Many Irish Farmers Journal readers will have had their first viewing of the Nissan Pulsar at this week’s National Ploughing Championships, where the car was launched on the Irish market. Just days before, at the end of last week, I had the opportunity to drive the car at its European launch in northern Spain.

This new Pulsar is essentially replacing the popular Almera, but it’s a very different car. The Pulsar is a new design, with improved engines and transmissions. It is clearly modern and stylish. It carries forward the design themes of the new Nissan Qashqai, but in a more compact hatchback car.

Nissan claims that the Pulsar is one of the most spacious cars in its class. Taking it for a drive or just sitting in the rear seat will confirm this. There is impressive legroom in both the front and back. Remarkably though, Nissan has not compromised on boot space to achieve this. The boot is deep and it’s big, although it’s a pity that it doesn’t fold fully flat when needed.

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Nissan has found this extra space by lengthening the car’s wheelbase relative to the competition. That means that the front and back wheels are further apart, which makes some difference in the Pulsar. A few millimetres here and there hardly seems like a lot – but when that converts into impressive legroom like that of the Pulsar, then it’s worth it.

The rear legroom is combined with good headroom. The total effect, with the sloping windscreen, is that the car feels bright and roomier than some of the competition.

Nissan is offering two engines for the Pulsar, a 1.2-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel, both of which are turbo-charged. I drove the diesel version, which Nissan claims is the sixth generation of this engine that has been jointly developed with Renault.

I was impressed with its smoothness, quietness and performance. This engine seems much quieter in the Pulsar compared with some of the Renault cars. The car comes with a six-speed gearbox as standard, which I found to be smooth and effortless to use.

The clutch is light to use and the controls are well laid out for easy driving. There is good front and rear visibility and the rear window is deep enough to give good visibility.

The centre console appears to float on top of the main dashboard. This houses the Pulsar’s NissanConnect infotainment system and heating and ventilation controls.

Behind the steering wheel, the space between the rev counter and speedometer is split by a large 125mm (5in) drive-assist display. This can be customised to show various instructions and warnings. The driver can also customise many of the Pulsar’s electronic systems, such as indicators, wipers and lock settings.

While the rated economy figure is 27km/litre (3.6l/100km or 78mpg), I’m not expecting many to achieve this. Nissan is claiming an impressive 24.3km/litre (4.1l/100 or 68mpg) for town driving. If that’s achievable, then this new Pulsar is ahead of the game. The car has a low 95g/km CO2 rating helped by a smooth start/stop system.

Nissan has packed a lot of safety features into this mid-sized car. Many of the features are included in the Nissan Safety Shield system, which claims to provide Pulsar drivers with exceptional protection and visibility. The system includes features such as a blind spot warning system and a lane departure warning system, both useful for motorway driving. It also includes forward emergency braking.

This car is the shortest in the segment, where the competition includes the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Toyota Auris, Peugeot 308, Kia c’eed and the Hyundai i30. On a detailed paper comparison though, the new Nissan Pulsar is up there with the best, being economical and easy to drive.

The entry price for the diesel version is €21,595 – just €150 more than the price for the Nissan Tiida when it was introduced in 2008. So there’s good value in this car, which is far more attractive and economical. Nissan has a good one in the Pulsar – the rest better watch out as it could end up becoming as ubiquitous as the Qashqai.

Nissan Pulsar 1.5 dCi

Engine 1.5 litre

Engine power 110bhp

0-100km/hr 11.5 seconds

Economy 27km/litre

Fuel tank capacity 46 litres

CO2 emissions 94g/km

Road tax band A2 (€180)

Main service 30,000 km

Towing rating 1,200kg

Warranty Three years

Entry price €21,595

NI price £17,695