I never liked the idea of 'golden breaks for those golden years', the very notion of the Saga Holiday company was anathema, the advertisements for equity release schemes terrify me and I stride purposefully pass the schedules for 'young at heart' exercise routines in the gym.

So when Nissan launched the Tiida last Monday and said it was aimed at 'seniors' - the 68 per cent of people aged over 45 who make up the largest group of Almera buyers - I squirmed in my seat.

The car is a very solid C-sector car to rival the VW Golf, Toyota Corolla/Auris and Ford Focus. It is the third product to target the very wide Almera market after the superb SUV-looking Qashqai and the Note, a more youthful-looking adaptable hatchback.

The Tiida falls very strongly between these two and prides itself on being "comfortable, premium, indulgent, mature, manageable and safe"...

...Tiida means "ever-changing tide" in some Japanese dialect and Ireland is the first Western European country to get the car. It has been around in various forms for the last three years or so and has the rather robust looks that should go down well in America. It will be available in both hatchback and saloon versions. In the case of the Almera, Ireland went against the trend elsewhere and plumped for the saloon versions in 80 per cent of cases. Nissan don't believe that this will change much for the Tiida although I personally prefer the look of the hatchback. As the incredibly successful Qashqai and Note are both hatchbacks perhaps that's where fifth-door adherents will go.

The Tiida isn't over-burdened with character, rather it is an incredibly well-specced car with massive space and comfort for four. It will take three in the back - but don't eat too many pies. The legroom and boot are at least a class above the compact sector. There will be two grade options with a price jump of €1,500 between them, however both are very impressive. There are two different engines, a 1.6 petrol which can be linked to an automatic box and a brilliantly economical, clean and powerful six-speed 1.5 diesel. The latter would be my choice although, in the past, diesels haven't been big in this sector. This will change and I reckon diesels will account for about 25 per cent of the Tiida sales. Prices start at €20,995 and peak at €25,345.

Alloys and front fogs are another €800 and sat-nav plus a six CD changer is a rather steep €3,500.

It is also rather disappointing that the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is also another €800. This is a system that really saves lives and, like ABS, will eventually be compulsory on all cars. However it hasn't seized the imagination over here yet.

Of the 3,500 Qashqais which have be ordered only three prospective owners were willing to pay for the ESP option.

However, beyond these gripes and all the hype and marketing speak the Tiida is an excellent option and it really puts it up to its main competitors in this sector in terms of comfort and specification.

It will do really well for Nissan and shows that the company seems really on a good course now.

If I could own up to my age I might even consider a Tiida as the household car.