What's the news?

Details of the European Market Nissan Note have been released ahead of the model's global debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 5th March. Developed in both the UK and Spain, to meet local tastes, the Note will be built in Britain.

The Note takes a lot of cues from the Nissan Invitation concept shown last year in Geneva, not just in terms of the styling but also the Around View Monitor (AVM) and Safety Shield systems. Blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and moving object detection make up the Safety Shield - using the wide-angle rear view camera to warn the driver of danger. As with other Nissans AVM provides an overhead view of the car and its surroundings to help plan parking manoeuvres.

Exterior

Styling follows the lead set by the Invitation concept car. Certain design elements are shared with the current Note, in particular the angled C-pillar, but overall it is a much sleeker shape. For Europe the Note gets different front-end styling than other markets plus 'premium sculpted wing mirrors' that incorporate the indicators. Incidentally, the crease in the body side is described as 'Squash Line' because it resembles the path of a fast moving squash ball.

Interior

As well as the usual information two 'eco meters' are incorporated in the instruments. An eco-pedal gauge rates the efficiency of the driver's accelerator inputs while an overall eco-meter changes the instrument illumination to provide real-time feedback on overall fuel economy. A 5.8-inch touch screen is incorporated in the centre console and used by the AVM and Safety Shield systems. The Note is also available with the latest Nissan Connect satellite navigation including connected services.

Mechanicals

Three engines are offered: two new 1.2-litre petrol units and a 1.5-litre diesel that is shared with Renault. The three-cylinder petrol motors are claimed to match four-cylinder powerplants for smoothness and offer economy more usually associated with diesels. Power outputs are 80hp for the entry-level and 98hp for the DIG-S version. With the lower-powered engine the Note manages 60.1mpg and 109g/km with 65.7mpg and 99g/km the equivalent figures for the DIG-S; the diesel returns 78.5mpg and 95g/km. Stop-start is standard across the range.

Nissan has given the Note a unique chassis set-up for Europe that is different to the Japanese and US market versions of the car. The 1.2 DIG-S gets further changes to suit the character of its more powerful engine.

Anything else?

Performance figures and prices will be announced closer to the Note's on-sale date this autumn. It also remains to be seen how much of the advanced technology will be standard.