Honda’s new Civic Tourer model is a breath of fresh air in terms of styling for a mid-range estate car. However, the modern look does not overshadow the very practical aspects of the car that make it family-friendly and cost-effective to own.

In terms of style, the new Civic Tourer is different from the Civic hatchback – I consider it to be a much better looking car. The styling is modern and the feel of the car is different, with an impressive level of space.

Tourer is the modern word for an estate car and Honda does it well with the Civic Tourer. These are cars that you buy for the load space, so in terms of this the car excels. It has a boot volume of 624 litres that extends to 1,668 litres when the rear seats are folded.

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With the rear seats in use, that space is almost a match for the Skoda Superb, which, from the outside, is hard to believe.

The Honda magic seats are easy to fold and they give some useful options. These include the ability to fold upwards, allowing object such as taller plants to be placed securely for transport.

The seat flexibility and the load space are impressive in the car, but it’s an estate after all and that’s what you want. Honda has also lowered the lip on the boot to make it easier to load.

As an estate car, it has a lot to offer. Honda uses its new 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine in the new Tourer to good effect. This car is powerful at 120hp and it’s economical too, so you have the opportunity to sample the best of both worlds.

Across any equivalent estate car comparison, this car is thrifty. The 50-litre fuel tank gave me a range of over 1,000km. In practice, my driving style and the regular use of the Honda Eco button on the dash meant that I was marginally over the quoted fuel economy rating – that was impressive for both me and the car.

The Civic Tourer’s six-speed gearbox was easy to use and the clutch was light. This was a car that I found easy to get comfortable in.

I found the driver’s position good and the seats were easy to adjust. The high position of the gear lever makes driving easy. The dash layout is clear and within minutes I was in control and happily driving.

The suspension seemed a shade light and the bumps on the smaller rural roads were more noticeable. The rear headroom was a little compromised, as was the legroom, relative to cars such as the Skoda Octavia estate.

The entry-level Honda Civic Tourer Comfort model comes with all of the economy features mentioned and includes a good package of safety features, a Bluetooth mobile phone connection, alarm, hill start assist, remote control of the radio system and a good air conditioning system.

The sport-level test car had more features again, including a very clear reversing camera. The Honda Dynamic Safety Pack was included and this is a high level of automatic safety control systems that includes a City-Brake Active System to automatically stop the car in the event of a low-speed collision with another car or a person. This safety pack adds about €1,250 to the price, but it’s a reasonably affordable option that’s worth considering when you look at the car as a four- or five-year investment.

Even with the entry price of €25,995, or £21,375 in Northern Ireland, this is a car that’s economical to own. Given the Honda resale value with low levels of depreciation and the low running costs, this car is well worth a view if you’re in the estate car market.

I had the Sport version of the Honda Civic Tourer on the road and it came with a lot of extras. The basic car in the range, the Comfort model, is well equipped and well priced versus the competition.

This is a car that doesn’t feel like a Civic, it feels more stable and grown up. The car will appeal to families who want space, economy, good looks and a car that retains its value.