THERE are a lot of good cars out there in the hot hatch market but Nissan's Juke Nismo stands out from the crowd big time.
Most models in the love-it-or-hate-it crossover range are only two wheel drive but the top Nismo automatics come with four-wheel-drive.
That said, the standard Nismo I've been driving has brilliant handling and road holding and it is front wheel drive.
It also has tremendous performance, boasting a 1.6 engine with no less than 197bhp, but does sometimes have trouble getting all the horses down onto the road surface under hard acceleration.
The acceleration is brilliant from almost any speed, giving plenty of verve for overtaking with great ease whenever conditions allow.
Excellent road holding allows swift cornering and the positive steering is quick and precise.
The front seats are rally-type and high sided, covered with leather and suede. They hold in all the right places and have plenty of adjustment.