THE sheer level of technology being packed into family cars make you wonder just how long it will be before the driver is redundant.

Nissan has stopped wondering and has put a date on its plan to commercially produce cars that happily drive themselves.

2020 is the company’s target and if the equipment packed into the latest Qashqai is anything to go by, they are well on their way.

Spacious, quiet and family-friendly, the Qashqai is nippy enough to be comfortable around town, while powerful and economical enough to revel in long distance travel.

The car driven here came in top-of-the-range n-tec+ specification, which means just about every driver aid possible is operating.

For a start, speed limit signs are automatically read by a front-facing camera and displayed in the dashboard. This function works across Europe and even recognises that some countries enforce a weather-dependent lower speed limit if it’s raining, so both dry and wet weather limits are displayed to the driver.

Particularly handy on motorways, the car monitors vehicles in your blind spot, and also keeps an eye on the driver’s behaviour and warns you if you are getting tired. A separate system sounds a gentle alert if the car starts to drift out of lane.

By scanning the road ahead using radar, the Qashqai delivers three levels of automatic assistance. First is an audible warning, alerting you if the gap to the car in front is closing. Second, if you do not react, the brakes are automatically partially applied. Finally, if the gap is still closing, the brakes will be applied harder if necessary.

The headlights switch themselves on and off, and flick from main beam to dip without any involvement from the driver, using a delightfully sensitive system that, unlike some similar arrangements, never once blinded an oncoming driver.

Even at low speeds you get a helping hand with a collection of cameras providing a ‘helicopter view’ parking aid displayed on a seven-inch screen. When stationary, if something moves into the area covered by the four cameras, the system gives an audible warning and highlights the area in which the moving object is detected.

All this technology is packed into a bolder, more muscular-looking car that is 20mm wider, 47mm longer and 15mm lower than the previous model. Yet despite this reduction in height, front and rear headroom levels have increased by 10mm and the raised driving position remains.

Load space flexibility has also been improved, with a tailgate that opens 150mm higher and includes a dual-floor system designed to provide a flexible and versatile load space. One of the two floor boards slots into a vertical position providing an ideal-sized space for carrying shopping bags. The load cover fits neatly under the luggage floor allowing bulky items to be loaded and the luggage boards have soft carpet on one side and a wipe-clean surface on the other, so muddy boots can be transported without fear of making a mess.

It might be a while before truly driverless cars are a reality, but the technology being installed along the way is certainly helping to make life at the wheel a lot more relaxed.

AUTO FACTS

Model: Nissan Qashqai n-tec+ DIG-T 163
Insurance group: 16E
Fuel consumption (Combined): 47.1mpg
Top speed: 124mph
Length: 437.7cm/172.3in
Width: 180.6cm/71.1in
Luggage capacity: 15.2 cu ft
Fuel tank capacity: 12.1 gallons/55 litres
CO2 emissions: 138g/km
Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles