THE estate car rule book is about to be rewritten by Skoda as the Czech car maker goes about breaking new ground for buyers on a budget.
Using the latest version of its Fabia supermini as a platform, Skoda has developed a compact estate which can carry more cargo than a medium-sized Volvo for less than £10,000.
On sale from February 29, the new Fabia Estate offers maximum versatility in a car which is some four inches shorter than a Ford Focus.
Despite being only slightly longer than 14ft, the Fabia estate has a maximum of 1,460 litres of cargo space - and that's bigger than a Volvo V50 costing £6,000 more.
Even with the rear seats up the Skoda offers 480 litres of space which dwarfs the average family saloon.
Pound for pound this is the biggest little car on the market.
Not only is it easy on the pocket for those who need extra flexibility from their car, it's also a fine drive.
The Fabia estate is available with a choice of six engines, three petrol and three diesel.
The petrol line up consists of a 1.2-litre, 60bhp engine, a 1.4 developing 85bhp and a 1.6 pushing out 105bhp.
On the diesel front there are two versions of parent company VW's smashing 1.4-litre engine developing either 70 or 80bhp and a 1.9-litre which is the most powerful engine in the entire range offering 0 to 60 acceleration in 11 seconds, 57.6mpg on average and low emissions of 129g/km.
However, the stars of the line up are the smaller engines. The 1.4-litre higher powered diesel can return in excess of 60mpg on average with emissions down to 120g/km while the 1.2-litre petrol engine can average a claimed 47.8mpg with emissions of 140.
Despite their small capacities neither of these small engines is lacking for power and will hold their own with ease at motorway speeds. When fully laden and faced with a steep incline will be the only time you'll find yourself having to move down through the gears to keep momentum.
As with the Fabia hatchback, Skoda has opted for three trim levels for the estate, simply badged 1, 2 and 3.
The entry level model comes with ABS, central locking, electric front windows and a height adjustable driver's seat although the door mirrors are manual.
That changes on the next model up with the Fabia 2 having electrically powered door mirrors as well as air conditioning, a trip computer and roof rails fitted as standard.
The top range versions come complete with climate control, cruise control, side airbags and leather finishing on the gear knob and steering wheel.
Prices run from £9,360 for the 1.2-litre Fabia Estate 1 to £13,775 for the 1.9-litre diesel in level three specification. The 1.4-litre diesels are available from £10,470.
Insurance groups are low as well, ranging from two to four.
Skoda has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and the finish of the estate, inside and out is of good quality.
It is also nicely composed on the road with acceptable noise levels while cruising.
The Fabia estate boasts a fairly high roof line which has created a surprising amount of headroom inside, especially in the back.
It's as accommodating for the passengers as much as the cargo. The load bay may appear compromised by the rear wheel arches but the amount of space available is surprising. There is also the ability to partition off areas of the luggage space to secure fragile items.
This is a very user-friendly family car and ideal for those who need an estate but may not have the room to park it.