Skoda Superb estate (2008-2015)

The Skoda Superb estate goes head-to-head with the likes of the Hyundai i40 estate, the Volkswagen Passat estate and the Mazda6 Tourer estate – and its big selling point is that it has more space than all of them and just about every other estate car on sale today. With the rear seats in place, there’s 633 litres of luggage room, expanding to a huge 1,865 litres when they’re folded flat. The Superb also includes features such as a power-operated boot lid.

Another of the Superb estate’s trump cards is the amount of legroom in the back, which is more than you’ll get in some luxury cars. Up front, the VW Group connection is obvious, as the dashboard feels solidly constructed and the controls are easy to use, although it doesn’t quite have the same polish as an equivalent Volkswagen, such as the Passat.

The Superb was facelifted in 2013, getting fresh exterior styling features such as new headlamps and tail-lights with LED daytime running lights, but its overall looks remained understated and classy.

Despite the vast amount of car packed into the Superb, it remains true to Skoda’s value-for-money ethos and costs less than a lot of smaller estates. Basic models have a reasonable amount of equipment as standard – the entry-level S comes with air-conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels and cruise control, while the more popular mid-range SE gets suede seats, a pair of umbrellas hidden in the rear doors, rear parking sensors and foglights that turn with the front wheels.

There’s a good range of petrol and diesel engines, although the latter make more sense in a car of this size unless your annual mileage is particularly low. The most economical model of the lot is the 104bhp 1.6-litre TDI GreenLine, returning 65.7mpg and emitting 113g/km of CO2 for £30-a-year road tax.

The more powerful 140bhp 2.0-litre TDI isn’t far off those figures, though, boasting 61.4mpg economy, 119g/km CO2 emissions and identical road tax costs. It has a lot more overtaking punch, too, making it our pick of the range.