It's happened. My colleague Ryan has taken the plunge and bought a brand new Nissan Juke. The decision, he tells me, is based solely on my advice, followed by subtle suggestions that I may stumble across a horse's head in my bed if things go belly up with his car.
Thankfully, the first impressions are favourable. He loves the way it drives, but the big hit for him is the Juke's attention-grabbing design. "Many people point and stare and in parking lots I've had several of them come up to me and ask if they can have a look at the interior," he beams.
Ryan bought the front-wheel drive version and although he liked our turbo-engined long-termer he's settled for the naturally aspirated version worth Dh73,000.
There are some things though that he's not so happy about: the stingy cargo space and the less than generous rear legroom. He's also run into problems with the car's Bluetooth connectivity. Pairing an iPhone proves to be a struggle with the system relenting only after several infuriating attempts, before inadvertently dropping the line at the most inopportune moment. He's been informed by the dealership that it works seamlessly with Android phones. That's helpful.
In the meantime, our long-term Juke is winning over new fans at wheels towers. Even Imran, a self-professed hater of everything that isn't a muscle car, has developed a soft spot for the oddball crossover. And I reckon that's largely because of the big personality this little car has.
That said, our time with the Juke is running out and so far it's been utterly reliable and hasn't put a foot wrong.
And for the sake of the horses in Dubai, I hope it stays that way.
