Well, OK, that was not what I expected...Making sure to be dressed appropriately I showed up in "business casual" attire as advised by the Nissan PR rep who had invited me to the Juke's North American introduction. I did need to rush into a local discount shoestore on the way from my hotel to 1 Rockefeller Plaza as I had forgotten my black socks at home. Throwing my white socks in a garbage barrel as I hustled down the NYC streets trying to dodge the raindrops I tried to think of what questions I might have for the designers and engineers.
Unfortunately I'd never get to ask these...
Cutting costs Nissan has, of late, planned these new model introductions outside of the traditional auto show scene. While having an open bar from 6-9 at the Morrell Wine Bar was nice, the location became very crowded very quickly and while I could place faces as being ones I knew from the Nissan org chart, the atmosphere was not conducive to inquiring as to the thinking behind the models design or where Nissan seems to be headed with a growing Euro influence.
John Davis from "Auto Week" on Speed Channel was there, though like most, he was more interested in consuming the free food and drink and taking up the room usually afforded two people in the small bar. The Nissan execs and PR staff and designers that were there were quite nice, I just wish the event was more about the vehicle and less about who can pick a good red wine and comment upon the salmon tartar.
The reception to the vehicle itself? The most common comment I heard was that it looked far better in person that it does in pictures. And I would agree, though I liked the pictures I had seen as well.
The Juke is quite small and short. At 6'2" the center of my chest is significantly higher than the roofline and the backseat is a bit cramped. The folding rear seats create an abundance of cargo room--sufficient for any normal weekend away or large trip to the grocery store or Wally World. The front seats however are normal in all size respects and provide plenty of room for a regular adult.
Without the designers or engineers to inquire with, many questions remain unanswered. There were no skid plates on this version, though skids have been named as an option for the Juke and there is a weird, floaty, wing looking thing on the dash over the steering wheel (see pic below). Whether its just a fancy way to reduce glare or something entirely different is unknown. Additionally, with the vehicle they were showing here still the right hand drive version I would have liked to inquire as to any potential differences between the U.S. version and any of the foreign versions, particularly regarding the engine options and its production location.
As a way to get the word out to some of the "corporate" automotive world that Nissan has a new model coming out and to generate some friendly, safe, vanilla news stories, an event like this is good. The guys with the large waistbands show up and are sure to get the news of your car in the NY Times or Motor Trend. For the thinner, more enthusiast oriented members of the automotive world, something like this just leaves us hungry...
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