Good morning! We’re turning up the tempo and the volume on our musical-themed choices today, with two turbocharged hatchbacks. Are you ready to shift to overdrive? Good, because they’re both manuals, as well.
We looked at two cars from 1979 yesterday, a frumpy Toyota sedan and a completely over-the-top Corvette. I expected the Vette to go down in flames, and it certainly had its detractors in the comments, but when the dust had settled, the majority of you chose side-piped over straight-laced. All I can say is, you’re my kind of people.
I think the thing with C3 Corvettes is that you have to be in on the joke. You can’t take a car like this seriously, nor can you get all bent out of shape when others poke a little fun at it. Is it for everyone? Of course not. But it doesn’t have to be.
You know when you really love a song by a band, but it’s the song the “real fans” hate, or think is an example of them “selling out,” or whatever, and they give you a hard time about it? Don’t you just hate that? Just let people enjoy things. My favorite song from the legendary British hard rock band Judas Priest is “Turbo Lover.” Yeah, it’s cheesy, and poppy, but I’ve always liked it, and I have a fond memory of it that I’ve written about before over on Opposite Lock. Likewise, I’ve always kinda liked today’s two cars, at least in this form. You may not think they’re cool, but if you let yourself enjoy them, you could have a lot of fun. Here they are.
2013 Nissan Juke NISMO – $4,400
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 1.6-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: Sacramento, CA
Odometer reading: 120,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I have really come to dislike the term “crossover.” All it means, as far as I can tell, is a wagon or hatchback that’s a little taller than normal, maybe with some extra black plastic crap stuck on the outside. What on Earth are they supposed to be “crossing over” into? It’s a dumb term. Nissan called the Juke a crossover, but look at it; it’s just a hatchback. This is the NISMO model, Nissan-speak for “the fast/sporty one,” and it has all the typical hot-hatchback cues: bigger wheels, stiffer suspension, special trim, and, of course, a little more power.
All US-market Jukes had a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, but the NISMO version makes more power and revs a bit higher. The Juke was available with either a manual gearbox or all-wheel drive, but not both. Whoever bought this one new chose wisely. AWD is useful once in a while, but a CVT – the other gearbox choice – is boring all the time. It has only 120,000 miles on it, and it runs well, but it’s being sold by a dealership, so that’s all I can tell you.
We only get this one photo of the inside, but it’s encouraging. It has nice suede-looking bucket seats that could use a vacuuming, but don’t look damaged. The wall of text in the ad is a little hard to sift through, but it seems to indicate that the air conditioning works, and the stereo has Bluetooth. Hey, that’s better than a lot of the clunkers we look at here.
The Juke’s styling is weird, but the NISMO version is a perfect example of why the black plastic cladding trend needs to die. On the standard Juke, those flares over the fenders are black, and it looks cartoonish. This one, with body-color flares, looks a lot better. It’s still bug-eyed, and the taillights still remind me of Cylon Raiders, but it’s kind of charming. This one is in good condition, but it could use a wash and wax.
2013 Fiat 500 Sport Turbo – $4,700
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 1.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Piedmont, CA
Odometer reading: 118,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Revival models of beloved classic designs often fall short of the mark: Volkswagen’s New Beetle, and now the ID.Buzz van, are way more complicated and fussy than the simple, carefree originals, and a lot of the new Minis are anything but. But Fiat’s revival of the 500 stays pretty true to the spirit of the original. It’s bigger, sure, and the engine is at the other end, but it’s still small, cute, inexpensive, efficient, and fun to toss around.
The original 500 was powered by a two-cylinder engine in the back, driving the rear wheels. This one moves the engine to the front, driving the front wheels, in a design that Fiat pioneered in the late 1960s with the 500’s successors. In Europe, a 900 cc two-cylinder engine was offered, but over here, we only got a 1.4 liter four-cylinder, equipped with Fiat’s clever MultiAir variable valve timing system. This one is turbocharged, for a little extra oomph, and has five forward gears and a clutch pedal for you to play with.
Like the Mini, the 500 is fancier than a typical economy car inside. It has power windows, heated seats, air conditioning, and a big stereo. It’s in good condition, except for the bolster on the driver’s seat, where some of the bonded leather is coming apart.
It’s in really nice shape outside, and has been well cared-for. There are a couple of bumper stickers that you may or may not want to remove; I don’t understand why the seller didn’t remove them before putting it up for sale. I have applied my fair share of bumper stickers over the years, but peeling them off has always been part of the de-personalization of a car before sale.
I’ve always admired these upper-trim versions of economy cars; I just never seem to buy one. I gravitate towards the simpler base models. But these two look like a lot more fun, and the interiors look like a lot more pleasant places to be. And the extra power from the turbo engines is a nice little bonus. Which one would you choose?
Wow this was a tough one. I bemoan the soul-crushing sameness that has taken over our modern roadways, and I believe stylists taking bold chances are doing a service, even if the results are polarizing like the Juke. It stands out which makes it endearing to me. The manual Nismo trim is absolutely the peak of the model. I’d consider dailying this. It doesn’t blend in, which is the only sin I can’t forgive. I’d prefer it to be black. It looks bolder with the red Nismo trim than this milquetoast silver.
The Fiat also doesn’t blend in, and I have extensive experience with a non-turbo ’15 Sport that has been a wonderful car for 10 years and 140,000 miles. It’s had a few foibles, mostly interior-related (armrests, window regulators, etc.), but overall it’s been wonderfully dependable and fun to drive. This turbo manual Sport, while not being quite an Abarth, also doesn’t share the Abarth’s harsh ride and gigantic turning radius It would therefore be easier to live with day-to-day. I wouldn’t choose white unless as a canvas for a wicked graphics package, but those are my favorite 500 wheels.
I honestly wouldn’t mind having both of these in my driveway.
I did not even realize that the [non-Abarth] 500 Turbo was available in 2013. But I believe starting in 2015, Fiat made the turbo engine standard for all 500s sold in the USA. Which was a good idea IMO, but still did not really move the needle in terms of sales. Everyone who wanted a 500 probably bought one within the first couple of years of availability. (The 500L had that same turbo engine as standard from the beginning, and it was really fun to drive.)
NEVER Juke, they are one of the ugliest cars ever made. I’ll take the 500…even though I’ve never liked these cars much, they do sound like a lot of fun to drive, have a decent body style, and are efficient. I also like Turbo Lover, it’s one of their best songs. I like Judas Priest, but only their main hits
It’s a 500 with the (detuned, I guess) Abarth motor.
Fiat is the answer, for once.
It seems a bit suspicious that a dealer is selling that Juke and couldn’t even be bothered to give it a quick wash and vacuum.
Seeing a Juke makes me want to puke.
Me too!
Based on style alone this isn’t really fair to the Juke.
I picked the Juke. Outside of the CVT, Nissan builds generally reliable cars, and this one doesn’t have that problem. FIATs of this era had all sorts of problems, including dealers’ inability to fix said problems.
In the sub-$5000 class, I’ll happily select an ugly vehicle with a promising future over a pleasant-looking vehicle with a questionable future.
Until the water pump needs to be replaced.
My former 06 350Z 6MT with its three motors replaced for oil consumption before it was 2 years old would like to have a word with you about Nissan reliability.
Thank goodness for lemon laws, and especially thank goodness my 07 Corvette I bought to replace that 350Z has been reliable for 17+ years and 165K miles.
If the Juke were closer I’d buy it for my kid. I don’t hate the styling, and I like the drivetrain. The 500 is like *almost* the right one, but it’s not. My brother had an Abarth and that was fun. This is like the discount rack Abarth which is not cool to me.
I had a 500 almost exactly like this one. Same color even! I always enjoyed that car. Drive a slow car fast idea….
Fiat. The only good thing about a turbocharged Nissan Juke is it can fuck off out of my sight that bit quicker than a stock one.
The NISMO Juke still has ALL of the Ugly as the regular model, so Fiat.
The Juke is so ugly that it scare small pets, makes children cry, causes women to faint and makes grown men look away in disgust.
Which is exactly why i chose it over the Fiat.
I test drove a manual Juke Nismo RS back when they where new, and it was way more fun that it had any right to be, and I think they are not as ugly as everyone thinks. They look like a covenant ground vehicle from Halo (just need to wrap it purple!). That said I still picked the 500, I’ve also driven several 500 Abarth’s and slap an exhaust from one of those on this turbo and I sure it’s nearly as fun! Also these early Juke’s ate turbos (and often then engines) a lot cause the turbo lines would get clogged up from poor quality/not enough oil changes.
Picked the Fiat as I don’t have to drive with a bag over my head like the Juke.
I came here to vote for the Juke. I daily drive a 2011 FWD with the CVT and it’s still a blast. I don’t apologize for it’s looks, even though I was very resistant when my wife suggested it to move our 3-person family around. I have come to love this car, it drives better than most modern cars. It handles amazingly for a car that cheap and the CVT isn’t that bad, it loves rev and it sounds like an angry bee when it gets going.
I would love to buy the nismo version just to chuck around the hills of PR. It’s probably too stiff and zippy to be a DD though.
Definitely a burn both day as I have zero interest in either of them.
I bet a 500 with a stick is a blast. I’ve spent a bit of time behind the wheel of an automatic one and even with only ~100 horsepower it was still a lot of fun. So Fiat, naturally.
I say buy both! Then take bets on which one blows up first!
There’s a reason one of these rhymes with “puke”.
Juke, but only barely. The Juke would be more usable for my daily commute and is more pleasant on the highway than the 500 (of which I have done long highway stints in via rentals). Were the 500 an Abarth instead of a Sport my answer would likely be different.
Fiat. My dad’s name is Tony, so I know where to get it fixed.
The 500. It’s my goal in life to never own a Nissan. Datsun, ok…
Note: if you type “500.” in the comment box and hit space it converts it to “1.”?
I know the Juke isn’t exactly handsome, but I always thought that if you could take the emphasis off the hood-level lighting up top, and just make it seem like the round lights by the grille were the only lights, it’d look kinda cool… in the front… only.
But y’know, it’d be a lot of work (or at least some illegal paint) for not much benefit: https://i.imgur.com/m3YZnKs.png
Nothing says “Sub-Subprime Buyer” like an old Nissan with paper tags slaloming thru traffic.
I’d slap some Hawaiian seat covers on that Fiat and make it mine.