Nissan to tone down next JUKE

First unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September, the Nissan Gripz concept looked like something fit for a Transformers’ movie.

With edges upon edges and surfaces disappearing beneath one another, the Gripz heralds yet another all-new compact SUV from Nissan – this time wearing the car-maker's hallowed Z badge, although Nissan has since confirmed its existing 370Z sports car will be replaced.

Apart from the first Z-badged SUV, the next-generation hybrid crossover concept also previews Nissan's second-generation JUKE, but the production version of the redesigned compact SUV will be heavily toned down.

It’s par for the course for car-makers to create outrageous show cars like the Gripz to capture the market’s imagination, but once hit with the reality stick, those radical edges and multiple layered surfaces will morph into the tamer production body that ends up in our showrooms in 2017.

While the radical silhouette of the Gripz is vaguely recognisable, this artist’s impression reveals what the new JUKE will look more like in road-going form in two years.

Although it maintains a prominent new double V-shaped corporate grille design and back-swept arrow-shaped LED lighting signatures, the new JUKE will wear a far more sedate and practical side profile, making the new small crossover far more conservative than the original.

According to Nissan, this concept was borne out of a desire to combine the looks, performance and handling of the 1971 Safari Rally-winning 240Z with the sporty silhouette of a crossover.

We can see that combination in the Gripz concept, but we’re afraid to say that rally-winning Z-ness will be lost in the next JUKE – if it looks like this.

Things will be far more adventurous under the skin, however. The next JUKE will be available with a ‘Pure Drive e-Power’ powertrain, which is Nissan's name for the company's new range-extender technology.

As we reported last week, Nissan will unveil its first range-extending EV as early as 2016, but it won't be the next LEAF, so unless it's a dedicated new 'green' model, the JUKE EV could be revealed earlier than expected next year.

Effectively an electric vehicle incorporating an onboard engine to power the batteries but not drive the wheels, the 'REV' will combine the LEAF's large-capacity electric motor with a small-capacity petrol engine that acts as a generator to charge the batteries when they run down.

Employing all of the knowhow gained from the LEAF's EV tech, this new series-hybrid EV will generate 80kW and 254Nm, making it just as powerful as the LEAF, which offers more torque at 280Nm.

Apart from the advanced new plug-in hybrid powertrain, the next JUKE should also be available with a range of conventional four-cylinder petrol engines, up to a 162kW/260Nm 1.6-litre turbo-petrol powertrain with six-speed dual-clutch transmission from the Renault Clio RS 220.

Expect the new JUKE – and perhaps the all-new compact SUV previewed by the Gripz, also with range-extending PHEV power – to be revealed next year, with Australian sales likely from early 2017.

Image: Best Car