There’s something distinctly appealing about estate cars. Instead of being reduced to nothing more than large, utilitarian and less-desirable spin-offs from popular hatchbacks and saloons, they often become the one your heart really wants.
This je ne sais quoi might lie behind the immediate appeal, but active types will find a lot of reasons why an estate makes more sense than a saloon. There’s the extra boot space, of course, but estates also usually have lower boot lips and flat loading bays for easier handling of heavy bags.
Some even hide extra space beneath the boot floor, or feature super-clever folding mechanisms for the rear seats. Others might squeeze in an extra pair of chairs. One thing is for sure: we love estates, and there are no signs of a sales slowdown. Which of these worthy wagons would you drive home?
1. JAGUAR XF SPORTBRAKE
Sleek estates don’t come much sleeker than this. The Sportbrake’s proportions are perfect, the roof line is sublime and the sense of premium takes a definite upturn against the rather too business-like saloon. It’s a looker, for sure, but with 550 litres of boot space and that high roof line it’s more than a match for the most practical hatchbacks.
2. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ALLTRACK
A brand-new entry to the lifestyle estate world is the Golf Alltrack, which can claim genuine off-road ability courtesy of four-wheel drive and a special driving mode. It even has a hill descent control feature for automatic, controlled descents on steep gradients. You’ll recognise it by its dark plastic trim extras around its skirts and wheel arches.
3. AUDI A4 ALLROAD
As if the names weren’t already similar enough, the Allroad shares obvious design themes with the Golf, too. As a pioneer of this sort of look, the A4 Allroad is a familiar sight on UK roads. Its quattro drive system takes care of traction while a robust interior handles family life. Watch the leathers on the higher trim grades, though.
4. SKODA OCTAVIA SCOUT
The third of our pick of the heavily be-plasticked lifestyle estates is the Octavia Scout. Bigger than the Golf, but also less pretty, it serves better as a family utility machine rather than a glamour-puss fit for the red carpet. There’s a huge boot, though, and so much space for five people that single agoraphobics should probably look elsewhere.
5. VOLVO V60
Look at the svelte lines of the V60, our favourite Volvo, barring the game-changing new XC90 which, incidentally, gives you a clue what the next V60 will look like. Volvo estates aren’t just pretty, though; they’ve been designed by people who really understand how to make life easy for parents – or skiers, surfers, mountain bikers and so on.
6. BMW 3 SERIES TOURING
For an estate, the 3 Series isn’t particularly big. It does, however, look quite a bit nicer than the bland saloon, so we like it. Practical touches like a load-through hatch will let you throw your skis in before the compact Bee Em takes you comfortably to the snowy crown of your local alp. Four-wheel drive is an option, too.
7. DACIA LOGAN MCV
When is a van not a van? When it’s a Logan MCV, of course. This low-cost, no-frills estate isn’t the biggest, but it is the one you’d worry about least. Throw your muddy weekend clothes into the boot and hit the road while everyone else is still flattening out their protective tarpaulins. It’s not stylish and it’s not fast, but it is a great support to an active life.
8. MAZDA6 TOURER
Nothing this flowing could ever be called utilitarian; its lines swoop and swirl around like the wake of a swirling straw in a thick milkshake. The estate is definitely the looker of the party, though – the Bradley Cooper in The Hangover or the Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory. It’s a real piece of drive candy.