AT a recent Nissan event to show off its latest cars, I was again reminded just how stable and safe modern cars really are.

We were encouraged to do crazy handbrake and reverse turns at speed - just like in the movies - in Pixo and Note models and neither showed any sign of falling over or going anywhere but where they were pointed. Amazing.

I also got the chance to drive the Cube - Nissan's answer to nothing at all. It's a great family hatch with a really comfortable ride over all surfaces and you will certainly never lose it in the car park.

It corners with great verve and safety. There's plenty of grip and a reasonable amount of feel from the steering.

It's lovely and easy to drive and there's a cubist dash layout to reflect the outside.

The peppy and very smooth engine revs sweetly, giving surprisingly quick acceleration and the slick five speed gearbox is helped by a light clutch.

There is no side support in the seats and the cubist interior is a bit faddish, but all works very well.

The model I tested came with sat nav, air conditioning, electric windows and remote locking and of course the high interior gives loads of headroom.

A side opening tailgate gives access to a fair sized boot and there's good rear legroom.

: 9/10

: Daihatsu Materia, Renault Modus