ESTATE OF THE NATION

Sporty, spacious and full of style, new Honda Tourer will have you bursting with Civic pride

My goodness, we certainly put this car through its paces. We had five adults, including two men over 6ft, two large suitcases, one small case and a suit carrier – and it still managed a sprint to the airport.

Later that day we put the rear seats down – it took simply the touch of a button – and slipped a mountain bike under the luggage cover without any trouble. Is there nothing this car can’t do?

I am talking about the Honda Civic Tourer, which is so sporty-looking on the outside that you can hardly believe it’s an estate.

It is long, low and lean and the topof-the-range version I was driving, the EX Plus, has 17in alloys, privacy glass that stretches out along the rear windows and the prettiest LED lights at the front on its snub nose.

My daughter, who borrowed it to pick up a pal, was disappointed when she heard it was an estate, but returned to tell me just how impressed she was. And she’s our style queen.

Inside, it is just as goodlooking, with a long, sweeping and very futuristic dash with a bold digital display that makes it easy to read.

The central console houses the touchscreen, where you find the entertainment settings, climate control, car settings and EX Plus sat nav. The interior is not as glamorous as the exterior but it is well finished and the leather seats in this version were particularly comfortable. The front seats are heated and this version also has that other vital item – a rear parking camera. I particularly liked the driveability of this car. Some estates feel a bit long but this feels as sporty as it looks and is easy to park and manoeuvre. It also showed its mettle in the fast lane when we suddenly realised we had to make a dash to get my daughter to the airport for a flight. The Civic Tourer just took it in its stride and the 1.6 diesel engine stretched out and leapt forward.

It also has great statistics in that area – 72.4mpg and just 103g/km of emissions. These kind of figures are kind to your purse.

After dropping my daughter off, my husband decided he needed to collect a mountain bike – and the Civic Tourer was just the job.

Despite never having put the seats down before, it was a matter of seconds and the space created was amazing.

On the way home, we took the scenic route and the car performed just as well on bends and twists.

This kind of car is so versatile and willing. I think the only member of the family not to benefit from my test of the Civic was our great dane.