New Nissan Juke hybrid vs Toyota Yaris Cross
That said, neither of these cars is designed to feel sporty in nature, and at low speeds the smoothness of the Yaris’s CVT 'box is actually preferable to the occasionally clunky four-speed automatic in the Juke (noticeable only when the petrol engine is running, of course). Both cars can cover short distances on battery power alone, but press their accelerator pedals harder and their engines will fire into life.
When this happens, the Juke is noticeably louder around town, due to the coarseness of its engine. However, up the pace and you’ll soon find that it’s more peaceful than the Yaris Cross, which produces more wind and road noise at 70mph.
Neither car has a particularly smooth ride. The Yaris Cross feels a little more unsettled than the Juke at motorway speeds and subjects occupants to more side-to-side head movement along uneven roads, while the Juke thumps more over potholes around town.
Both cars handle in a perfectly safe and composed manner, but neither is what you’d call entertaining. While the Yaris Cross benefits from more accurate steering, higher grip levels and less body lean than the Juke, if you’re in the market for a more driver-focused small SUV, we’d point you in the direction of the Ford Puma[1].