Dec 9, 2017

One adjective often applied to the Nissan Juke is “polarizing.” It’s only fitting, then, that rumors of the subcompact crossover’s impending demise have divided fans of Nissan vehicles. What is this quirky crossover’s ultimate fate at Mentor Nissan and other dealerships? Let’s see if we can decipher the tea leaves.  

In some ways, the Nissan Juke is a victim of its own success. Subcompact crossovers weren’t common when the SUV debuted in 2010 as a 2011 model. But they’re everywhere now, and many manufacturers, including the Nissan brand, are slicing and dicing market segments to capture more buyers.

As a result, the model doesn’t sell like it used to. That’s not helped any by the Nissan Rogue Sport (really the Nissan Quashqai with a new nameplate), which has taken sales away from the Nissan Juke by luring in drivers who want something slightly larger and a tad more conservative.

And it’s about to get even more complicated, thanks to the just-debuted Nissan Kicks. It ticks many of the same boxes as its older sibling (albeit with more restrained styling). With sales of the Nissan Juke being cannibalized from two sides, it’s going to be increasingly hard to make a case for keeping it in the lineup. That lends credence to the reports in The Truth About Cars and elsewhere that 2018 will be its last hurrah.

The Nissan Kicks arrives at dealerships early in 2018, and we’ll have more information to share about it in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, if you like the quirky, punchy Nissan Juke, we don’t suggest waiting too long to visit your Nissan dealership because it may not be around much longer. Visit Mentor Nissan at 6960 Center St to take a test drive of any new Nissan car or SUV.