GOT a winning hatchback design, but want to offer a bit more room? Bolt a few more panels on and you have an estate. Sorry, sorry, a tourer, estate is so 70s.

On the road: I’VE been a little flippant with the intro to this piece, I’ll admit. There’s nothing wrong with taking a proven product and adapting it and that’s exactly what Honda has done. What’s more, whereas some estates/tourers look somewhat incongruous, the Civic looks very, very attractive. It certainly garnered more than a few admiring glances while in my possession.

European designed and British built, the Tourer comes with two engine choices, the 1.8 i-VTEC petrol engine and the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel with the company’s Earth Dreams technology – the unit under the bonnet of our car.

The engine is a little vocal, but I soon got used to it and it wasn’t what I would call a distraction.

On the open road, the Civic gives a settled ride, but despite substantial and innovative work on the suspension, it still remains a little hard on the behind around town.

The six-speed box’s gearchange was smooth and accurate but this was tempered by the rather numb steering. Again, it’s not something that effects the overall picture, but it does detract somewhat from the driving experience.

On the inside: THE Tourer has the same look and feel to the interior as its sibling. There are rather a lot of buttons and the like and the satellite navigation system wasn’t among my favourites. Additionally, while coming home in the early hours, I did find the bright lights from the instrument panel – including the colour-changing bar that denotes your driving style – were reflected in the windscreen. I didn’t have trouble seeing the speedometer, being of average height, but I have heard tales of shorter people having problems.

What do you get: OUR EX-Plus car is the top of the Tourer tree and on top of the usual adornments, we got 17ins alloys, smart entry and start, high intensity auto-levelling headlights, power lumbar and side supports and ambient blue lighting. Also included were the likes of satellite navigation with DVD player, adaptive damper system, alloy foot pedals, leather interior and heated front seats.

How practical is it: IF you can’t fit your stuff into the back of the Tourer then quite frankly you’re hoarding too much and need help. The boot is frankly cavernous at 624 litres and if you drop the ‘Magic’ seats, which fold flat, that increases the space considerably, 1,668 litres to be exact. To put it into perspective, I got a whole shower unit in and still had room for myself and a passenger. Not only that but loading is a synch thanks to the low floor. There is also an underfloor area thanks to the lack of a spare wheel and cargo nets.

Running costs: YOU might have to part with more cash for the Tourer, but you get what you pay for as they say. The diesel engine is a frugal unit, with a claimed 72.4mpg. CO2 emissions are also impressive at 103g/km.

Verdict: A CLASSY looking load lugger.

Alternatives: SEAT Leon ST, VW Golf estate, Skoda Octavia estate