This is a nine-seat Nissan people carrier

Two bits of news from Nissan today. The first is that it’s sold a million crossovers in the UK since the Qashqai’s 2007 launch, when the small SUV thingy closed the curtains on the dominance of the people carrier. And the second? Um, the reveal of this NV300 Combi, a brand new nine-seat people carrier. But of course.

The last time Nissan sold a big people mover in the UK, it was called the Serena, and the diesel version famously ‘achieved’ a 0-60mph time of 28 seconds. It was transport at its most prosaic.

This NV300 is little less boxy – in fact, it’s even boxier – but with its natty grille and sculpted lines, it’s certainly equipped with a bit more styling than the sorry Serena. Based on the Renault Trafic, it comes with a decent array of turbodiesel engines – with power ranging from 110 to 170bhp – linked to either manual or DCT automatic gearboxes.

There are no performance figures yet, but we’d expect 60mph to arrive in half the time it took its long-since-dead forebear. Probably quicker. But given it’s a van with windows, speed isn’t the order of the day. You end up with stuff very few family cars offer: wholly removable seats, a bazillion cubby holes and three-abreast seating up front, which kinda makes it like a Fiat Multipla. Or a McLaren F1.

People with many kids: this, or a seven-seat SUV and a babysitter?