IT’S a bit of a quiet one, the Nissan Note – it doesn’t seem to get many headlines and probably isn’t as well known as the Micra, Juke or Qashqai.

But it slots nicely into the mini-MPV sector and does its job very well.

I drove the Tekna, which is the top-spec version of this new Note, and for a kick-off it looks really good.

The tester came with the style pack, which gives you 16in alloys, a roof spoiler, side mouldings and deeper front and rear aprons to give the Note a really sleek look.

All cars get USB, Bluetooth, stop/start, cruise control and remote keyless entry, which isn’t a bad basics list.

Mid-range Acenta adds bells like alloys, electric windows all-round and air con, while the Acenta Premium also gets the NissanConnect infotainment system, auto lights and wipers, climate control and a glass roof.

This Tekna trim further adds cameras all-round, lane assist, blind spot warning, part-leather seats and a leather steering wheel.

Inside, there’s a good feeling of space thanks to a high roof and rear legroom is generous. The boot’s not bad either.

The touchscreen information and entertainment system is pretty decent, with neat graphics, and everything worked perfectly when connecting to an iPhone via Bluetooth and USB. It also has some clever gismos, like being able to send your route home via Google to the car, traffic messages, fuel prices and even the weather.

I drove the 1.2 DIG-S engine coupled to the CVT gearbox and performance isn’t mind-blowing, especially if you have the ‘eco’ mode turned on, but it does shift when you need it to.

Economy is claimed at 55.4 combined on the auto (65.7 on the manual), but in my experience that seems pretty optimistic. I did about 200 miles – a mix of motorway cruise, cross-country and town driving – and managed just shy of 40mpg, which isn’t going to win any awards in 2014.

CO2 is 119g/km on the auto with this engine and 99g/km on the manual, making for free tax.

At a rather reasonable £17,100 for this top model, Nissan has a decent contender in what is becoming a busy and popular segment.

The range starts at a very tempting £12,100 for the base model.

Find out more at westovergroup.co.uk/Nissan.