Best Estate Cars for 2017
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And here are three estate cars to avoid
The formula of what makes a great estate car is simple - there should be plenty of interior space, it needs to be comfortable and it should have a massive boot. That seems straightforward enough, but there are models that miss the mark.
For example, just because a boot's big, it doesn’t mean it will be well designed. We don’t just test the capacity of a boot; we look at how easy it is to fill. A boot could be as deep as the Mariana Trench, but it’s useless if you can’t get your heavy items over a high load lip.
The success of small and large SUVs has eaten into the sales of estate cars, but being lighter, with a lower centre of gravity means they can be more efficient and handle better. One estate we tested proves it by achieving a staggering 74.3 miles to the gallon – the highest of any petrol or diesel car we’ve tested. On the other hand, a similarly sized estate managed just 31.7mpg.
The huge gulf in the efficiency of estate cars highlights the importance of our fuel-economy testing. It’s easy to assume all estates are the same - big, spacious and sturdy. But our in-depth testing finds the important differences, such as efficiency, that separate a good estate from a bad one.
Here are the estate cars we recommend you should avoid.
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