Drivers of a certain age look back with rose-tinted spectacles and yearn for the good old days of British motoring writes Adam Haynes.

In reality, though, it can easily be argued that drivers today have never had it so good.

In today’s tough times for the motor industry, manufacturer’s have to offer a bit more to part us from our cash. And in a crowded battlefield, Nissan seems to have hit on an effective war plan with its Qashqai.

• See more pictures of the Qashqai in our gallery to your right

Launched in 2007, it is now the highest-volume production car in the UK and is one of Nissan’s family of ‘crossover’ cars, along with its larger sibling, the Qashqai+2, the odd-looking Juke and the Murano.

The company says that it offers the comfort and practicality of a hatchback, along with the strength and practicality of an SUV. And I have to say, they’re not making it up.

I enjoyed a week’s mixed motoring in the Qashqai, during which it showed why so many people have taken to it in a relatively short time.

It’s not a car that shouts its presence from the rooftops: from the front there is a sleek, simply stylish look; from the back it might be called bland. Viewed only from the waist up it could be any of a host of modern hatches.

But it sits up tall, and with flared arches and 18-inch alloys (in black and silver on the n-tec model I drove – very smart) it has a very ‘planted’ stance on the road.

Climb in and immediately its charms start to show through. There’s plenty of room for four adults and, in the front particularly, comfort is key. Seats are, unsurprisingly, an important element in any car, and the Qashqai’s are great.

Normally, a 150-mile journey will see me emerge from the driver’s seat bent at the waist, only gradually straightening up over a painful quarter of an hour. Having driven from Shropshire to the Lake District in the Qashqai, however, I emerged fully flexible and ready to roll. Remarkable indeed.

With a height- and reach-adjustable steering wheel, it’s easy to find a comfortable position, and the vehicle’s height gave a good view. The door mirrors seem huge, and give excellent rearward vision, but the view through the rear window is pretty limited.

No problem, though, because the dashboard houses a five-inch colour screen on which the view from the reversing camera, built into the rear hatch, automatically appears when reverse is selected. It takes a little getting used to, but it works well.

Nissan Connect

That screen is also the interface for Nissan Connect, which controls the audio and satnav functions. The satnav in particular is impressive, with touchscreen entry of destinations and clear, intuitive controls.

I did expect the tall wheels and relatively shallow tyres (215/55) to give a harsh ride, but in fact comfort was excellent, and handling very sure-footed. That ‘planted’ stance translates into a very ‘planted’ feel on the road.

Passenger comfort is offered in the form of full dual-zone automatic air conditioning, so driver and front-seat passenger can each create their own little climate.

The large, clear dials on the instrument panel are separated by the trip computer display – again, intuitive to use and displaying all the stats you might want. For the money-minded, it will even tell you when to change gear for best economy.

Passengers in the rear reported plenty of room, although when I first picked them up they thought it rather dark – especially since the car had been fitted with darkened privacy glass in the rear.

But lo and behold, pressing a button above the rear-view mirror causes the roof interior to slide back fully to reveal a panoramic glass roof which bathes the interior in natural light and truly makes the car feel much bigger.

So far, so good. But is there nothing about this car that fails to impress?

Well, there’s certainly not much; in fact, it really depends on where you’re planning to drive it. The fact is that, with a 1.6-litre engine delivering 115bhp and 158Nm of torque, this car is not cut out for Lake District life.

Labouring up to the top of Kirkstone Pass from Ambleside, I actually found myself having to use first gear. Far better would be the 2.0-litre diesel (150bhp/320Nm), with or without the option of four-wheel drive.

But if you spend your days driving around Norfolk, the 1.6 would be fine . . .

All in all then, this is a pretty smart package. I managed 43mpg over a week, not too far short of the company’s claimed
combined figure of 48mpg.

And the price? Qashqais start at £16,195. My 1.6 n-tec with stop/start and an optional paint shade was £19,935.