Nissan X-Trail

Bosses say owners of the outgoing car rated its styling so much that the firm has opted for an evolution­ary look on the second generation, which hits dealers on 1 September.

Based on the Qashqai platform, it’s 175mm longer than its predecessor, giving more room for passengers and luggage. The boot has grown by 193 litres to 603 litres, and now has a double deck floor.

Under the bonnet, buyers get a choice of petrol engines: a 139bhp 2.0-litre and a 166bhp 2.5. For the more economically minded, Nissan’s latest 2.0-litre dCi diesel is available with 148bhp or 170bhp, returning 39.8mpg and 38.2mpg respectively.

All cars get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard. A conventional six-ratio automatic is an option on the lower-powered diesel, while the larger-capacity petrol version can be specified with a CVT unit.

The new car comes in three trim levels: Trek, Sport and Aventura. All have electronically controlled 4WD, Bluetooth phone connect­ivity, alloys, climate control and ESP stability control. Prices range from £18,795 for the 2.0-litre petrol Trek to £26,720 for the 2.0 dCi Aventura auto.