THE regular Golf is one of the best cars in the world, so does the estate mirror those credentials?

On the road: THE conversion from hatch to estate means the Golf loses a little in the looks department. It's not plain by any stretch of the imagination, but it's perhaps not quite as pleasing on the eye. Available in a range of petrol and diesel engines, ours was powered by a 1.6 litre TDI with 103bhp and 184lbs/ft of torque.

Even packed to the gills for the half-term holidays, with five people on board and two mountain bikes on the roof, it was still capable of holding its own on the motorway or up inclines. In fact, on more than one occasion I completely forgot the additional weight above my head.

The estate drives in similar fashion to its sibling, a supple ride, with sharp steering, makes this a car that you look forward to getting behind the wheel of - no matter what the distance ahead.

On the inside: VW completely redesigned the seating for this latest Golf and there's certainly no complaints in terms of comfort levels. I'm not saying I wasn't glad to get out after a 260-mile return journey, but I certainly didn't feel like my back had been in a vice like with some other cars I could mention.

The rest of the interior is as you might expect, an exercise in clean, functional design. It's not flash and there's little if anything in the way of surprises, but that didn't worry me one iota.

After a week in which my children put the fixtures and fittings truly to the test, I can report that they are pretty much bomb-proof. Not only that, but the materials used appear to largely repel muck and detritus, sparing me from what is usually an arduous end of holiday task.

What do you get: I DON'T think you will be disappointed whatever spec - S, SE or GT - you opt for, but our mid-ranking car probably offers the best of all worlds. Over and above standard equipment such as Bluetooth, electronic parking brake, climatic semi-automatic air conditioning and DAB radio our car came with chrome inserts, leather trimmed steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake grip, automatic coming home and leaving lights, rain sensor, 16ins alloys and a driver alert system. Additional options on our car included a touchscreen navigation system at ﾣ750, Park Assist with sensors (ﾣ600) and metallic paint (ﾣ535). We also received use of two bicycle holders which retail at ﾣ85 each.

How practical is it: YOU buy an estate because it offers more practicality than a hatch. And in that respect, the Golf delivers. The boot, with the seats in place, offers 605 litres of space, up 100 litres on the old model. Drop the seats and that increases to 1,620 litres. There's also an adjustable boot floor, bag hooks and underfloor storage. There's more headroom in the front and legroom in the rear, although my wife, relegated to the back on one occasion, complained the central storage unit made sitting in the middle seat a real negative.

Running costs: IN keeping with the hatch, the estate is not cheap to buy and there are alternatives for less. However, I would imagine that after the initial outlay and with a fair wind, additional costs will be kept to a minimum. Volkswagen's official figures state a best of 72.4mpg, while we managed nearer to 60mpg. CO2 emissions - at 102 g/km - are just above the magic 100g/km figure. VW offers a three year, 60,000 mile warranty with three years paint and 12 years of body protection. There's also a year of Volkwagen Assistance included.

Verdict: NICE to drive, economical to run - it's a Golf, just with a bigger boot.

Alternatives: Skoda Octavia estate, Kia Cee'd Sportwagon