There are a few things I'd change about the Juke's driving position. Nothing major, just a few tweaks here and there.
The first adjustment would be the steering wheel angle. In the Juke, I feel like it's tilted just a bit too far forward. It's not like it's on a flat plane like an old school bus, just a few degrees or so towards vertical would do the trick. It's so slight, it doesn't affect comfort, it's just my personal preference.
The next adjustment is a bit more important to me. There's no lumbar adjustment for the seat back and there's not quite enough support for my tastes. This ends up putting me in a slight slouch, and that can get annoying on a long road trip. It can easily be fixed with a lever or knob-type mechanism, no need for the pneumatic or power-adjustable units.
Mark Takahashi, Automotive Editor
blueguydotcom says:
12:07 PM, 01/ 4/12
Lacking a telescoping steering wheel is unforgivable.
marng says:
01:00 PM, 01/ 4/12
I agree with adjusting the driving position by tilting the steering wheel towards the driver a little bit. I usually hold the wheel with my right hand only and rest on my thigh or the armrest (on my Altima, but no longer able on my Juke), so doing so is fine when I drive my Juke. As for lumber support, I put a thin cushion between my back and the seat, and it is fine. There were no lumber support on my Altima anyways, so I don't think it is a big deal, though I do miss the telescoping steering on the Altima
kernals12 says:
01:38 PM, 01/ 4/12
From the picture, I thought you wanted the GET RID OF the steering wheel and seatback
jukiemcjuke says:
01:58 PM, 01/ 4/12
I tend not to complain about seat comfort too much since all seats are built to support typical (short/fat) Americans so they never fit me quite right anyway. However, a telescopic wheel would have been a nice touch that I could've gotten some use out of.
blueguydotcom says:
05:44 PM, 01/ 4/12
@jukie - "could have"? So it's not an expected feature on all cars in made today? Like an FM radio, I thought all cars had telescoping wheels until I witnessed this weird oversight on the Juke.
brn says:
06:33 PM, 01/ 4/12
"There's no lumbar adjustment for the seat back and there's not quite enough support for my tastes"
It's a deal breaker for me when they do the opposite. Any amount of lumbar support, pushes my back into an uncomfortable position. Some vehicles assume you need support, but don't offer adjustment down. I won't sit in a vehicle like that, much less buy one.
brn says:
06:44 PM, 01/ 4/12
jukiemcjuke, I don't know where you get your data from. The average American is no shorter than the average human, most likely taller (the charts don't make it easy to tell without doing a lot of math that I don't feel like doing right now).
bluejuke says:
10:36 PM, 01/ 4/12
I'm bout 5 10 and 140 and I keep the seat generally all the way back and wheel all the way up and its VERY comfy but I'm a small guy too so I see how it could be uncomfy for a lot of ppl, altho I like the absence of an armrest too so maybe I'm weird
onkeludo says:
04:23 AM, 01/ 5/12
"@jukie - "could have"? So it's not an expected feature on all cars in made today? Like an FM radio, I thought all cars had telescoping wheels until I witnessed this weird oversight on the Juke. "
It is still pretty common to find tilt only in smaller cars. Oddly, with a 4'10" wife who is all torso and me at 5'10" with simian arms we have only found two cars in 7 years of buying new cars (always small hatchbacks) where it was an issue.
I find that effective seat height adjustment is more important. The best are cars that have separate fore and aft height adjustments.
itsmpt says:
10:48 PM, 01/ 6/12
I have a Nissan Versa Hathback with similar problems. Not sure if it is a Nissan thing, but the Versa's seat is incredibly uncomfortable after 30 minutes. For short drives, not a problem. I understand it is a budget vehicle, but I would pay extra for a telescoping steering wheel. In fact, I think all manufacturers should offer a telescoping steering wheel. If they can make airbags standard, why not telescoping steering wheels? With the Versa, the steering wheel is a bit too far away in my seating position. In order to compensate I have to move the seat forward and crunch up against the dash.
everglades says:
06:29 AM, 01/12/12
@blueguydotcom- i am coming from a 2002 protege5 with no telescoping wheel so this is a feature that i won't miss. i feel at the price range that you can get a juke for, it offers a lot of excellent (and needed) features which are extra on other models.
I agree with "onkeludo", separate fore and aft height adjustments are more important.