Riding high with an overwhelming demand for the Qashqai in Europe, Nissan have just replaced the seven-year-old Almera with the next new model in their range, the Tiida (pronounced tee-dah and meaning ever changing tides.

Originally launched in Japan in 2004 for sale in China, there had been no intention to bring it to Europe. But such was the demand from the Pacific Rim countries, including Australia, that Nissan had a major change of heart.

Sitting between the Note and Qashqai, Nissan took the unusual step of building the Tiida from the inside out. The result – although no wider than the outgoing Almera it has unbelievable and enviable interior space for a small car together with a deep boot. There is also a cavernous glove box along with good front compartment storage facilities. In fact there is as much interior passenger space as the large Nissan Murano SUV. The dash is well presented, controls are easy to hand and the stereo knobs and buttons are well positioned and simple to use. A point here, the four speaker sound system is first class.

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The car, which is currently available as a four-door saloon – the hatch will follow in late June – is based on the platform shared with Renault and uses a conventional front strut/rear torsion beam suspension. It is offered with a 1.6 petrol engine. A 1.5 litre diesel unit will follow at a later time.

Air con is standard on the basic SE version along with four airbags, Bluetooth phone integration, Isofix child seat anchorage points, electric windows, front headrests, keyless entry and immobiliser, which starts at EUR20,995. If you want ESP it will cost a further EUR850, and auto transmission EUR1,390. The higher spec SVE grade adds climate control, drive computer, cruise control, front and rear armrests, rain-sensing wipers and auto headlamps.

On our brief drive from Dublin to Kilkenny and back the car displayed good handling with accurate speed-sensitive power steering. The 1.6 litre engine performed well around town and on the open road and was extremely quiet.