BACK in the mid-1990s there was a school of thought which envisaged the good old estate car coming to the end of its days as the standard practical transporter of families and their stuff.
This was the era which ushered in those harbingers of the Multi Purpose Vehicle range, Ford's Galaxy and the VW Sharan exhibiting the type of flexibility to transport the family in style.
Sound though the reasoning appeared to be, the car makers very quickly turned the heat up on interior design for their estate cars, putting on the style to introduce a range of carriers far removed from the load lugging line up and today, the good old station wagon remains alive and very well indeed.
One of the latest is the Citroen C5 Tourer. Citroen have succeeded in boosting the head-turning powers of their estate cars with that neat and complete look at the rear end. As well as coming well kitted out, boasting an impressive list of standard features, and a wide spread of engines.
There is a real sense of status and privilege locked into the latest C5 Tourer, a car in which to sweep imperiously down the motorway.
The necessary ingredients to catch the attention of inquisitive bystanders is all there, a long, sleek body, a high flowing waistline and some attractively neat sculpted lines linking up with an attractive front end.
Here, attractively designed headlamps flank the dual chevron chrome badge, stamping Citroen's authority while a distinctive two-part lighting set up adds further weight to the very well finished and complete look of the rear view.
An ergonomically sound cabin oozes opulence, the interior majoring in very high quality materials which stands out in redesigned seating which has comfort very much in mind.
The dashboard is a fine example of Citroen's aim to please with not only large strides having been made in interior build quality but also the French car maker's liking for introducing hugely enticing dashboards and neatly set out centre consoles, both of which prove harmonious and user friendly.
Due to tightly packed buttons, some minor dash and centre console controls may prove hard to use by some large fingered folk in a hurry, but, in this well insulated cabin, alongside the gadgetry which includes the Navidrive system and lane departure alert, mood lighting does enhance even further the feeling of cabin quality among the excellent fit and finish.
Citroen has done a fine job in creating space for occupants with room for five in a spacious and well insulated cabin. There are plenty of places in which to store your bits and bobs while the electrically powered tailgate on the well kitted out range topping Exclusive model driven here enables some pretty painless loading up of the well shaped 505-litre boot.
On the tarmac, C5 Tourer does its work very well. Powered by an extremely refined 2.2 HDi diesel paired with a slick shifting manual gearbox, the 173bhp help to distribute some extremely useful power at low revs. It will also average more than 40mpg.
With some fine insulation keeping any outside interference at bay plus the French car maker's cosseting, self levelling Hydractive 3+ suspension, comfort and handling over the long haul is excellent.
While perhaps a little short on absolute driver appeal, particularly when pushed hard into corners, the C5 Tourer still manages to surprise with some pretty rapid progress overall and, with its appealing appearance, good pricing and good value for money this handsome French Tourer has got to be a serious consideration.
FAST FACTS
Citroen C5 Tourer 2.2 HDi Exclusive
Price: £23,995
Mechanical: 173bhp, 2,179cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 134mph
0-62mph: 10.4 seconds
Combined mpg: 42.8
Insurance group: 13
CO2 emissions: 175g/km
BiK rating: 26%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles
Words: Malcolm Robertshaw