What's the best estate car for sale in the UK?

A lot of visitors arrive at carbuyersinfo having Googled 'best estate car.' I could say, 'best for what' but here's a sensible approach.

Size is important because it's what accommodates your lifestyle. Estate cars come in the following sizes:

• Small estate cars about 4m long - Renault Clio Estate, Skoda Fabia Estate, etc.
• Medium Small over 4.25m - Focus, Astra, Golf.
• Medium over 4.5m - Merc C-Class, 3-Series.
• Large over 4.8m - E-Class Merc, note cars we think of as medium have grown, for example the Mondeo and Insignia.

Standing in the market place. You have the choice of value brands, popular brands and premium brands. However price is not an indicator of performance, comfort, versatility, durability, reliability, economy and sometimes safety. Some value brands are highly efficient, even class leading.

Interior space is mostly determined by size. Focus your attention on comfort, it can be the biggest source of dissatisfaction. Comfort is a matter of personal taste. Most estate cars have a large choice of trim options.

Driving. Estate cars are available with a wide range of engines and transmissions. If you compare cars of a similar size with similar engines, you'll find little difference.

Economy. A wide range of engine options means you can take your pick. Diesel is a consideration in larger cars although you have to calculate the added cost of the car and fuel against savings in economy. Remember diesels emit particles and are not town friendly.

Safety is an important consideration. The safest estate car is one with a 5-star EuroNCAP rating and ESP. Visibility is a also a safety factor to look out for as it's sometimes compromised by style.

Personally my favourite would be the Citroen C5 Touring. I also like the Mazda6 Estate and Honda Accord Tourer. They're big cars so I might compare them with more compact MPV cars which could give me the same interior space and versatility. However estates are more elegant to drive. Given the wide range of engine options available you can pick your performance and economy. There are also an increasing number of cars meeting my safety criteria - 5-star EuroNCAP with ESP.

Bearing this in mind it leaves me free to pick the car I like the look of. In surveys car buyers never admit to buying cars for their style. However, once you choose a size to fit your lifestyle and engine to fit your pocket, providing the car's comfortable, I don't see too many differences in comparable estate cars. So for me it would be a C5, Mazda6, or Accord simply on style.

Regards
Ralph