Best 2011 cars under $20,000: 2011 Nissan Juke Crossover

Some people say it’s funny looking, but there’s nothing funny about the price of the 2011 Nissan Juke crossover — $19,570 MSRP  for a model with the handline and perfomance of a sports car and the cargo space of an SUV.

The 2011 Nissan Juke offers a sporty driving position and handling, thanks to a powerful 188 horsepower, 1.6-liter direct injection four cylinder turbo engine, and an advanced all-wheel drive system.  These two performance features are usually reserved for premium vehicles twice the price of the Juke.

The headlights and taillights also have a sporty look.  The distinctive ‘boomerang’ shape is borrowed from the hot Nissan 370Z sportscar.  And the 17-inch wheels give the car a beefy look.

Fuel economy for FWD (front wheel drive) models is rated at 27 MPG city and 32 MPG highway for automatic CVT transmission with sport mode, and 24 MPG city 31 MPG highway for the six speed manual.  AWD (all-wheel drive) models are rated at 25/30 MPG.  All those numbers are pretty impressive for a vehicle packed with 188 horses.

The 2011 Nissan Juke also is packed with a bunch of safety features not usually found on vehicles at this price, all as standard equipment.  These value-added features safety features include anti-lock brakes (ABS), brake assist (BA), roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags,  seat-mounted driver and front passenger side-impact supplemental air bags and front-seat active head restraints.

Once you decide whether you want FWD or AWD, and manual or automatic transmission, there is only one option package – the Navigation Package, which includes a navigation system with a five-inch color touch screen display and XM NavTraffic capability (XM subscription required, sold separately), upgraded speakers and Rockford Fosgate-powered subwoofer and a USB port for your iPod or other MP3 device.

More best 2011 cars under $20,000 —

• 2011 Mazda 3
• 2011 Kia Optima
• 2011 VW Jetta

posted by Evelyn Kanter