SOME things that sound so wrong can prove to be surprisingly excellent – take banana pizza, for instance.

A mixture of thin crust pizza base, cheese, banana, cinnamon and sugar appears an unappealing combination, but in the hands of master pizza maker Jack Hibner it is transformed into a taste triumph.

Nissan has cooked up a similarly unlikely concoction by taking the British-built Note family runaround and packing it with luxury equipment.

The hugely versatile vehicle has been upgraded to n-tec+ specification and fitted with everything from chunky, 16in, ‘diamond cut’ two-tone alloy wheels and darkened rear privacy glass to a touchscreen Connect satellite navigation system, housed in a piano black surround, and rear parking sensors.

Add to that climate control, automatic headlights and rain-sensitive wipers, and the result is a thoroughly useful, easy-to-manage and fun-to-drive five-seater, which has a properly upmarket feel.

Its appeal is obvious as it offers a large amount of interior space, both in the cabin and the boot with plenty of flexibility about how the space is used.

A key feature is the clever load area, which has a false floor, covered by twin steel-framed boards. Lifting either of the boards reveals a storage space beneath the boot floor ideal for stowing valuables out of sight.

Lowering the luggage boards into the well increases the load volume to 380 litres. Should extra space be needed for larger items, the rear seat can slide forward – a simple, one-handed operation either in the load area or from inside the cabin and the boards can be removed altogether, raising total load space potential to 437 litres.

The boards are also reversible, with carpet on one side and a waterproof surface on the other and they can be positioned vertically to stop items rolling around.

There are plenty of storage spaces around the cabin including a nine-litre glovebox, capable of holding up to a dozen cans, which on the test model could be heated or cooled.

Prices for the Note range, which includes a choice of three specifications and three engines, start at just over £11,000.

The Note, which is designed, engineered and built in the UK, has proved a sales success with more than 400,000 produced at Sunderland in the past six years and more than 100,000 sold in this country alone.

For more information on the n-tec+ Note go to nissan.co.uk or @NissanUK on Twitter. For more details on the Brazilian banana pizza go to @pitstopcafeclb on Twitter