Next time you are out on the road try counting how many estate cars you pass. You’ll find it’s a pretty low number. Once the popular choice for company cars, family wagons and travellers, the estate car is slowly dying out. There are still a few little exceptions like the Audi RS versions but as a whole you rarely see an estate car now.

Why? Quite simply it’s because of the SUV. As estate sales have slid, SUV sales have rocketed right across the board. Everyone from Dacia to Rolls Royce make an SUV now. Even sports car manufacturers like Porsche now use SUV sales as the backbone of their business. In truth many SUVs don’t even boast the load space of estate cars but the higher driving position, extra ground clearance and practicality of them just makes sense for many people. The only people who aren’t that fond of them now are environmental campaigners.

SUVs like the Tiguan above are available in ‘R’ versions. This makes it pretty much a Golf R but with a more commanding driving position and plenty space for the kids or whatever else you may be hauling. Vehicles like this are a great mix of sport and utility.

Of course, some manufacturers have been making SUVs for a long time. Land Rover/Range Rover certainly haven’t jumped on the bandwagon. They’ve been there since the very start.