Of the record-breaking total of more than 2.5 million new cars which left showrooms to grace UK driveways in 2002, around one in four were diesel powered, a rise of some six per cent over the previous year.

This acceleration shows no signs of slowing down, with diesel demand accounting for some 26 per cent of last month’s new car sales, a figure which is expected to reach 29 per cent for this year, says the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

This is almost double the figure for the past decade which now makes the diesel engine very much a must-have fashion statement under the bonnet.

Despite the Micra’s popularity with the buying public over the past decade, NISSAN has never provided an alternative to petrol power in the range. But, with the introduction of the new version of the legendary supermini, came the promise of diesel power to add to the trio of petrol engine options.

By the autumn, NISSAN intends to have a brace of diesels to augment the new Micra’s power base, and the first of those has now arrived in the shape of a 64bhp 1.5-litre oil-burner.

This dCi is the fourth new diesel engine NISSAN has introduced into its range of vehicles so far this year, and it comes courtesy of the Japanese carmaker’s alliance with Renault, the engine having been first experienced in the Clio range.

Despite giving its identity away on tickover, the engine does feel in tune with the stop-start of the urban trawl, combining well with new Micra’s already proven in-town manoeuvrability.

However, in motorway cruising mode it does need a little persuasion via the smooth-slotting gearchange to stir up the urge, but once having settled to its task it does cruise along quite happily between 60 and 70 mph.

While some buyers may prefer to wait until October when the 1.5-litre, 81bhp inter-cooled version comes on stream, this 64bhp newcomer shows up well in the economy stakes. NISSAN’s official figure for a combination of town and extra-urban driving being 61.4mpg – the very essence of diesel power’s current ascendancy.

The common rail, direct injection 1.5-litre dCi 64bhp diesel engine is now available in three or five door Micras coming in S or SE trim level and on-the-road prices open up at £8,795 for the well packaged three-door Micra S model.

It’s available with either 1.4 or 1.6 petrol engines plus a Renault-sourced 1.5 diesel, and all offer good pace and refinement.

The 1.6 petrol is a gem, giving surprising response and performance, but much to my amazement, the diesel is very close behind, and rewards with 55 miles per gallon.

This has to be one of the quietest diesels ever. It doesn’ t even make any noise on start-up, and on the move, I would defy almost anyone to tell if its petrol or diesel.

The ride is slightly jittery at slow speeds over rougher surfaces, but smoothes out beautifully above that and takes every lump and bump in its stride.

The best handling MPV for me is the Mazda 5, which was launched in northern Italy with plenty of hairpin bends to test its mettle.

The Note comes very close, clinging to the road like a limpet, and giving tremendous grip and balance.

Interior

All models have four airbags, and they are superbly built in the NISSAN tradition. Who needs a Mercedes!

There is loads of space, and all the controls are laid out perfectly for ease of driving. It’s also very practical, with plenty of storage and a big boot.

FAST FACTS

NISSAN Note 1.6

Price: £13590.

Mechanical: 85bhp, 1461cc, 4 cyl diesel driving front wheels via 5 speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 104mph

0-62mph: 13secs

Combined mpg: 55

Insurance group: 5

CO2 emissions: 136g/km

BIK rating: 18%

Warranty: 3 years, 60k, 3 years paint, 12 years anti-rust, 1 years breakdown.

Marks: 10/10.

Main Rival: Vauxhall Meriva.

I have just sent back the most powerful in the range – the 160SR, which refers not to the power output – cunning these marketing men – but to the 1.6-litre engine.

However, it is still a great car to drive, with plenty of verve, and the same excellent handling and roadholding as all the other models in the range.

Beats me how a company who can produce such a good supermini twice in a row, can then make such lacklustre cars as the Almera and the last Primera.

The engine has enough grunt for really enjoyable performance, with a willing, easy-revving nature and just enough smooth sound to keep me interested.

I could overtake reasonably easily on two lane roads and enjoyed the car’s perky nature.

It’s comfortable and tackles the twisty bits with superb balance and poise.

Interior

The back seats are a good size but headroom will be restricted for some and so will knee room if the driver is tall.

SR trim brings a six CD changer in the dash, climate control, height adjust seat and column and good looking black-on-white instruments.

FAST FACTS

NISSAN Micra 1.6 Sport SR 3dr

Price: £10,695

Mechanical: 110bhp, 1,598cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via a 5spd manual gearbox

Max speed: 114mph

0-62mph: 9.8 secs

Combined mpg: 42.8

Insurance group: 6

CO2 emissions: 158g/km

BiK rating: 18%

Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust

Marks: 10/10

Main rival: Toyota Yaris

The one off 1.6-litre Sport model has been customised by former Atomic Kitten star Jenny Frost and can be won in a fund raising competition.

In addition to the standard equipment including electric windows all round, manual air conditioning and a mild body-kit modelled on the Micra 160SR, Jenny has added her own special touches.

The 16-inch graphite alloy wheels have been replaced by 17-inch rims and the usual sports seats have been trimmed with luscious purple leather with gold stitching to complement the unique exterior paint job.

Jenny also indulged her passion for music and film and replaced the standard six speaker CD radio with an entertainment unit by Alpine Electronics, which not only plays CDs, DVDs and MP3s, but also has the added a built in satellite navigation system worth over £5,000. There’s also a picnic hamper and a fridge in the boot as well as an umbrella.

Jenny’s final touch is her signature in gold stitching embroidered into the floor mats.

One lucky shopper will be able to win this unique gold Micra C+C in the competition to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Jenny is taking the Micra on a tour of the country where it will form the centrepiece in a series of fashion shows in major shopping centres.

Shoppers will be able to see shows featuring the latest high street looks and have the opportunity to enter the competition to win the Micra C+C while making a donation to the charity’s campaign.

The tour takes in Cardiff , Manchester, London (Lakeside), Newcastle, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Despite the efforts of a vociferous minority of anti-car lobbyists the overwhelming majority of us value our personal transport more than ever and the automobile manufacturers are moving swiftly to cater for increasing demand.

Not only do we demand higher standards of safety and security plus lower running costs and emissions but we are also creating new trends.

Wholesale downsizing means a plethora of new superminis that do the same job as larger compact models while there is also a major move towards mini and midi MPV and SUV models.

These are the new generation of lifestyle vehicles that aim to offer the best of both worlds in terms of people-carrying and go-anywhere abilities.

Epitomised by the likes of the NISSAN Qashqai and X-Trail, these newcomers are now joined by the Vauxhall Antara, Citroen C-Crosser, Mitsubishi Outlander and Peugeot 4007.

Typically in the case of the Peugeot 4007, for example, they offer accommodation for up to seven people with flexibility of the seating arrangement to maximise space for occupants or luggage according to demand.

The new generation of diesel engines means a combination of 120mph performance and 40mpg economy with low Co2 emissions.

Established 4×4 favourites such as NISSAN’s X-Trail have also been updated for the new registration by becoming longer, wider and taller to cater for growing family needs.

Even the two-litre diesel engine is new, with a choice of 150bhp and 170bhp power outputs and economy of 40mpg with Co2 emissions as low as 190g/km.

Families in search of the size but not necessarily the 4WD capabilities can buy an all-new Volvo V70 estate model in September with prices from £26,495 to £38,280.

Give the V70 a more robust appearance plus four wheel drive and you have the Volvo XC70, which is also a September arrival with prices from £31,000 to £36,200.

Not to be out-done Mazda has its all-new CX-7, which is yet another September arrival, initially with just a single high-spec model with a 2.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine and a price tag of £23,690.

Offering 130mph performance from the 260bhp engine to all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, the CO2 figure is 240g/km, it gets an insurance rating of group 15E and is in road fund licence band G.

Despite its SUV size and 4×4 capabilities Mazda says that the main accent is upon a sporty drive with a 0-60mph acceleration time of eight seconds and masses of equipment as standard.

Not only is there an insatiable demand for this new generation of lifestyle and 4×4 crossover models but even cars at the very top of the price and CO2 scale are in record demand.

As if to emphasise the point British car maker Bentley has announced its fastest and most powerful model ever, the Continental GT Speed capable of more than 200mph whilst fellow-UK car maker Aston Martin is weighing in with the £182,000 Vanquish S Ultimate Edition.

However, for motorists with more modest ambitions there is no shortage of newcomers to choose from.

They include the Fiat 500, Mazda2 and Renault Twingo city cars and superminis, plus the Hyundai i30, Kia cee’d Station Wagon and Fiat Bravo compact models.

In the family sector there is the new Saab 9-3 and the new Honda Accord Sport GT 2.2 i-CTDi at £20,767 in saloon form with a Tourer version on offer for slightly more.

There is also a new entry-level diesel-engined Accord SE costing from £18,600 but the big news in this sector is the all-new Ford Mondeo.

This is the third generation of the Mondeo and represents a quantum leap forward in a car destined to become the UK’s favourite family model.

It will gradually spawn saloon, estate, coupe and possibly even cabriolet derivatives to rival newcomers such as the latest controversial incarnation of the Subaru Impreza and the stylish four-seat Audi A5 coupe.

However, if your new car for September just happens to coincide with a Lotto win, then Mercedes has just the thing to impress the neighbours.

On sale from September with a price tag of £350,000 the supercharged 5.5-litre V8 McLaren SLR Roadster pumps out 626bhp for a top speed of 207mph and a jaw-dropping 0-60mph time of 3.8 seconds.

Economy is under 20mpg and the CO2 figure is too awful to contemplate – but there is no shortage of punters queuing up to buy.

Shaped like a badly designed council house the Rancho had a kick roof, Range Rover-style split tailgate, meshed spotlights and all round wide rubbing stakes for those inhospitable parts of the dark continent.

Except there was no way, despite the publicity images Simca dreamt up for the Rancho, that it was going on any sort of expediton. With 150mm ground clearance it would have struggled to conquer a 1970s safari suit never mind the Serengeti.

Because while the designers thought to give the Rancho appalling tartan upholstery they omitted to give it four-wheel drive.

Sales approaching double figures surely helped convince the motor industry that the exercise must never be repeated.

Personally I can’t see the point in driving around incurring the wrath of the Swampy tendency and being pelted with cat poo if your car lacks the mechanical hardware to spearhead a small military insurgence. What do you do, hang one of those diamond shaped signs in the back: ‘Only 2×2, please don’t shout at me?’

Against this backcloth I wondered about the NISSAN Qashqai. Top-of-the-range two-litre models are available as a 4×4 option but the 1.6-litre Cashcards are front-wheel drive.

The thing is they look like crossover 4x4s – side scuff guards, elevated body and a general butchness.

So expect angry cyclists to hammer on the roof while lacking the ability to follow them home and plough up their herbaceous boarders.

NISSAN says this is where the family hatchback is going. Brilliant.The future isn’t garlic bread, it’s environmentalist bile pie.

Actually, this is a clever car. Here’s why.

For a start the Qashqai is far from boring inside or out and that’s not true of its competitors.

Then there’s the space gained from using a crossover body shape. Yes, it may not have seven seats and a flip up kennel but there is ample room for five and a very good boot area.

No family car is complete these days without places to stow essentials like small children and Game Boys. Qashqai has a massive glove box and underseat storage as well as a central box.

The Qashqai is hardly likely to attract buyers for its performance, the entry level 1.6 takes a leisurely 12 seconds to 60mph and, like the Irish cricket team, only just breaks the 100 mark.

But it will return over 40mpg which is family friendly in the extreme. And so is the £15,000 price tag for the middle of the range Acenta.

On the road? Smooth, quiet and comfortable with surprisingly good handling.

Of course, the question of just what sort of animal a Qashqai is should be addressed to NISSAN. But if we take our answer from the advertising campaign, it’s a skateboard. And not even the Matra Rancho claimed to be one of those.

The Admiralty may be wondering what on earth has gone wrong. Especially in this year of celebrating Trafalgar when Horatio Nelson successfully repelled early imports of the 2CV.

What on earth is wrong with a life before the mast? In what other branch of the services can a senior officer reasonably demand a kiss off his subordinates when mortally wounded? Why has this never been a plot-line in Holby?

Surely Uncle Andrew told William about the benefits of a port in every girl and his grandfather related salty tales of sound thrashings administered between afternoon tea and grog.

What’s more Sandhurst already has its mitts on brother Harry, a man much better cut out for chasing skirt around the dodgy bars of Aldershot.

Another concern is personal safety. Soldiers regularly wake up in the mornings to find interesting foreign people they have never met shooting at them. On the other hand the last time I looked the Iraqi navy comprised of a 16-foot speed boat that Uday used for duck shooting. You know the one: “Blimey, here comes Uday Hussain, duck before he starts shooting.”

Mainly, though, grave concerns must be expressed upon the subject of ears.

The Windsors have never been short of ears. Prince Philip started the tradition with a splendid pair of lugs well suited to semaphore and very possibly Prince Charles joined the Royal Air Force because in the event of disaster he could take off his hat and glide to the ground.

But what good in the army is a pair of outsized wing-nuts unless you plan to join the Combined African Elephants as a camouflage adviser?

Not that this is a problem currently for the perfectly formed William, although they say that for as long as we remain alive our ears continue growing. Mine have never reached much of a size which indicates I either had small ears to start off with or have actually been dead for some time.

Which brings us, in something of a flap, to the handles on the rear doors of NISSAN’s new Pathfinder. A word in your shell-like. Sellotape was always an accepted cure for sticky-out ears. A glance in the wing mirrors and it’s like being followed down the road by Wayne Rooney.

Which is the only complaint I have in a satisfyingly non-pc £34,000, four-litre V6 seven seater. And here we mean seven, not a couple of dickies but a third row. Effectively this takes away any luggage space which is why the Pathfinder is fitted with huge roof bars.

The engine is shared with the Murano and 350Z with some added capacity for off-roading. The result is the fastest seven seat 4×4 in production. Which is like having the fastest hippopotamus in Kenya.

Ah, but how I would love to do army service in one, blessed as it is with a 0-60 time of 8.8 seconds and so ideal for that respected military manoeuvre, running away.

It has, as a result, got exquisite road manners and would be especially suited to escaping countries that have long motorways.

Inside, the Pathfinder is essentially the same as the Navara which rather indicates how overdressed the pick up is. And as I went into all that last week if you want to read about it, get grubbing about in the budgie’s cage.

As a T-Spec version the V6 is fitted out with sat nav, with voice recognition so don’t programme it with the radio on or every time the BBC tells you Chiswick flyover is jammed you’ll be heading there. Actually you won’t because there is a traffic management system that very cleverly re-routes around any congestion.

There is a Bluetooth connection which is getting to be as common as must-have iPod ports. The rear parking camera has a colour seven-inch display and is exceptionally clear. Having sent out a hands-free order to retreat you can see just how far away the baddies are.

And so we come to the off road capabilities. The Pathfinder means business. It does not do shopping. The same All Mode 4×4 system as the Navara is driven more smoothly by the V6 petrol. No matter how fat and padded, this is a serious bit of kit for invading small countries not a girlie toy.

The future King Billy, on the other hand, will not enjoy similar comforts in his working life. For cadet Wales it will be the MOD Land Rover and a compacted spinal column. It’s as well the lad’s so tall.

China, it seems, for all its tiger-like economic growth is still the peoples’ utopia of sustainable transport and as such should immediately be twinned with Liverpool where the barmy tendency on the city council embraced the recent European no car day with all the enthusiasm of a Maoist cultural purge.

Even buses were barred from key streets to facilitate the installation of a revolutionary idea for combating global warming. Crazy golf. Forget garlic bread, this is the future. No matter how wet, cold, late and murderous you arrive at work there will always be the option of popping out to try and knock the little white ball through the windmill and around into the fairy glen.

Here, really, is the irony. In Beijing people would do anything to wave goodbye to saddle sores and buy a car. In Liverpool the will seems to be to turn the clock back to the days of the Onedin Line.

So in China the first stirrings of an infant motor industry are evident. Evident to the extent that exports to Europe have started in the shape of the Jiangling Landwind 4×4 . And therein lines a cautionary tale.

As I see it there are two problems. Firstly the name. Are you really, really going to drive a car called a Landwind? It’s better than water wind, which is highly impolite, but do these people not take advice on translation? I’m sure in Mandarin it means something like fleet of foot dragon king who slays enemies but where I live it’s a stiff easterly breeze that blows dust all over the washing.

More serious is the news that the car has just scored a whopping zero in tests carried out by the Germans towards Euro NCAP points – the worst ever score in the 20 years of testing. Not even the City Rover, which was made from old balti pots, scored nil points.

Testers recorded that a head on smash at 40mph in a Landwind was likely to be fatal and side impacts of 30mph would cause serious injury. It is a car straight out of the 1980s when imports like the Hyundai Pony and Stellar and junk from Russia were full of good intentions and very little else.

The danger is that because the jingaling stiff breeze, or whatever it’s called, will cost about 50p when it arrives in Britain soon, people will buy it. The same way they bought the Datsun 180B even though it was made of tinsel and powered by firecrackers.

With nine million of the things in one city there is no doubt that the Chinese are adept at making bikes. On the other hand just how difficult could that be? The wheel is not exactly a new invention and basically all you need to do is bolt two of them to some twisted tubing, add a chain and seat and find a simple human to propel it.

Motor cars are different. The fact is that it takes time for new manufactures to mature. NISSAN has matured since its Datsun days to the point where each year it breaks new ground with models like the crossover Murano.

Yes, yes, the X -Trail is a crossover but not like this. More caravan club than farmers’ club.

Murano’s appointments indicate a certain degree of financial success in life whereas its price tag of £30,000 is relatively ordinary in the class.

There is only one NISSAN Murano. No, really there is – V6 3.5 engine from the 350Z with automatic transmission and the trim of a Chesterfield sofa works. It is quick, smooth and reassuringly thirsty at 23mpg.

But most of all the Murano is a clear demonstration of the level 4×4 engineering has reached. Cars that are good as gold on the road can also tackle rural terrain up to, say, local shoot level.

There is, of course, an electronics factory of toys and safety features which are not about to get listed here because I need the space to tell you that this is the first time I have really driven a crossover and felt it made the statement of a sports car.

My advice would be to forget the ping-pong wind in the willows and save up for a Murano, a car that can compete with Mercedes and BMW but for much less. And leave the bicycles to Beijing and Liverpool city councils.

China, it seems, for all its tiger-like economic growth is still the peoples’ utopia of sustainable transport and as such should immediately be twinned with Liverpool where the barmy tendency on the city council embraced the recent European no car day with all the enthusiasm of a Maoist cultural purge.

Even buses were barred from key streets to facilitate the installation of a revolutionary idea for combating global warming. Crazy golf. Forget garlic bread, this is the future. No matter how wet, cold, late and murderous you arrive at work there will always be the option of popping out to try and knock the little white ball through the windmill and around into the fairy glen.

Here, really, is the irony. In Beijing people would do anything to wave goodbye to saddle sores and buy a car. In Liverpool the will seems to be to turn the clock back to the days of the Onedin Line.

So in China the first stirrings of an infant motor industry are evident. Evident to the extent that exports to Europe have started in the shape of the Jiangling Landwind 4×4 . And therein lines a cautionary tale.

As I see it there are two problems. Firstly the name. Are you really, really going to drive a car called a Landwind? It’s better than water wind, which is highly impolite, but do these people not take advice on translation? I’m sure in Mandarin it means something like fleet of foot dragon king who slays enemies but where I live it’s a stiff easterly breeze that blows dust all over the washing.

More serious is the news that the car has just scored a whopping zero in tests carried out by the Germans towards Euro NCAP points – the worst ever score in the 20 years of testing. Not even the City Rover, which was made from old balti pots, scored nil points.

Testers recorded that a head on smash at 40mph in a Landwind was likely to be fatal and side impacts of 30mph would cause serious injury. It is a car straight out of the 1980s when imports like the Hyundai Pony and Stellar and junk from Russia were full of good intentions and very little else.

The danger is that because the jingaling stiff breeze, or whatever it’s called, will cost about 50p when it arrives in Britain soon, people will buy it. The same way they bought the Datsun 180B even though it was made of tinsel and powered by firecrackers.

With nine million of the things in one city there is no doubt that the Chinese are adept at making bikes. On the other hand just how difficult could that be? The wheel is not exactly a new invention and basically all you need to do is bolt two of them to some twisted tubing, add a chain and seat and find a simple human to propel it.

Motor cars are different. The fact is that it takes time for new manufactures to mature. NISSAN has matured since its Datsun days to the point where each year it breaks new ground with models like the crossover Murano.

Yes, yes, the X -Trail is a crossover but not like this. More caravan club than farmers’ club.

Murano’s appointments indicate a certain degree of financial success in life whereas its price tag of £30,000 is relatively ordinary in the class.

There is only one NISSAN Murano. No, really there is – V6 3.5 engine from the 350Z with automatic transmission and the trim of a Chesterfield sofa works. It is quick, smooth and reassuringly thirsty at 23mpg.

But most of all the Murano is a clear demonstration of the level 4×4 engineering has reached. Cars that are good as gold on the road can also tackle rural terrain up to, say, local shoot level.

There is, of course, an electronics factory of toys and safety features which are not about to get listed here because I need the space to tell you that this is the first time I have really driven a crossover and felt it made the statement of a sports car.

My advice would be to forget the ping-pong wind in the willows and save up for a Murano, a car that can compete with Mercedes and BMW but for much less. And leave the bicycles to Beijing and Liverpool city councils.

NISSAN has secured a Regional Selective Assistance grant of £3.26 million from the Department of Trade and Industry to build the new car at its North East factory where 4,500 employees currently make the standard Micra, Almera and Primera models.

Called the C+C, the new coupe-cabriolet version of the Micra will be produced in collaboration with the specialist German coach-building firm, Karmann, which has produced many such models for other manufacturers.

NISSAN is investing £95 million in the venture, with production due to start in 2005 at the projected rate of 20,000 a year initially.

Designed at London-based NISSAN Design Europe, with development at the NISSAN Technical Centre Europe in Bedfordshire, the car will be a major image-boosting addition to the company’s line up.

It will be built on the same line as the Micra at the Sunderland plant and Karmann will install an on-site sub-assembly facility for the production of the roof system and boot lid.

A team of 250 people will be dedicated to its production at the Sunderland plant, including a number from the existing 4,500 workforce.

Colin Dodge, managing director of NISSAN Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd, said: “I would like to extend my thanks to the Department of Trade and Industry whose continued support for the company and the North-east region has made this project possible. It is now up to our designers, engineers, and production staff in collaboration with our suppliers to successfully bring the product to the market.”

The new car will be a redesigned version of the Micra C+C concept first shown at the Paris Motorshow last year. Like the show car, it will have a retractable hard top and a two plus two seating arrangement.

Such cars are suddenly all the rage, with NISSAN’s partner company, Renault, being the latest to enter the market with a coupe-cabriolet version of the Megane model.

Peugeot has coupe-cabriolet versions of its 206 and 307 models and Volkswagen is about to introduce a similar version of its Golf.

The advantage of the innovative roof arrangement is that the car can literally transform itself from a hard-top coupe to an open-air cabriolet in seconds, at the touch of a button.