The nine best estate cars to buy in 2024
Got a big load that needs shifting but still want a car you can love and enjoy? Then keep reading as Goodwood Road and Race guides you through nine of the best estate cars on sale. You'll find fast estates on this list, off-road-ready wagons, great all-rounders, and sensible options you can still take pride in owning. Keep reading for Goodwood's guide to the best estate cars currently selling.
1. BMW 3 Series Touring
Like the annoying perfect kid at school, the BMW 320d Touring does everything exceptionally well. Sure, you could make an argument for the M340i; its scintillating six-cylinder engine and four-wheel drive could give some of the fastest cars in the world a test on the right road, but the 320d does an even better job of proving sensible can be fun.
Its 2.0-litre diesel returns over 50mpg without breaking a sweat, giving you a cruising range of nearly 800 miles. But the 320d's hearty mid-range means it doesn't feel like the entry point for the range, giving you all the torque you need to release the rear-wheel-drive chassis's playful side. Factor in excellent practicality, super modern infotainment, and a posher cabin than you'll find in an Audi or Mercedes, and the 320d is an obvious choice for anyone needing a practical, fun car that's also sensible.
2. Audi RS6 Avant
The Audi RS6 Avant more or less wrote the rulebook on fast estates. It has more room inside than a cathedral but has a design to match the latest posh apartments. More importantly, it's also outrageously quick in a way a sensible family car has no right to be.
The days of the fast petrol estate are numbered, and you can sense that Audi has thrown the kitchen sink at the latest RS6 in one final swansong. Its massive grille and blown wheel arches give it the looks to match its insane performance. And it is insane: the Audi will accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and nudge 190mph, but it feels safe and secure while it does it thanks to Quattro's four-wheel drive. No wonder it's a stand-out car on this list.
3. Skoda Superb estate
If you want an honest, no-nonsense estate car, you can't go wrong with the Skoda Superb estate, and that's even more true right now as the company slashes prices on the current car in preparation for the new version's introduction.
Space is a luxury all of its own, and the Superb has loads of it – from meters of rear legroom to a loading bay that echoes when you talk in it – you'll have to have parented giants to find yourself short of room. Skoda hasn't bothered pretending the Superb is sporty. Its soft suspension wallows over bumps and crests and leans in bends. There's a strong argument for choosing one of the cheap-to-run petrol or diesel, but there is also something fun about running the innocuous-looking 2.0-litre four-wheel drive model that shares its running gear with the Volkswagen Golf R.
4. Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack shows us four-wheel-drive grip and family-friendly practicality doesn't have to come in the shape of an SUV. With jacked-up suspension, Haldex four-wheel drive and an offroad mode that meters out power equally to all four wheels, the Alltrack can deal with all the offroading most people need – it'll have no problems crossing muddy fields or climbing tricky verges. But it's also better to drive than a high-riding SUV with a more comfortable ride quality than a bog standard Golf.
That said, there’s little wrong with the standard car. As a result, the Alltrack feels nicely built inside, it is impressively practical, and you get a strong range of engines. The only slight fly in the ointment is buggy infotainment, which is tricky to use on the move. It's been sorted (to an extent) by the new model that goes on sale later this year.
5. Ford Focus ST estate
Suppose you're looking for a fast (relatively) affordable estate car. In that case, the Volkswagen Golf R's combination of turbocharged performance and four-wheel drive makes it the obvious choice, but what if you want to avoid being obvious?
Then you want the Ford Focus ST Estate. The Focus already drives excellently, and the ST, with its 2.3-litre turbocharged engine, is even better with stonking performance and a standard-fit LSD that adds an extra layer of fun not offered in the four-wheel drive alternative. Sure, the interior is a tad utilitarian, but it's easy to use and, with a huge boot to fill, it's also very practical.
6. Mercedes E-Class estate
You can't go wrong with the Mercedes E-Class estate if you need to shift a load in consummate luxury. Its 615-litre boot capacity easily eclipses what you'll find in rivals from Audi and BMW. Inside, the E-Class feels like the ultimate luxury, with an infotainment screen like the one in the top-of-the-range S-Class that sweeps across the dashboard.
Sadly, the barnstorming E63 version has yet to be revealed, but that's not bad because the top-of-the-range diesel is an excellent option. It has all the torque in the world, and with standard four-wheel drive, it's a sports car quick off the line. Factor in the official fuel economy of nearly 45mpg, and pillowy soft ride and there aren't many better ways to lug loads in comfort.
7. BMW i5 Touring
Until now, if you wanted a posh electric estate, you only had one option – the Porsche Panamera Gran Turismo, but that changed with the new BMW 5 Series Touring, which will be available as an i5 electric.
Go for the M60 version, and you'll have BMW's fastest accelerating estate, capable of getting from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and onto a top speed of 143mph, although you'll have to live with a real-world range that'll do well to better 250 miles. On the upside, the electric drivetrain's instant and silent power delivery suits this posh wagon. The M60 is as practical inside as you could hope, with loads of room for people and stuff in its luxury interior.
8. Jaguar XF Sportbrake
The Jaguar XF Sportbrake feels analogue in a digital world, which could be perfect for you if you like a car you can get in and drive without having to worry about a multitude of settings. Or it could just be a nicer way of saying the Jag feels pretty old now.
Either way, this is still a fine-handling estate car. The XF drives like a car designed in the UK for UK roads, delivering an oily smooth ride quality even on our terrible surfaces. But this doesn't come at the cost of control. The XF feels fluid in bends, grips the road and doesn't lean. In Sportbrake spec, it's also surprisingly practical, but there's no denying the interior feels old, and the infotainment is dated.
9. Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
The Toyota Corolla used to be the car for the anti-car owner. An appliance you bought because you knew it would be 100 per cent reliable and you didn't care that it had the desirability of a fridge. But that's changed with this new model, which has striking looks and a smart interior.
You still get the excellent parts of Toyota ownership, though. So you can expect the Corolla to be more reliable than a Casio watch and to have the dealer service of a five-star hotel. The Corolla's hybrid engines have an electric range of just a few miles, but it's enough to mean this sensible wagon can return more than 50mpg in town. And, unlike before, it's even decent to drive with plenty of grip and virtual gearchanges that mask its CVT gearbox's elastic response and engine drone.
Top 10
BMW
Audi
Skoda
Mercedes
Ford
Jaguar
Toyota
Volkswagen
3 Series
i5
Superb
E-Class estate
RS6
Golf Alltrack
Focus ST estate
Corolla Touring Sports
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