the seats. My MINI's sport seats are extremely supportive and form-fitting (for me!). Are these very supportive? I honestly couldn't tell. At first, I was afraid they didn't slide back far enough for me, which is a deal-breaker, but then I quickly realized the rear seats were folded down and blocked the seat travel, so once I put them up, I found there was adequate backward travel to allow me to extend my legs (phew!). Has anyone done a substantial road trip in their Juke yet? My MINI's seats are the best I've ever had. Zero fatigue even after many hours of driving. I know this is a BMW strong-suit though.
Now, as to the positives, I loved the exterior size and look and it seemed pretty solidly put together.
This was a base model, and so the steering wheel was HARD plastic. This was surprising too. I'm used to my soft leather one in the MINI. I would be getting the SL (aka Tekna more or less), so it will be leather. I'm going to wait to test drive when they have one of those in, for an accurate superficial "impression" of the car.
I'm not sure how I feel about the cheap stuff. I'm not sure if it matters or not. One doesn't generally touch the top of the dashboard, after all.
I'm going to drive a Countryman too, just for comparison, but I'm worried it will vastly outclass the Juke, even though I know that it probably won't drive as well, not to mention the fact that it's $5000 more! I really want to love the Juke though.
Strangely enough, on my way home, I saw a brand-new Juke parked a block from my house. I really appreciated that, because it gave me a real-world view of the shape and size compared to other cars. I liked that it was narrower than most, which I was worried about. It's a good fit in terms of size for life in my city. I love my MINI but I'm tired of being smaller than everyone and being disadvantaged in height at times (being behind SUV's, seeing around parked cars, etc...).
I'm coming from a MINI Cooper.
I'm going to go with my negative impressions, and would like some input on those:
1) Felt really cramped and small compared to my MINI (which to those who don't have a MINI, this must sound shocking).
2) Was surprised at how hard/cheap the dash surrounds were. I was expecting them to be soft-touch for how they looked, but they are HARD.
3) Thought it was very weird how the steering wheel controls ride on the horn and that the spokes aren't fixed (and housing the steering wheel controls). Pushing buttons on a moving surface? Odd!! Do they trigger the horn at times, or do you have to press dead-center for that to occur?
4) Couldn't get a read on the seats. My MINI's sport seats are extremely supportive and form-fitting (for me!). Are these very supportive? I honestly couldn't tell. At first, I was afraid they didn't slide back far enough for me, which is a deal-breaker, but then I quickly realized the rear seats were folded down and blocked the seat travel, so once I put them up, I found there was adequate backward travel to allow me to extend my legs (phew!). Has anyone done a substantial road trip in their Juke yet? My MINI's seats are the best I've ever had. Zero fatigue even after many hours of driving. I know this is a BMW strong-suit though.
Now, as to the positives, I loved the exterior size and look and it seemed pretty solidly put together.
This was a base model, and so the steering wheel was HARD plastic. This was surprising too. I'm used to my soft leather one in the MINI. I would be getting the SL (aka Tekna more or less), so it will be leather. I'm going to wait to test drive when they have one of those in, for an accurate superficial "impression" of the car.
I'm not sure how I feel about the cheap stuff. I'm not sure if it matters or not. One doesn't generally touch the top of the dashboard, after all.
I'm going to drive a Countryman too, just for comparison, but I'm worried it will vastly outclass the Juke, even though I know that it probably won't drive as well, not to mention the fact that it's $5000 more! I really want to love the Juke though.
Strangely enough, on my way home, I saw a brand-new Juke parked a block from my house. I really appreciated that, because it gave me a real-world view of the shape and size compared to other cars. I liked that it was narrower than most, which I was worried about. It's a good fit in terms of size for life in my city. I love my MINI but I'm tired of being smaller than everyone and being disadvantaged in height at times (being behind SUV's, seeing around parked cars, etc...).
. I think people that buy larger cars than they NEED are nuts. The Juke can't help but be more accommodating than my MINI, and I found my MINI to be extremely practical and commodious.
