As a former overall winner of the Tow Car Awards, we had high hopes for the updated Nissan Qashqai – and it really didn’t disappoint.

In our most violent tests, it was as good as any car in the ‘Up to 1400kg’ weight class. Stopping from 30mph needed just 10.6 metres, and there was no shunting from the caravan.

The Qashqai also went as well as it stopped, accelerating from 30-60mph in a brisk 10.7 seconds.

The automatic ‘box changed gear smoothly, although gear selection could sometimes be a little haphazard when accelerating hard. But in most situations, the gearbox made the most of the turbocharged petrol engine’s punchy performance.

In the lane-change test, the Qashqai put in a textbook display. The car steered accurately, and the rear of the vehicle gripped hard and refused to be pulled off course by the sliding caravan behind it.

Data from the Al-Ko ATC system confirmed that the car was stable at high speeds and when slowing down.

Despite its excellence with a caravan in tow, the Qashqai isn’t quite good enough to unseat the Škoda Octavia as our favourite lightweight tow car.

As much as anything, that’s a reflection of the Nissan’s practicality. It’s roomy enough for a small crossover, but nothing like as spacious as the Škoda for passengers. It couldn’t cope with as much holiday luggage as the Octavia, either.

It’s pricey for such a small and light car, too. In fairness, that’s reflected in the long list of standard equipment, including an excellent reversing camera – which comes in very handy when hitching up.