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Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift Debuts in Geneva with 218 HP

Nissan's range of motorsport-inspired cars is growing at an alarming pace. Their latest is the brand new Juke Nismo RS, a new flagship of the small crossover range which Nissan started back in 2010.
2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift 7 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf / Robert Kah
2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift2014 Nissan Juke Nismo RS Facelift
Revealed for the very first time at the Geneva Motor Show, the Juke Nismo RS impressive through power above all else. That's because this car has one of the highest output 1.6-liter engines around. Nissan engineers have found way to extract 18 more PS than the Juke Nismo for a grand total of 218 PS. Torque is also up by 30 Nm to 280 Nm (only for the manual version though, CVT models remain at 250 Nm). That's more than you get with a Renault Clio RS or a Peugeot 208 GTi.

To make the Nismo RS a true flagship of the range, Nissan have improved the handling, stiffened the body and added bigger brakes. A new exhaust system delivers a fruitier note, coming out of a huge single chrome trip nessled into the rear diffuser. But perhaps the biggest performance enhancer of all is the limited slip differential fitted to the 2WD model with a manual gearbox. We should tell you right off the bat that the all-wheel drive version has torque vectoring and an Xtronic transmission. This CVT gearbox has simulated gears, eight of them, operated via the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.

But there's so much more to the Juke Nismo RS than just power and transmissions. It's the most striking Juke you can buy, a statement made through color. For example, the brake calipers are red and feature RS logos. Other red accents are presented in the form of stripes added to the bodywork.

Being a 2014 model, the Juke Nismo RS also has brand new headlights and taillights. It's available with optional Xenon headlights and an Around View Monitor system for easier parking.

But perhaps the coolest feature of all is the brushed/matte paintwork, a very nice touch which is basically a first in this segment. Car wrappers have been offering this tone for a while now and it just goes to show Nissan is really paying attention to what young buyers really want.

"New Juke Nismo RS conforms exactly to the Nismo ethos, providing an instant performance feeling in a premium design inspired by our motorsport activities. The result is engaging, exciting and accessible," said Guillaume Cartier, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Nissan in Europe.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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