A PULSAR is believed to be a rapidly rotating neutron star - and the space theme is key to Nissan's new mid-sized family hatchback.

Launched last year, the Pulsar marks the Japanese group's return to a market it left when curtailing the Almera in 2006. To be fair those years haven't been wasted as it has dominated the crossover market with ground-breaking Qashqai and Juke motors.

The Spanish-built Pulsar offers an abundance of room up front and in the rear allowing this hatchback to put some supposedly larger family cars to shame.

There is plenty of space for legs and heads in the back with the lack of a transmission tunnel leaving even the passenger sitting in the middle of the rear bench enough room for their feet.

The light and airy cabin is thus a pleasant place to spend a journey with several of my taller friends able to be accommodated without needing to develop the suppleness of a gymnast.

The family-friendly boot offers lots of capacity for shopping and luggage - although there is a bit of a lip to negotiate when loading. The rear seats can be folded when more storage space is needed creating a 1,395-litre hole to house larger items.

The driving position is comfortable, thanks to seat and steering wheel adjustment, with tall windows and slim pillars offering excellent all-round visibility.

The Pulsar is a refined beast with little in the way of road and wind noise making it into the cabin while the engine performs peacefully even when cruising on a motorway.

On twisting country roads there is a reassuring amount of grip while the steering gives plenty of feedback and body roll is well controlled. The humps and hollows littering roads these days are well managed by the soft suspension and 16-inch wheels.

The four-trim Pulsar range offers plenty of kit with the n-tec model getting the NissanConnect 5.8-inch Touch-screen navigation and entertainment system as well as air conditioning, Bluetooth and cruise control.

Safety equipment is similarly extensive with all versions of the Pulsar getting six airbags, stability control and a tyre pressure-monitoring system. The n-tec also gets Forward Emergency Braking to stop you running into the vehicle in front.

Power in the model I drove is provided by an efficient 1.2-litre DIG-T petrol engine which averages a respectable 56mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of 117g/km.

It is pretty nippy propelling the Pulsar from 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds - helped by a slick six-speed manual gearbox which is a willing partner in crime.

There is also the option of a 109bhp 1.5-litre diesel while Nissan is aiming to give the car a more sporty edge by introducing a new range-topping DIG-T 190bhp unit.

The exterior is neat and stylish featuring LED headlights, natty roof spoiler and contours down the sides.

The Pulsar is pitched into an incredibly competitive class which includes the VW Golf, Kia cee'd, Hyundai i30, Toyota Auris and Ford Focus.