Honda Civic Tourer (2014-2018) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Massively practical load lugger
The showpiece of the Civic Tourer is its enormous boot, bolstered by a novel adaptable rear suspension system aimed at improving how the car rides according to its load. Visibility is much better than in the Civic hatchback, too, and it’s good reliability helps the car seal the deal as a Which? Best Buy.
- Gargantuan boot
- Flexible interior layout
- Efficient diesel engine
- Unrefined ride quality
- Noisy at speed
- Expensive to buy
Toyota Auris Touring Sports (2013-2019) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Practical, but lacks excitement
While it isn’t the most commodious estate car ever made, the Touring Sports is usefully more practical than the hatchback Auris. Its no-nonsense approach to everyday motoring, from its ease of use, to its comprehensive safety equipment and range of efficient engines, makes it a sensible choice for a family car.
- High reliability
- Practical interior
- Generous front cabin space
- Five-year warranty
- Lacklustre interior styling and driving experience
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports Hybrid (2019-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Full hybrid
Which? verdict: A great estate; let down by high CO emissions in our tests
The Corolla Touring Sports has all the qualities of the Best Buy hatchback model, but with useful additional load space. Spoiling the party, however, is high CO emissions in our independent tests, which ultimately means we can’t recommend it in the same way as the excellent hatchback.
- Pleasurable and relaxing to drive
- Frugal engine
- Safe
- Poor tested CO emissions
- Fiddly touchscreen
- Restricted rear visibility
Volkswagen Golf Estate (2021-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Firm family favourite
We think the Golf Estate is a great choice as family transport. There’s certainly no lack of space inside, either for people or luggage, and it’s a comfortable, safe car for long-distance travel. While the all-digital cabin isn’t very intuitive and the quality of some of the materials disappoints, these are minor gripes and it’s still a Best Buy.
- Generous space for people and luggage
- Great to drive
- Safe
- Well equipped
- Digital controls are distracting and not very intuitive
- Average cabin quality
Suzuki Swace (2021-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Full hybrid
verdict: Well-equipped hybrid estate
The Swace is a great all-rounder for families. It might not have the same engine range or body style options as the Corolla on which it’s based, but what it offers is a well-considered combination of frugality, practicality, and ease of use, making it a Best Buy.
- Spacious
- Safe
- Low fuel consumption
- Lacklustre performance
- Dull handling
- Restricted rear visibility
Ford Focus Estate (2011-2018) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Practical and satisfying to drive
Estates are all about space and luckily the Focus is highly practical. Indeed, its generous 410-litre boot addresses one of the main criticisms of the Focus hatchback – its small boot. Space for passengers is good, too. The Ford Focus Estate is fun to drive but feels more grown-up, comfortable and refined than previous generations – enough to earn it a Best Buy rating.
- Competitively priced
- Punchy and economical engines
- Very roomy
- Sharp depreciation
- Less stable than hatchback in emergency manoeuvres
Seat Leon X-Perience (2014-2018) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: 4×4 enhances talented estate
The Seat Leon X-Perience has a big boot, loads of passenger space and is comfortable, too. The chassis shares much with the VW Golf, so it’s also refined and sharp to drive. Add four-wheel drive and mild off-road ability to these virtues and you’ve got one of the better medium estate cars we’ve tested.
- Useful 4×4 powertrain
- Good grip
- Drives and rides well
- Practical
- Boot smaller than the Golf
- Thirstier than Leon ST
- Limited engine range
Kia ProCeed (2019-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Style meets substance
Kia’s ProCeed has striking looks that its slightly dowdy Ceed sister models lack. The sleek shape doesn’t impact boot space significantly, but rear seat space is a little tight if you’re tall. Overall, this is a mature-feeling and comfortable car to drive, as well as being well equipped. It’s a Which? Best Buy.
- Great cabin
- Generous boot space
- Good performance
- Long warranty
- Limited rear legroom
- Poor rear visibility
Seat Leon Estate (2020-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Practical, stylish estate
Medium-sized estate cars may play second fiddle to SUVs in today’s marketplace, but Seat’s Leon Estate proves that estate car practicality can be every bit as good as an SUV’s, if not better. The Leon Estate is also great fun to drive. Even if it can’t match some rivals in terms of comfort, refinement and build quality, it’s an impressive all-rounder and a Which? Best Buy.
- Eager performance
- Safe handling
- Very roomy inside
- Not as refined or comfortable as some rivals
- Distracting control systems
Seat Leon Sport Tourer (2014-2020) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Well designed, practical estate
A big boot, loads of interior space and comfortable seating make the Leon ST an admirable family lugger. A strong range of potent engines, combined with its talented VW Golf-based chassis, mean that the Leon ST performs more than adequately on the road. The quality improvements and technological enhancements brought with the 2017 facelift only further its appeal.
- Competitively priced
- Large boot
- Drives and rides well
- Fiddly touchscreen
- Spartan entry-level trim
- Reliability concerns
Kia Ceed Sportswagon Plug-in Hybrid (2020-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Plug-in hybrid (PHEV)
verdict: Great all-rounder with low-cost potential
There’s very little on which to fault the Ceed Sportswagon PHEV as a family car. It’s got plenty of room inside, is comfortable and safe to drive, and has a generous level of standard equipment. Its hybrid power system opens up the potential for very low running costs, while Kia’s seven-year warranty gives great peace of mind. Unfortunately, the high CO (carbon monoxide) emissions we measured prevent it from being a Best Buy.
- Well equipped
- Spacious
- Efficient
- Safe
- Some rivals are better fun to drive
- Thirsty on long motorway trips
- Very high CO emissions
Mini Clubman (2015-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Stylish, semi-practical estate car
Like other Minis, the Clubman lacks nothing in terms of character. It has a quirky cabin design, an unusually sporty drive and distinctive looks. It also adds a useful extra dose of practicality over the Mini hatchback.
- Sporty drive
- Strong engines
- Characterful design
- Small boot
- Awkward split tailgate
- Pricey
Ford Focus Estate ST (2012-2018) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Fun, but not comfortable
The ST is a great car to drive. It’s powerful, fun and handles itself well. Plus, it has oodles of space and, being a petrol car, doesn’t create a massive amount of NOx. But, in our tests we found it pumps out more than four times the amount of harmful carbon monoxide (CO) than limits allow – which is more than a Porsche 911 Carrera. Even if it had scored highly enough to be a Best Buy, we’d have to withhold the award based on its sky-high level of toxic emissions.
- Great to drive
- Plenty of space for passengers and luggage
- Stiff suspension
- Uncomfortable sports seats
- High CO emissions
Volkswagen Golf Estate (2007-2013) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Medium-sized but gigantically practical
The VW Golf Estate does just what you’d expect: it drives well, it’s solidly put together and it has great capacity for carrying plenty of luggage. However, you need to be aware that it’s based on the old (2004-2009) Mk5 version of the Golf so it’s behind the times in some areas.
- Huge boot
- Solid workmanship
- Comfortable
- Easy-to-access cabin
- Expensive to buy
- High running costs
- Based on aging Golf Mk5
Ford Focus ST Estate (2019-) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Available new
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Fast and fun family transport
We already know that Ford’s Focus Estate offers much greater practicality than the Focus hatchback, particularly in terms of rear seat space and luggage capacity. But the ST version proves that you can have your family car cake and eat it with a high-performance topping, thanks to its tremendous urge and sharp handling. However, some people will undoubtedly find it simply too extreme for everyday use.
- Great performance
- Sharp handling
- Generous space for passengers and luggage
- Feels extreme for a family car
- Noisy
- Hard ride
- Thirsty
Hyundai i30 Tourer (2012-2017) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Worthy, practical estate choice
The i30 Tourer may not represent the pinnacle of performance or handling, but it scores well for cabin and control layout, and the ride quality is better than that of many German rivals. There’s plenty of room in the cabin and a bigger boot than most rivals. Equipment levels are high, too.
- Spacious cabin
- Large boot
- Well equipped
- Five-year warranty
- Noisy diesels
- Rear visibility is tricky
Vauxhall Astra Estate (2010-2015) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Competent, but you can do better
The Astra Sports Tourer delivers what it was designed for – it’s a large, practical family car, but it’s now feeling a little old alongside the best in class and it’s not a Which? Best Buy.
- Spacious interior
- Large
- Easy to use boot
- Safe chassis
- Fairly expensive
- Heavy depreciation
- Rear headrests are too low
Kia Cee’d SW (2007-2012) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Does the job, cheaply
Don’t dismiss the Cee’d SW as no more than a cheap option: it’s a decent enough drive, very usable spacious – and a Best Buy.
- Affordable to buy and run
- Very roomy and practical
- Noisy petrol engines
- Not the sharpest to drive
Renault Megane ST (2009-2016) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Solid estate car choice
Besides having more load space, it’s also much easier to load up than its contemporary Mégane hatch. The Sport Tourer is an impressive offering – but now too long in the tooth to truly compete against the leading models in this sector, like the VW Golf and Skoda Octavia estates.
- Efficient diesels
- Strong crash protection
- Large and accessible boot
- Unrefined petrols
- Underpowered diesels
- Poor visibility
- Poor pedestrian protection
Peugeot 308 SW (2008-2013) review
Test scoreShow Context
Key features
- Medium estate
- Used only
- Petrol/Diesel/Mild hybrid
verdict: Highly practical family car
The tall, wide body makes the 308 SW feel almost like an MPV, and the (optional) seven seats – all highly versatile – make it a very practical used estate car. Boot space in particular is of very generous proportions, even if it isn’t a true rival to a full-size MPV.
- Spacious interior
- Up to seven seats
- Safe
- Comfy
- Easy drive
- Weak non-turbo petrols
- HDi 90 lacks stability control
