2014 Nissan Juke NISMO to be on sale in March

[CamaroSkooter]

So, all that NISMO stuff and stickers and it only gets 9 more horsepower?

That's a bit...underwhelming...

[FenwickHockey65]

It's like the RS package on the Sonic. Mostly appearance, minor performance upgrades.

[Stingray]

I think it looks great in person... not overdone and has tasteful cosmetic upgrades. The pearl white really shows it off in a subtle yet attentive way.

[guiLT]

Originally Posted by CorvetteSkooter

So, all that NISMO stuff and stickers and it only gets 9 more horsepower?

That's a bit...underwhelming...

The NISMO is more of an appearance package like the RS.

[CamaroSkooter]

Well that's lame.

NISMO is supposed to be the performance division of Nissan Motorsports. I would think that if your automotive company is going to have a performance division, then it wouldn't just slap its name on anything they make unless there were real performance goodies added.

I guess I just have a different train of logic...

[FenwickHockey65]

BMW does it with the M division. Lexus does it with F-sport models. It's nothing new.

[CamaroSkooter]

Just 'cause everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean it makes sense

[FenwickHockey65]

Agreed. I guess Nissan's problem is they don't really have a legacy of "RS" models like Chevrolet.

Hell, half the Chevrolet SS models from the past few years probably should've been RS's instead.

[Stingray]

AMG badges on non-AMG-engine cars... all about marketing and milking/selling the hype. :sad:

[guiLT]

Originally Posted by CorvetteSkooter

Well that's lame.

NISMO is supposed to be the performance division of Nissan Motorsports. I would think that if your automotive company is going to have a performance division, then it wouldn't just slap its name on anything they make unless there were real performance goodies added.

I guess I just have a different train of logic...

No I understand what you mean.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Agreed. I guess Nissan's problem is they don't really have a legacy of "RS" models like Chevrolet.

Hell, half the Chevrolet SS models from the past few years probably should've been RS's instead.

I respect what you're saying, but I'm not so sure that the SS on certain models wasn't earned:

• Cobalt SS (SC/TC)—excellent competitor in its segments; SC model had upgradable stage kits (great move for GMPP); TC model murdered all competition
• HHR SS—differentiated from lower trim models by about 100 horsepower
• Impala SS—while not the same breed as the classic models, it still did have a significant performance improvement when compared to the base models
• Silverado SS—a great street performance truck, although the SS didn't really seem to fit on a truck
• Malibu Maxx SS—that generation of Malibu is just a bad memory altogether, so I'm with you on tarnishing the SS name here

A lot of Chevy enthusiasts really love the SS, and of course so do I. In my view, the SS is a brand of Chevrolet mainstream performance. Traditionally, a Camaro SS was a Z27 RPO, and the Z28 was the next level of performance by RPO. The ZL1 and ZR1 are also legendary in their place among performance vehicles. The way a lot of people treat the SS seems to forget that Z-trims fit the Chevrolet tradition of higher trim packages.

I'm not trying to rag on the SS. Chevrolet should aspire with every SS to conquer mainstream performance alternatives. SS should beat or be at least arguably better than those labelled R/T, GT, Si, S, Type-S, and others on that level. Z-spec Chevy products have been known to compete higher. As a result, Chevrolet should put a lot of dominant SS products on new cars across various platforms, not just traditional RWD performance vehicles.

[MMC]

I'm sorry but that is one ugly POS. Right up there with the Aztek and the Dust-buster mini vans.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

I respect what you're saying, but I'm not so sure that the SS on certain models wasn't earned:

• Cobalt SS (SC/TC)—excellent competitor in its segments; SC model had upgradable stage kits (great move for GMPP); TC model murdered all competition
• HHR SS—differentiated from lower trim models by about 100 horsepower
• Impala SS—while not the same breed as the classic models, it still did have a significant performance improvement when compared to the base models
• Silverado SS—a great street performance truck, although the SS didn't really seem to fit on a truck
• Malibu Maxx SS—that generation of Malibu is just a bad memory altogether, so I'm with you on tarnishing the SS name here

A lot of Chevy enthusiasts really love the SS, and of course so do I. In my view, the SS is a brand of Chevrolet mainstream performance. Traditionally, a Camaro SS was a Z27 RPO, and the Z28 was the next level of performance by RPO. The ZL1 and ZR1 are also legendary in their place among performance vehicles. The way a lot of people treat the SS seems to forget that Z-trims fit the Chevrolet tradition of higher trim packages.

I'm not trying to rag on the SS. Chevrolet should aspire with every SS to conquer mainstream performance alternatives. SS should beat or be at least arguably better than those labelled R/T, GT, Si, S, Type-S, and others on that level. Z-spec Chevy products have been known to compete higher. As a result, Chevrolet should put a lot of dominant SS products on new cars across various platforms, not just traditional RWD performance vehicles.

Cobalt and HHR were really the only two who even have a case. The Impala SS (and all LS4-powered W-bodies) grenaded transmissions on a regular basis because it couldn't handle the power from the LS4. Malibu SS was just stupid. TrailBlazer and Silverado SS were basically just engineers being bored and shoving performance engines into trucks. I'm not opposed to that but it did continue the trend of whoring out the SS badge to anything that just had a bigger engine in it.

Equinox was even supposed to receive SS badges when the 3.6L V6 first went into it. GM finally realized how dumb of an idea that was and badged it "Equinox Sport."

The current lineup has a lot of room for SS models though. Sonic already has stellar handling characteristics and GM's new 1.6T would be a perfect engine for a Sonic SS, Cruze could borrow some bits from Verano Turbo, Impala could use the upcoming LF3 and Hi-Per Strut.

[guiLT]

Originally Posted by MMC

I'm sorry but that is one ugly POS. Right up there with the Aztek and the Dust-buster mini vans.

Whether its ugly or not, it's outselling Nissan's expectations by a landslide.