There’s something uniquely special and appealing about estates. Instead of being reduced to nothing more than large, utilitarian and less desirable spin-offs from popular hatchbacks and saloons, an estate car often has a tendency of becoming the one you actually fall in love with over the course of the years of owning one.

This je ne sais quoi might lie behind its immediate appeal, but active types will find a lot of reasons why an estate makes more sense than a saloon. There’s the extra boot space, of course, not to mention the lower boot lips and flat loading bays for easier handling of heavy bags and packages.

Some car manufacturers even hide extra space beneath the boot floor of their estate models, or feature super-clever folding mechanisms for the rear seats. Others might squeeze an extra pair of chairs in. One thing is for ­­­­sure: many love their estates.

Here are some the best estates for the young-at-heart, the active and maybe even the fashionistas. Which of these worthy wagons would you gladly drive home?

Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Jaguar XF Sportbrake Sleek estates don’t come much sleeker than this. The Sportbrake’s proportions are perfect, the roof line is sublime and the sense of premium takes a definite upturn against the rather too business-like saloon. It’s certainly a looker, and with 550 litres of boot space and a high roof line, it’s more than a match for the most practical hatchbacks.

VWGolf Alltrack

Volkswagen Golf Alltrack A brand new entry to the lifestyle estate world is the Alltrack, which can claim genuine off-road ability courtesy of four-wheel drive and a special driving mode. It even has a hill descent control feature for automatic, controlled descents on steep gradients. You’ll recognise it by its dark plastic trim extras around its skirts and wheel arches.

Audi A4 Allroad

Audi A4 Allroad As if the names weren’t already similar enough, the Allroad shares obvious design themes with the Golf Alltrack. As a pioneer of this sort of look, the A4 Allroad is a familiar sight on roads. Its Quattro drive system takes care of traction, while a robust interior handles family life. While the previous model of the Allroad was built on A6 underpinnings, the current version is built on the Audi A4’s platform, and it’s a tidier vehicle for it.

SkodaOctavia Scout

Skoda Octavia Scout The fourth of our pick of the lifestyle estates is the Octavia Scout. Bigger than the Golf but slightly less pretty, it serves better as a family utility machine rather than a glamour-puss fit for the red carpet. There’s a huge boot, and so much space for five people that single agoraphobics should probably look elsewhere. Worth a look!

BMW3 Series Touring

BMW 3 Series Touring For an estate, the 3 Series isn’t particularly big. It is, however, a very good looking car and comes with strong performance, excellent economy, fine handling and a luxurious cabin. Practical touches like a load-through hatch will let you throw your stuff in with ease. The 3 Series Touring has a usefully large loadbay, made even more practical by some clever features. Four-wheel drive is an option, too.

Volvo V60

Volvo V60 Look at the svelte lines of the V60, our favourite Volvo barring the game-changing new XC90, which, incidentally, gives you a clue what the next V60 will look like. Volvo estates aren’t just pretty, though; they’ve been designed by people who really understand how to make life easy for parents… or skiers, surfers, mountain bikers and so on!

Dacia LoganMCV

Dacia Logan MCV When is a van not a van? When it’s a Logan MCV, of course. This low-cost, no-frills estate isn’t the biggest, but it is the one you’d worry about least. Throw your muddy weekend clothes into the boot and hit the road while everyone else is still flattening out their protective tarpaulins. It’s not that stylish or fast, but it is a great support to an active life.

Mazda 6 Tourer

Mazda 6 Tourer Nothing this flowing could ever be called utilitarian; its lines swooping around like the wake of a swirling straw in a thick milkshake. The estate is definitely the looker of the party; the Bradley Cooper in The Hangover or the Kaley Cuoco in The Big Bang Theory. The Mazda 6 Tourer is a real piece of drive and eye candy and it is a pleasure to drive.