IN these increasingly tight times if any of us are lucky enough to have the readies to buy a family car the choice we face is truly daunting.

Motor manufacturers have, it often seems, spent much of the last two or three decades coming up with new fangled concepts designed to part mums and dads from their hard-earned cash.

We've had the MPV, the SUV and the hatchback for some time and they've more latterly been joined by the crossover, which seeks to blur the lines between two or more of the aforementioned.

And, of course, you can have the majority in compact, midi or full-fat versions - depending upon the size of your family and, more importantly, your wallet.

All in all it amounts to a dazzling array of options for family transport but means we often overlook what was once the only option for getting your tribe and all their kit about - the estate car.

Back in the early seventies, for instance, when my old man was faced with the arrival of another baby girl to join me and my younger sister it was obvious he would have to upgrade from the trusty Morris Minor.

Without all today's family-friendly formulas to choose from he opted for a Ford Cortina MkI estate.

Beautiful it may not have been, nor overly refined and to me, aged five or six, it seemed about the same size as an articulated lorry and was probably about as easy to drive.

What it did do, however, was swallow up with some considerable ease myself, my two sisters Mum and Dad - and the kitchen sink as well.

Fortunately, these days estates are much better propositions entirely - as is demonstrated with considerable aplomb by the Mazda6 Sport.

The Japanese giants have come up with an estate that is stylish and sporty and which, from behind the wheel, feels and drives like a much more compact car.

The latest edition features a number of tweaks inside and out which have freshened up what was already a firm favourite with Mazda followers.

The front end has been reworked to give it the smooth and sleek lines and distinctive headlights now familiar on the company's newer models and there are also new alloys and updated tail-lights.

The sports front grille, bigger 18-inch alloys, rear privacy glass, rear spoiler and twin exhausts featured on this top of the range Sport trim mean the Mazda6 Estate cuts an impressive figure.

Inside the black half leather trim, alloy pedals, heated and fully adjustable front seats, push-button ignition and premium BOSE stereo system give the flagship model a real high-end feel and come on top of air-con, electric windows, cruise control, a multifunction steering wheel, electric heated mirrors, dual-zone climate control, automatic lights and wipers, front foglights and Bluetooth.

There is plenty of cabin space and room enough for three to be comfortable in the back while the well-laid out and accessible dash and centre console is easy to negotiate and puts everything within easy reach for the driver.

Mechanically the boffins at Mazda have fiddled with the steering and suspension so that it is responsive and agile when you need it to be while staying firmly stuck to the tarmac.

The 2.5-litre petrol power pack in the Sport also makes this the quickest model in the Estate range with it's top speed of 135mph just pipping the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel.

Economy does suffer for this extra pace but you will still get 34.9 miles per gallon on average and improved technology means that CO2 emissions from this 168bhp unit have dropped by four per cent to 188g/km.

And you'll just love the impressive acceleration - 0-62mph in 8.4 seconds - it offers in tandem with the smooth six-speed manual gearbox.

Just ease the right foot down and you'll get an instant response while cruising at the top end is effortless and pretty quiet.

But while all this performance is admirable, if that was all you wanted you'd buy the hatchback.

The most vital statistic for any estate is what you can get into it - and the Mazda6 gives that old MkI Cortina of my Dad's a good run for it's money.

The boot is cavernous while the rear seats can be quickly folded flat, from either the cabin or the boot, to create even more space.