Nissan Juke Nismo unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon

The Nissan Juke is a polarizing proposition -- detractors claim it’s the worst thing since the Pontiac Aztek, even as its fans embrace its quirky styling.

If you’re in the former camp, you’re probably not going to like the 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo. Just unveiled at the 2013 Toyko Auto Salon, the crossover’s baroque curves are clad in a substantial body kit that includes a reshaped front bumper, redesigned spoiler, LED fog lights and new side skirts.

According to Nissan, these exterior modifications contribute to a 37 percent increase in downforce compared with the stock model.

We’re glad to hear that the body kit wasn’t tacked on for appearance’s sake, but whether a driver will actually need the extra grip is a matter of debate. The Juke Nismo’s turbocharged 1.6-liter inline four kicks out about 197 hp.

That’s more than the 188 hp output of the current turbo-four Juke, but well under the 480 hp figure cited for the wicked Juke-R. In any event, the all-wheel drive Juke Nismo’s engine is mated to a mandatory CVT equipped with something Nissan is calling a “close-ratio seven-speed manual mode.”

The Nissan Juke Nismo will go on sale this February -- in Japan, at least. There’s no word on if, or when, we’ll see the vehicle in the States.

By Graham Kozak