The new Almera Tino, Nissan's first compact MPV for the European market, aims to provide drivers with the most 'car-like' dynamics of any vehicle in the class.

Appealing to a new generation of MPV customers more used to conventional hatchback handling, engineers at the Nissan technical centres in Japan and Europe have developed the Tino chassis to provide very high levels of stability with excellent steering feel and an impressive balance of ride comfort and handling.

From the start of the chassis development detailed computer simulations were used to visualise behaviour in extreme circumstances and those were followed up by extensive real-life tests.

The Tino was also extensively tested on a variety of roads in Europe and Japan, including being run on German autobahns at maximum speed.

The Tino is designed to be the safest vehicle in its class. Engineers have developed a combination of features to provide maximum safety for all occupants.

The Tino's outstanding safety starts with the chassis itself, which has been designed for excellent road-holding and handling, so that the Tino behaves more like a family hatchback than a large MPV.

This handling is complemented by an ultra-safe braking system, which offers an effective combination of ABS, Nissan brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, all of which are standard across the range.

Nissan's mechanical brake assist system is the first of its type available in the class.

Like electronic systems on prestige cars, this enables drivers to access the ABS braking zone in emergency braking in the fastest possible time, thus keeping the stopping distance to the absolute minimum. Approximately 30 per cent less pedal effort is required to reach the ABS zone.

The electronic brake force distribution comes into operation before ABS, and controls the balance of pressure between front and rear wheels, minimising the risk of wheel lock.

As well as increasing the contribution of the rear axle to braking forces, thus reducing the braking distance, it also adjusts the brake force to suit different vehicle load distribution.

This is particularly useful for a versatile vehicle such as the Tino, which may be heavily loaded for a holiday or from a trip to the local DIY store.

The Tino's braking performance is designed to meet the demands of one of the toughest braking tests in the world. The respected German motoring magazine Auto Motor and Sport puts vehicles through ten consecutive emergency stops from 100 kph (62mph) and measures the stopping distance for each run.

By measuring the difference between the shortest distance (usually when the brakes are cold) and the longest distance (at the end of the test when they are hot), the brake 'fade' can be calculated.

Nissan's Technical Centre Europe in Bedfordshire benchmarked the Tino with the German magazine test to make the 'hot' distance comparable with the 'cold' distance with the weight of both driver and a passenger aboard.

The Tino also has exceptional structural strength. The 'two zone' body structure is designed to protect occupants by allowing the outer zone to deform on impact while the inner zone remains rigid.

At the same time, energy-absorbing panels have been built into the roof and pillars to provide additional protection against head and neck injury.

The Tino, which exceeds all European crash safety legislation, has been extensively crash tested to meet all internal and external crash test targets.

In its own tests, Nissan uses ten different sizes of crash test dummies to ensure safety is maximised for all family members of all shapes and sizes.

The new body structure combines with a number of supplementary 'passive' restraint systems, some of which are among the first in this class.

The Tino features Nissan's Active Head Restraint (AHR) to reduce whiplash type injuries. It also offers Nissan's new Head and Thorax Protection System of specially shaped, seat-mounted side airbags, plus driver and passenger front airbags.

In addition, the Tino has pretensioner seat belts with load limiters, three full three-point rear seat belts, all with Nissan's Automatic Emergency Locking Retractors (AELR), plus ISOFix child-seat fitting system.

The all-new Tino is the first compact MPV in the world to offer a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

This kind of transmission is particularly suitable for the compact MPV, in which fuel-efficiency and driving comfort are of key importance.

The CVT is smoother and more responsive than a conventional automatic gearbox. It allows a seamless exchange of power between the engine and wheels. This ensures the engine performs at its most efficient, however the car is being driven or whatever the road conditions.

The CVT is smaller and less complex than a conventional automatic gearbox, with fewer moving parts. This makes it quieter and more economical.

Nissan leads the world in the application of CVT technology. The Nissan Micra was the first small car to use CVT in 1992. Nissan was also first to offer CVT in a family-sized car, the Nissan Primera, in 1999.

In Japan, Nissan has recently introduced a new type of CVT for larger engines and rear-wheel drive cars. Extroid CVT was introduced into the luxury market with the launch of the latest 3.0-litre Cedric and Gloria models

The CVT is available with the two-litre 16-valve petrol engine