Whoever came up with the Juke concept deserves a medal.

Like all good ideas, it was a simple one to merge the surefootedness of an SUV with the style of a hot-hatch, but it was sheer brilliance.

At a stroke, people who shied away from SUVs because they were too cumbersome or slow had no excuse. Neither did those who wanted a hot-hatch, but were deterred by its lack of space.

The result is a car which is neither a perfect sports utility vehicle, nor a perfect hot-hatch, but which is simply a triumph at offering the best of both those worlds.

Juke was the first but now it’s not alone. Renault has launched Captur and Vauxhall has created Mokka. Both will give Juke a run for its money, but Nissan is continuing to improve and enhance their model.

In truth, Juke is nearer to a hot-hatch in terms of looks, style and ability, but it offers the high vantage point and ruggedness that SUV fans appreciate.

Few people will ever take this car off road. I guess the vast majority will be city cars, but they do offer security in poor weather and a good high view. Women love them, especially, because they are assertive. The Juke tested here is the mid-market Acenta Premium which is well-laden. You would expect power steering, central locking and powered windows front and rear, but the spec list doesn’t stop there. It adds cruise control, Bluetooth and MP3 connectivity, plus stability control and climate control.

This is very much a car for the smartphone generation and the nearest thing yet to a cult car rival for the MINI.

The fact that Nissan expects the even better-equipped Juke n-tec to be the biggest seller in the range tells you something.

The sort of people who buy Jukes are the sort who made MINI such a best-seller. They are young, affluent and style-conscious and are ready to pay a little extra for gadgets. So, how does Juke ride? It’s excellent. True, it can wallow a little on corners but it is a tall car rather than a road-hugging hatch, but it does have a feeling of refinement.

The exterior and the cabin have the feeling of a coupe about it, but it is actually pretty spacious. It’s also a five-door, with the rear doors concealed to give the impression of a three-door model. If you really want power and performance, then Nissan do some high-energy versions such as Juke Nismo.

For most people, though, the Acenta Premium or the n-tec are just fine. There are one or two shortcomings. The rear seats are a little cramped and the boot is bijou. That said, the boot is bigger than a MINI’s and the rear seats can hold adults in some comfort.

Although Juke doesn’t have everything, it does away with what the target audience doesn’t need and gives them more of what they want. The more you drive it the more impressive it becomes.

For a range which starts at £12,995, Juke is impressive.

And you don’t have to go too far upmarket to find models with plenty of bells and whistles to suit the most style-conscious of drivers. Juke has its rivals, but there isn’t yet a crossover model which can really claim to be better.

Nissan Juke Acenta Premium PRICE: £15,795 on the road ENGINE: A 1,598cc four cylinder unit generating 86ps via front wheel drive PERFORMANCE: Top speed 110mph and 0 to 60mph in 11 seconds COSTS: town 39.2mpg; country 55.4mpg; combined 48.7mpg INSURANCE: Group 12E EMISSIONS: 136g/km WARRANTY: Three years’ 60,000 miles