The next evolution for the crossover comes in the form of an all-new diesel engine that reduced emissions with improved in-gear performance.

Replacing the 2.0dCi manual, the new four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine delivers dramatically enhanced economy and emissions in the Qashqai and Qashqai+2.

The first Qashqai models to benefit from the new engine are available to order now for delivery in October, and offer CO2 emissions of 129g/km. Early next year Nissan will add its latest Stop/Start system, automatically turning off the engine when stationary to bring the Qashqai’s emissions down to 119g/km.

Company car drivers will enjoy savings with a benefit in kind tax banding of 13 per cent, for stop start versions, further broadening the appeal of Qashqai to the fleet sector.

Nissan Motor GB managing director Jim Wright said “Current financial pressures for both the individual and company car buyers mean costs are constantly being analysed so it is good to see how Nissan’s technical innovations, introduced on this engine, help to minimise overall running costs.”

Engineers have also reduced the number of engine revs required to reach peak 320Nm torque from 2,000rpm to only 1,750rpm.

"This is a remarkable engine, best in class in so many respects. It provides the dynamic driving performance which matches that of the outgoing 2.0-litre dCi yet produces fuel consumption and emission figures equal to or better than our existing 1.5-litre dCi unit," said Paul Willcox, Senior vice president, Nissan Europe.

Around View Monitor will be fitted as standard to all Qashqai and Qashqai+2 Tekna variants.

Around View Monitor makes manoeuvring and parking as safe and easy as possible by giving the driver a real-time bird's eye view of the surrounding environment. Around View Monitor adds three additional cameras to the Qashqai’s existing rear view system to create 360° overview. The driver can choose to focus on the image feed from any particular camera when looking out for a particular obstacle in front, behind or to either side of the Qashqai.

More than one million Qashqai and Qashqai+2 models have now been built at Nissan’s Sunderland factory, where on average 1,200 roll off the production line every day.