NISSAN'S Primera, the car that according to its advertising is a new form of intelligence, graduates at the Sunday Times Motor Show Live with a new and more luxurious interior, added technology including a unique traffic avoidance feature for its DVD satellite navigation system, and finer tuned ride and handling. The further qualified Primera has been designed, engineered and will be built in the UK. And it takes to the stage for the first time on Nissan's stand at the UK's biggest car show.

The interior upgrades are all about improving the perceived quality of the Primera. That's the way the car feels when you first sit in it. Nobody's ever questioned the long term durability of a Primera - it is a Nissan after all - but some thought it didn't feel, oh, luxurious or expensive enough when you stroked it in a car showroom. Well, there shouldn't be any complaints now. Especially as the upgraded Primera is likely to be priced from around £14,500 when sales start in July.

Few cars offer a rear-parking camera at any price. It's a feature that's certain to wow friends and potentially save you the cost, at the very least, of a rear bumper repair. Previously Primeras of SE status and above had a black and white dashboard mounted screen that showed what was going on to the rear of the car when reverse gear was selected. As part of the revisions to the Primera, the camera goes colour to give an even clearer view on the screen. And it will be standard on all but the S grade.

More models in the range are likely to get Nissan's Birdview DVD satellite navigation system when specifications are confirmed. This move is particularly generous of Nissan because the system now adds traffic information on the screen and can plot a diversion around any problem. The system employed by Nissan is arguably one of the most advanced available. It starts with a DVD based system that works faster anyway.

To this has now been added a dedicated FM tuner that does nothing else all day but listen to Radio Data System Traffic Message Channel broadcasts relevant for the car's location. Very dull for the car but great that you don't have to. And it means an end to irrelevant interruptions telling you a cow has wandered onto the A1 south of Edinburgh when you're stuck in a queue for Bluewater. There is a fee for this TMC service but Nissan pays it. And it works in eight other European countries.

The Primera is one of the few new and affordable cars around that has mobile telephone pre-wiring across most of its range. From July, the system gets even cleverer. Using the Primera's dashboard N-FORM controlled display screen, you'll be able top use your mobile's phone book, look at missed and received calls, see who is calling you and pretend to be busy, juggle two calls at once and put a call on hold. That's all assuming you have an up-to-date Nokia, Siemens or Sony-Ericsson phone. But even if you don't, the majority of modern mobiles are compatible with Nissan's so-called 'Plug and Go' system. You just won't enjoy all the compatibility of the newest mobiles.

The safety benefits remain, even more so now that there's a phone answering button on the new steering wheel, and you will of course be legal ... after you've had the correct cradle fitted by your Nissan dealer. But the cost of this is a fraction of what other manufacturers or phone shops charge because the integration comes as standard. The bit of console ahead of the gear lever changes too. The navigation DVD unit has been banished to under the driver's seat freeing up space for a storage box with - wait for it - a push-push, damped action lid with chrome trim and a flocked interior.

Showroom browsers will love it. A more straightforward addition is room to dashboard mount a 6CD autochanger. Before it had to sit in the boot. The steering wheel gets a new flatter design with more neatly integrated switches for the cruise control, audio and telephone. As well as looking shinier, they're easier to use. So, too, are the new bigger door pulls and higher mounted armrests - more changes that come in response to customer feedback. The in-dash display screen gets a graphical makeover in the interests of colour and clarity.

Primera customers apparently like to clock watch so the time now remains on the dashboard mounted colour display irrespective of whether the audio selection, climate control or satnav is being displayed. And another little change is that the driver won't be constantly told to be wary of ice when the temperature dips in an out of range. Once is enough, thank you. The climate control operation has now been improved - again, because Nissan has listened - with more accurate airflow and fan speed selection and the possibility to manually select a lower temperature range.

But the Primera's party trick is no longer the rear view camera, even with its newly added colour. Instead it's the new 'Fine Vision' instruments. Turn on the ignition and these gauges fade in over two seconds in a carefully orchestrated pointers first, then numbers then LEDs manoeuvre. Turn the ignition off and they fade out in the reverse order. It's not all show because they're easier to read for which thank amber, this season's new red when it comes to instruments. And if you drive the top spec Primera T-spec, you won't have to leave your leathered driving seat to check the tyres' pressure. It's shown on the dashboard screen.

No change for the engine line-up but Nissan's Cranfield based engineers have fine-tuned the Primera's chassis. On the comfort side, they say they have reduced harshness and pitch plus improved the car's ride particularly on uneven surfaces. And in terms of handling, they claim the latest Primera will be even more stable at high speeds and during quick lane changes. The steering should feel sharper and more responsive with reduced delay. And Nissan engineers don't usually lie.