(Fri 04 Dec 09)

A new version of the Nissan Qashqai SUV (and its seven-seat relative, the Qashqai+2) will go on sale in the UK on March 1, priced from £15,395.

The most obvious change is to the front end, which has been completely redesigned, though there are some other styling tweaks around the car which help to lower its drag coefficient. There are also two new alloy wheel designs, along with two new colours, Magnetic Red and Mineral Grey.

Inside, there are new instruments, a revised trip computer, some extra storage spaces and low-level lighting for the front footwells. Extra sound deadening has been added, and new window seals reduce the wind noise around the windscreen pillars. Nissan has also retuned the suspension - which frankly did need a second look - and promises improvements in ride comfort and responsiveness.

There are four trim levels, called Visia, Acenta, n-tec and Tekna. The most interesting of the Visias is called the Puredrive: it's a front-wheel drive version using the 1.5-litre dCi turbo diesel which we reckon is the best of the range, and with lower weight, aerodynamic wheel covers, low rolling-resistance tyres and higher gearing it has the lowest CO2 emissions of any Qashqai at 129g/km (compared with 137g/km for other 1.5 dCi models).

The Puredrive costs £16,795 and is one of the few versions not to be available in +2 form. Prices for the rest of the range, including 17.5% VAT, extend from £15,395 for the 1.6 petrol front-wheel drive Visia with manual transmission to £26,845 for the 2.0 dCi Tekna 4x4 automatic +2.

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