NISSAN'S five-door Note mini MPV has taken on a new direction.

Out goes its people carrier tag in favour of a new compact hatchback styling and with its brand new look, is aimed firmly at a much younger family-oriented buyer.

And what a clever little piece of kit the new Note is.

First shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March, it is set to hit showrooms this autumn.

Made in Britain at Nissan's Sunderland factory, it not only builds on the strengths of the outgoing Note, it also comes loaded with technical goodies that are already available on Nissan's Juke and Qashqai models.

Then take Nissan's Safety Shield which makes its European debut in the Note. Simple in concept yet highly-advanced in design, it consists of a range of technologies that offer real benefits.

Blind spot warning, lane departure warning and an advanced moving object detection system combine to deliver a new level of assistance to the driver, all three systems taking data from a single camera mounted on the back of the car.

With all three Safety Shield technologies relying on one tailgate-mounted camera, keeping it clean could have posed a problem, but Nissan have come up with the ultimate solution - a built-in camera wash and blow dry system which uses a jet of compressed air to dry the lens.

Another sector first on the new Note is Around View Monitor, Nissan's multi-camera helicopter view parking aid which provides a clear display all around the car.

And there's also the latest evolution of Nissan's advanced Connect navigation system which integrates satellite navigation with Bluetooth, USB and iPod/iPhone connectivity in one simple touchscreen interface.

And for such a small car, the Note is somewhat of a practical one.

The boot will swallow up 325 litres of luggage if you keep the adjustable floor at its lowest level and have the rear seats set back. Slide the seats forward and this rises to 411 litres, while with the seats completely folded there's a decent 2012 litres available.

It also offers best-in-class levels of rear legroom, while another neat touch is that the rear doors open to 90 degrees to make life easier for owners with young families.

The new Note is powered by three highly-efficient engines which combine low running costs with decent performance.

Two 1.2-litre petrol units of 79bhp and supercharged DIG-S 97bhp are available, along with a 89bhp 1.5-litre dCi turbodiesel.

All are fitted with a stop/start system as standard and record CO2 emissions as low as 95g/km for the diesel and 99g/km for the petrol, making them free from road tax.

The newcomer also has bags of style and looks good from any angle. Out on the road it handles well with its steering light yet positive and sharp.

For me, my choice would have to be the 1.5dCi diesel. Smooth and quiet on the road - unless under hard acceleration - it also packs a decent punch missing on the petrol models.

It also returns a combined fuel economy figure of 78.5mpg, and while not being a boy racer I could live with its 0-62mph sprint time of 11.9-seconds.

The new Note range starts with the entry-level Visia at £11,900 which features a comprehensive equipment list including stop/start, front electric windows, remote central locking and cruise control.

Acenta models kick off at £13,250 and add alloy wheels, air-conditioning, Bluetooth and a sliding rear seat bench. Acenta Premium variants start at £14,150 and feature NissanConnect, climate control and automatic lights and wipers.

Acenta Premium models will also be available with the option of around view monitor and Nissan Safety Shield technologies for an extra £400. 

The range-topping Tekna models start at £15,950 and feature 16-inch alloy wheels, part-leather seats, around view monitor and Safety Shield as standard, along with i-key with start/stop button, leather steering wheel and automatic air conditioning.

The Tekna model is also available with a Dynamic Styling Pack for an additional £800, which adds unique alloy wheels and deeper front and rear aprons.

Available to order now, deliveries of the new Note will start in October.