TRUST Honda to go its own way. Everyone else has pretty much abandoned the small estate market in the dash for pseudo SUVs then along comes the Civic Tourer.

And very welcome it is, too.

The hatchback Civic is a bit of a looker and so is the load lugger.

Seen from the front, it has the same eye-catching grille as the hatch and at the rear the full-width brake lights and wraparound rear window give the Tourer its own distinct look. But it's the profile that's really clever - look at the way Honda has celeverly disguised the roof's extra length without compromising luggage capacity by using the rear quarter window to emphasis a purely design-led downward front-to-back curve. It works really well and, to my eyes, the Tourer is even better-looking than its hatchback cousin.

Of course, an estate stands or falls on its carrying capacity and the Honda doesn't disappoint.

The Civic hatch already has one of the biggest boots in its class but the Tourer puts it firmly in the shade with an impressive 624 litres of luggage space.

The rear seats fold flat to create a 1,668 litre area if you load it up to the roof. That's a big enough space for a couple of adult mountain bikes.

Honda has achieved this by stretching the body by 235mm, to create more space behind the rear wheels, and relocating the fuel tank, which normally sits beneath the spare wheel well, under the front seats.

Handily, there's also a small compartment for stashing the soft luggage blind when it's not required.

Handily, the Tourer also receives Honda's versatile "magic seats" system. While not exactly magic, the rear seats fold down in one easy movement, and the boot floor has been raised compared to the hatchback to create a completely flat area when the seats are dropped. The rear seat cushions also flip up if you need to carry tall objects.

At launch there will be a choice of two engines - the 1.6 i-DTEC engine and the 1.8 i-VTEC engine - with manual or automatic transmission. The made-in-Britain 1.6 diesel was designed with Europe in mind. Extensive use of aluminium makes it the lightest diesel in this class and Honda's obsession with reciprocating friction means it feels as smooth as a petrol. It's frugal, too, if the 1.6 Civic hatch is anything to go by.

The Civic Tourer features a rear adaptive damper system with three settings - comfort, normal and dynamic. In the first two modes the ride is smooth and comfortable, even with a full load aboard. I'm not so sure how many Civic Tourer buyers would class themselves as dynamic but the sporty setting is there for anyone who wants a bit more heft in the steering and feel every pot hole.

The medium-sized estate market isn't exactly filled with alternatives and, with the exception of the VW Golf, the Civic's rivals are getting a bit long in the tooth. The Focus estate seems to have been around forever (I'm sure Noah used one to fill his ark) and time has done it no favours.

Priced from £21,375, the Honda has the beating of the Golf in terms of luggage space and, arguably, looks. The Civic's engines are more energetic and it's more relaxing to drive.

If you're the kind of driver who needs a big boot but doesn't want a big car to go with it, take a look at the stylish new Civic Tourer.