Nissan Introduces 2012 Juke with Improved Fuel Economy in Europe

Nissan continues to fine-tune its Juke small crossover, which has received some mechanical tweaks in Europe that promise to further reduce emissions and lift fuel economy.

The Japanese company says both the 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre dCi diesel drivetrains have undergone an optimisation programme that includes revised gear ratios for the manual transmission models.

As a result of these changes, the 1.6-litre petrol variant now returns 47.1mpg UK (equal to 39.2mpg US or 6.0 lt/100km) on the combined cycle, an improvement of 2.3mpg, while emitting 139g/km of CO2, a reduction of 8g/km over the previous model.

Those that opt for the revised 1.5-litre dCi diesel, will see fuel economy jump from 55.4mpg UK to 57.6mpg UK (47.9mpg US or 4.9 lt/100km) on the combined cycle, and emissions drop from 134g/km to just 129g/km.

At least for the United Kingdom, where the company has sold some 22,000 Jukes since it launched exactly a year ago, Nissan says prices remain unchanged.

 

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More Powerful 2012 Kia Soul Priced from $14,650

After the premiere of the facelifted 2012 Soul at this year's New York Auto Showin late April, it’s time for Kia to talk prices. The revised small crossover enters the new model year with some modest styling changes but more importantly, a new pair of more powerful engines hooked up to six-speed transmissions.

Pricing for the entry level Soul with the 1.6-liter engine and a manual gearbox starts at $13,900 or (*) $14,650 after a $750 destination and handling (D&H) fee, while the automatic model starts at $15,700 or $16,450 if you include D&H.

Kia has not yet released pricing from the new flagship Soul equipped with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.

The updated 1.6-liter unit that features Kia's fuel-saving and emissions reducing gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology, is rated at 138-horses, an increase of 16 ponies over the previous model.

Kia says that mated to the new six-speed manual and automatic transmissions, the 1.6-liter engine delivers up to 34mpg on the highway and 28mpg in the city.

The new 2.0-liter engine produces 164HP, an increase of 22-horses over the previous model year, and is also offered with a choice of two six-speed transmissions, manual or automatic.

According to Kia's estimates, the two-liter unit returns 27 mpg city and 33 mpg highway for both the automatic and manual transmission models.

 

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