YOU probably already know the X-Trail. It’s the (optionally) seven-seat big brother to the ubiquitous Qashqai, which can only carry five. It’s been around for a little while, but Nissan has added a new engine to the line-up in order to drop the car’s entry price.

Makes for a cheaper headline figure to put on adverts, at least… The engine in question is a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol, transplanted more or less straight from the Qashqai. With 161bhp and a reputation for smooth manners it should offer a dignified new option for SUV devotees.

Let’s be honest: from the front it’s barely any different to the Qashqai. During the press presentation of the new engine both front ends appeared side-by-side, and I hadn’t managed to find any major differences by the time the slide disappeared, bar a slight size increase. The smaller car sells like hot cakes, though, so making the X-Trail so recognisable makes it easy for conservative buyers to upgrade their smaller Nissan.

The name even sounds pretty cool. X-Trail. Go on, say it out loud.

You can do a lot with the big boot, but on the seven-seat test car the panels didn’t sit properly flush with the flat-folding row of two individual seats. The rearmost panel can easily be slotted in vertically to shorten the load area and help stop things rolling around as much as they would otherwise.

Despite Nissan’s insistence, the X-Trail doesn’t quite feel like a premium product. The black switchgear looks bulky and a bit utilitarian in the beige interior. Choose black instead and you’ll never notice. There’s a huge amount of space for five thanks to a sliding middle row of seats that can open up limousine-style legroom behind a short-legged driver. On the other hand, the front door pockets are too meagre for a car like this.

The new engine is impressively silky and hushed under general use. It’s like covering yourself with melted Galaxy. It’s been tuned to deliver its not inconsiderable torque gradually, which makes for a forgiving drive. You don’t get a little wallop of acceleration until you get past 3,000rpm, which is a double-edged sword. It means the car is super-smooth going up and down the gears in traffic, but on motorways and inclines you do need to drop gears and put your foot down.

It’s also liable to get caught out if you let go of the clutch before you’ve applied enough revs. You can catch it if you’re quick, but it wouldn’t be all that difficult to stall if your mind is on your dinner.

I’d like it to ride a little more softly than it does. Manhole covers are more jarring than they should be in a car of this height and suspension travel. The silver lining is that it can be hustled up a twisty road with much more abandon than you’d expect. But is that more important than everyday comfort? I’m not so sure.

This model is a healthy four-figure sum cheaper than the entry-level (and totally breathless) diesel. The diesel will be cheaper to tax, undoubtedly, but whether the extra fuel economy and reduced VED bill will make it the more sensible choice is down to each buyer. If you cover less than 12,000 miles per year or will only keep the car for a couple of birthdays, this new petrol might make more sense.

Parents with three, four or even five kids will look at this as a Godsend… until they realise that the £21,995 car is five-seat only. You’ve got to spend quite a lot more to get seven. Unless you’re a family of particularly tall people or desperately want a bigger boot, a better-specified Qashqai would probably make more sense than this specific model. Still, a cheaper entry price does make a better impression on those advertising billboards.