LIKE many of my contemporaries in the motoring press corps, if I'd banked a pound each time I'd been asked to name my favourite car, then perhaps a place on the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire TV show may not have seemed so necessarily inviting.
Over the past decade, I have always neatly sidestepped this question much favoured by friends and readers, on the basis that the many different categories, stacked with quality products, didn't really allow for such a generalisation.
However, if really pressed, one that instantly comes to mind is the MG ZT-T, an estate car which I first encountered some three years ago when it made its UK debut.
Built at the Rover Longbridge plant by the then newly created MG Rover set-up following the break-up of the Midland car giant's ill-fated liaison with BMW, this is one of the trio of Z cars which saw the legendary MG octagon badge rise like the proverbial Phoenix from the ashes.
The MG ZT is the saloon car which took the Rover 75 of those BMW days to another dimension, giving the 75 a much more dynamic character, and the ZT-T became MG's very first estate car.
MG-ification has worked exceptionally well on this particular example of the shooting brake genre, the car looking anything but a workhorse, bearing all the hallmarks of something much more expensive. A recent makeover has emphasised this even further.
From the aggressive look of a an imposing mesh grille sporting the legendary octagon badge, flanked by distinctive new headlamps, through smoothly crafted flanks to a shapely rear end that bears no hint of the add-on look, this is much more your lifestyle/executive estate than a common or garden load-lugger.
Perhaps the exterior styling has majored on style and sportiness which results in the MG ZT-T not being quite the most spacious of load carriers.
But, while the load floor is set at a loading-friendly height, which loses a little in the depth of cargo space, the bay is cavernously long, even before you begin to fold down a rear seat.
The designers have also thoughtfully provided a roller blind to keep your cargo away from unwanted prying eyes and the spare wheel is housed in an individually lit under-floor storage area, the lid of which rises on a gas-assisted strut.
Longer items can be accommodated via the rear armrest load-through feature and another clever touch to the boot area is the tailgate window opening, through which you can pop items acquired on the journey without the embarrassment of the bootroom emptying itself around you in the service station car park!
The cabin is spacious with leg and shoulder room aplenty in all parts although max headroom may prove a slight problem for the extra tall.
You sit in supportive and comfortable figure-hugging sports seats and the overall ambience of the cabin is one of quality with soft-feel fascia materials, smooth-operating switchgear, attractive looking and user friendly dials and storage areas rigged for silent running. It all oozes tactile sophistication.
A good driving position should be easily arrived at for most people and the MG badging stands proud on a bolstered tiller which houses that most thoughtful of safety aids, controls for a six-speaker sound system which includes a six-disc CD autochanger.
The ZT-T range comes with three trim level options, standard, + and SE. There are a trio of petrol engined option and a CDTi turbo diesel. The ZT-T+ test car came with a pretty generous toy box including air con with rear compartment heating ducts, electric front windows, pathway illumination facility, courtesy light-off delay and the rest.
Safety, too, has been well addressed with a quartet of airbags, door side intrusion beams and childproof rear door locks leading the way.
Mounted on 18-inch alloys, the test car was powered by the 1.8-litre turbo petrol power source which did full justice to the 160bhp on the box, taking under nine seconds to achieve the 0-60mph dash, en route to an official top speed, where legally allowable, of 130mph.
It has plenty of mid-range punch, too, and on a firm, but not unforgiving chassis, the ZT-T proved the equal of some damp, twisty and pot-holed B-roads, flowing imperturbably along with the excellent power steering providing informative feedback when turning into some very sharp corners. The whole exercise also provided ride quality of the highest order.
Braking, too, is excellent, the four-channel ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution provides a confidence inspiring, under-foot feel and brings proceedings to a rapid halt when necessary.
Overall, the ZT-T is well engineered, good to look at and is a very easy car to live with. This is a deservedly proud bearer of the MG octagon badge and still one of my all-time favourites.
FAST FACTS
MG ZT T+ 1.8T 160
Price: £20,995
Mechanical: 160bhp, 1,796cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 8.9 secs
Combined mpg: 34.9
Insurance group: 15
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
BiK rating: 24%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 6yrs anti-rust; 6yrs paint