Volvo - V70

Estate cars have always been Volvo's specialist subject, and V70 is a state-of-the-art load carrier with excellent safety features and plenty of clever details. As you would expect there is masses of room in the load area; it also has lots of nets and hooks and straps to keep everything securely in place. The waste bin and umbrella holder two neat and useful touches, and in the back the centre seat has a useful pop-up worktop.
V70 is unarguably expensive but levels of standard equipment are very high and the choice of engines is extensive, from the frugal to the outrageously powerful. Noise levels are low and the suspension is quite smooth over most road surfaces.
Quality, safety and reliability are not in question, but despite this being a Volvo, depreciation is worse than many rival estates. With a fair thirst and expensive servicing, this makes it quite costly to own.