The Juke’s biggest step forward over its predecessor has been inside, with a palpably larger and roomier body moving beyond the more than just cursory ‘2+2’ space for adults stuck in the back seat.

Entry and egress are now no-longer hindered by narrow door openings and instead are aided by overhead grab handles for all but the driver’s side. There’s ample legroom and shoulder space for larger bodies up front. The driving position is nigh-on perfect for most people, assisted by a lovely three-spoke wheel (with paddle shifts), excellent ventilation and thoughtful placement of most switchgear and controls. Storage options abound, including a massive glovebox. And the old feeling of cheapness has been confined to the dustbin.

Large, clear instrument dials flank a central screen, offering an auxiliary digital speedometer, driving data, and more.

Actually, there’s very little wrong with the rear-seat as well, thanks to equally wide apertures to help get in and out, comfy cushions, bottle holders in all doors, a mobile phone receptacle and well-sited elbow rests. The backrest angle is acceptably angled, headroom is fine, big feet can fit beneath the front seats, and even the centre isn’t purgatory for short trips.

The boot is deep and wide and very usefully shaped, though beware the high loading lip. Cargo area measures in at 422 litres (up from 354L), rising to 1305L with the rear backrests dropped. A space-saver spare lives beneath the flat floor.

The Juke ST+ includes AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, traffic-sign recognition, hill-start assist, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

You'll also find an 8.0-inch touchscreen offering voice recognition, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, sat-nav, CD player, paddle-shifters, climate control air-con, heated front seats, LED fog lights, cruise control with speed limiter, a part-digital instrumentation display, electric folding mirrors and 17-inch alloy wheels, but no wireless smartphone charger.

All the Juke's outboard seating rates highly, with a fair amount of cushion thigh support and enveloping backrests up front.

Rear-seat knee space and legroom aren't great, but there's ample headroom while passengers can slot their feet beneath the front seat.

The ST+ does not have a centre-fold armrest, but a small transmission tunnel means that a third adult can squeeze in the middle for short distances without too much discomfort.

While there are bootle holders in the doors, there's nowhere to store a cup unless you stretch forward to use the ones in the centre console beside the front-seat occupants.

There are no rear centre air vents.

Nissan Australia does not supply performance figures, but the UK-market Juke with the same DCT gearbox can hit 100km/h in 11.1 seconds, on the way to a 180km/h top-speed.