The Nissan Juke is by far the funkiest crossover available, and things are about to get a little funkier with the introduction of a new special-edition model being called the Juke Black Pearl Edition. Manufacturers have been going crazy the past couple of years with the whole “dark theme,” with everybody and their brother jumping on the bandwagon. While a good portion of those models are relatively boring compared to their standard models, this new special edition from Nissan takes the dark theme to a whole new level. Instead of showcasing a model with a few black accents, Nissan did it the right way by blacking out nearly the entire exterior, save for a few Pearl White accents. It’s based on the Juke SV and can be had in front-wheel or all-wheel drive, but will only be sold in just 1,250 examples. You have a little time to get to the dealer here in the U.S., as 1,000 of them are slated for this market. But, if you live in Canada, you might want to head to the dealer now as only 250 of them will be available to our northern neighbors.
Michael Bunce, the VP of Product Planning for Nissan North America, said, “Juke has always followed its own path as a distinctive urban sport cross, standing apart from ordinary crossover SUVs from both design and performance aspects. The new Black Pearl Edition continues Juke’s performance formula while adding a bold-on-bold appearance inside and out.”
Well, he certainly has the “bold-on-bold” thing right, as a model this black, and with white accents, is a pretty bold move. But, being so limited, and being based on a vehicle like the Nissan Juke, it’s sure to find a place in the heart of many. But, before we get too far ahead of ourselves in that regard, let’s take a closer look on the Juke Black Pearl and why it is worth your consideration.
Continue reading to learn more about the Nissan Juke Black Pearl Edition.
2017 Nissan Juke Black Pearl Edition
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- Model: 2017 Nissan Juke Black Pearl Edition
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What makes the Nissan Juke Black Pearl Edition special
To start off, Nissan snagged a Juke SV off the line and applied a Black exterior finish. Instead of going with a random body color and doing black accents, Nissan did the opposite and went with a black finish and Peral White accents. These can be found on the winglets below the fog lights in each corner of the front fascia, the circular inserts around the round headlights, the side-view mirrors, the door handles, the rear spoiler, and the winglets on the rear fascia at the bottom. All told, it’s not a bad look, but don’t forget about those 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels finished in Super Black and wrapped in 215/55-series all-season tires. Excessive contrast like this would normally look really odd and out of place, but there is just the right amount of white to offset all of the black, making this an awesome exterior package. For the record, this model joins the Yellow Stinger and the Black Stinger editions that have previously been released, and the “Black Pearl” name is actually a name that was once used on a limited-edition 1978 Nissan 280Z way back when. Not a bad way to draw in some heritage for a special edition, really.
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Nissan didn’t just stop with the exterior like some manufacturers do. The inside also gets some healthy black and white contrast. Starting out with an all-black interior, this Juke’s black cloth seats have been customized with white stitching and checkered white inserts. The entire center console has been painted in Pearl White, save for the insert around the shifter itself. The leather steering wheel has been stitched together with white contrast stitching while the inserts around the circular HVAC vents have also taken on the Pearl-White treatment. It would have been a little better if Nissan painted the steering wheel buttons and instrument cluster inserts in Pearl White, but it did accent the shifter handle with Pearl White as well as the insert on the door rest that serves as the mounting point for the window and mirror controls. All told, it’s just the right mix inside as well, so we’ll give Nissan a pass on the lack of accents in the instrument cluster and steering wheel controls.
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Since this model isn’t based on the Juke Nismo, you’ll find a 1.6-liter four-banger under the hood that delivers a cool 188 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. It’s enough for spirited driving while managing to carry decent fuel economy, so that’s also a plus. Not to mention, that’s quite a bit of power for a vehicle as small as the Juke. Other manufacturers like Chevy and Honda could really learn something from Nissan in this department. Back to the point, this Juke can hit 60 mph in around eight seconds on the way to an estimated top speed somewhere in the area of 135 mph. It should be noted, however, that there is only one transmission offering – Nissan’s Xtronic that includes a manual mode and D-step Logic control. Be that as it may, it can be had in front-wheel or all-wheel drive, so that’s definitely a plus. Fuel economy figures for models equipped with front-wheel drive are impressive at 28 mpg in the city, 32 mpg on the highway, and 29 mpg combined. Models with all-wheel drive garner 26, 30, and 28 mpg, respectively.
Pricing for the whole package comes in at $1,190 here in the U.S., but that’s on top of the $22,500 ticket for the front-wheel-drive Juke SV or the $24,400 ticket for the all-wheel-drive model. Considering the awesome contrasting nature of the black and white, and the sheer difference between this dark-themed model and those offered by other manufacturers.