| Week at the Wheel | Nissan Qashqai+2 Tekna |

Inside & Out:

The Qashqai's recent revisions have kept it looking fresh and slightly tidier than the previous model. The current car's headlamps are slimmer and more aggressive than the previous one's, while the grille features a much more defined Nissan badge and there's a shapely air intake in the bumper. They're not huge changes, but just enough to keep the Qashqai+2 in vogue.

The interior is the Nissan's trump card. Not only is it well built and exceptionally finished with quality materials, but it's also immensely practical. Unless you parked it next to the standard Qashqai, you wouldn't think that the +2 was much bigger, but it's actually 211mm longer, 38mm taller and has a 135mm greater wheelbase. That makes room for the extra two seats in the back, frees up head- and knee room for mid-section passengers and adds a further 55 litres of boot space.

Nissan is honest about the fact that the rearmost seats are only for children, so the +2 isn't a serious MPV rival - it's handy if you have one or two extra young ones, though.

Engine & Transmission:

Our test car was fitted with a 2.0-litre petrol engine, which doesn't suit the Qashqai at all. It's a given that most buyers will plump for the 1.5- and 2.0-litre turbodiesel units that suit the Qashqai better, and, while it's good to have the option of petrol, the 2.0-litre 138bhp petrol just doesn't have enough grunt for the Qashqai+2.

Saying that, the 0-62mph time of 10.5 seconds doesn't seem totally unrealistic as the Nissan is urgent enough when driven hard. However, the lack of shove is most apparent at motorway speeds, as there's very little in-gear acceleration available, so you'll constantly need to drop a cog and floor it to get anywhere fast.

The six-speed manual gearbox is good enough though; it has quite a soft action, which isn't particularly fun, but it's quite appropriate in a family/comfort orientated car like the +2.

Ride & Handling:

It rolls around on its axles a bit, but aside from that the Qashqai+2 handles quite well. It's composed over rough surfaces and the ride is always comfortable, which is ideal for family transport. The steering isn't brimming with feedback, but it's light and easy. There's plenty of grip too, so the Nissan is more fun than you might think.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

Tekna models like our test car start at £21,395 (that's for the 1.6-litre petrol variant) and come with all the goodies. The 2.0-litre version costs £23,145, which is good value considering its practicality, ability to seat seven and plethora of standard kit. A panoramic glass roof, climate control, satnav and parking sensors with a rear view camera - among many others - is an awful lot of equipment at this price.

Nissan reckons you'll get 35.3mpg out of this version, which you probably will at sedate speeds. Take it on a motorway and it starts to drink though, as you'll be using a lot of throttle to get any kind of reaction.

Overall:

We'd normally give the Qashqai+2 an extra star because it's a very clever, well built and practical car. It's also great value and Nissan's fine reliability record isn't to be ignored, either. However, in this guise, the engine lets it down drastically. It's far too underpowered and the real world economy is equally poor. As an all-round ownership prospect and as a car for large but young families, the Qashqai+2 is superb. Just do yourself a favour and buy a diesel version.