The wonderful thing about estate cars is the sheer breadth of the class. This is simply a consequence of the fact that, whichever type of car the public wants, there will always be a portion who want it with added practicality.
At the extremities of this world lie such oddities as the stretched-out Mini Traveller of 1960 and the V12-engined Ferrari GTC4 Lusso shooting brake, but even the more humdrum middle ground is overflowing with variety. That's because while the following 10 cars share a common utilitarian cause, they deliver it in different ways.
Look past the big boot and some strive for opulence. Others deploy every trick in the book to make their owners' lives easier. And a couple have quietly prioritised dynamism. A handful, we might add, manage to do it all, albeit at a price. So which are the best options if you're an Autocar reader who wants only one car to do it all?
Best estate cars on sale in 2019
1. BMW 5 Series Touring
BMW's mid-sized stalwart is our preferred mid-sized premium saloon and it's arguable that ballooning the rear bodywork only increases its vast all-round appeal. The first reason for this is that air suspension is standard fit at the rear axle, and combined with the optional adaptive dampers, this makes for supreme ride quality.
The second reason is that BMW's strong range of diesel and petrol engines allows you to prioritise economy with four cylinders or ensure progress is always deliciously effortless with a straight six under the bonnet. That the G30-generation car isn't quite as incisive as its forebear also matters less for the Touring version, whose 1700-litre load bay with the rear seats down is right in the mix.
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5wheels
Interesting and arguable
I would have placed the Skoda top because there just isnt anything near it for value for money, its bigger than the rest by a fair margin and its even fun to drive. We bought the simle Octavia for the wife recently and honestly I have been blown away by this car which has loads of little surprises in the package which other far more expensive cars dont even list on the extras collumn. The Avant (same platform) is of course the up market version if you like to pay for it. The BMW is deffinately up there but nly because it drives like a racer which is not the point of the exercise is it.
what's life without imagination
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