WHILE there are many transports of delight which provide that type of roomy spaciousness to warrant family-carrying credentials, my favourite still remains the good old estate car.

As the name suggests, its early years were spent on estate duty as a station wagon being the mode of transport used for carrying staff and guests to and from the action during the grouse shooting season - a duty which also qualified the car for shooting brake status.

Today's estate car comes in a number of sizes, bringing further spaciousness and practicality to add to the hatchback models which are the major players for most car makers.

Change is an ever present factor in the motor world and it was back in 2008 that Hyundai stepped up a gear when introducing the i30 as a well priced family sized estate car with hatchback stablemate,

Showrooms now display examples of the i30 Estate which boasts even further revisions both inside and out.

The 2011 i30 Estate car has a restyled front bumper and grille, plus there are a few tweaks to the side mouldings as Hyundai continues to compete with the likes of the Ford Focus and the Vauxhall Astra.

While there is a decided quality "thunk" to shutting the door, the interior has improved with some very nice touches which include flashes of chrome around the dashboard.

The instrument dials get blue illumination as does the slot for the ignition key, to save drivers fumbling about in the dark, while the illuminated steering wheel-mounted audio controls will also dim on command.

Standing on smart 16-inch alloys the i30 Comfort Estate driven here came with a pretty decent standard kit level including air con, front fogs, roof rails, electric windows all round, six-speaker sound system with iPod/MP3 interface, tyre pressure monitoring system, automatic headlamp control and heated door mirrors.

However, while you have to pay extra for a fuel-saving stop/start system, safety remains a list-topper for Hyundai and all i30 models come with an ESP stability programme - that very fine piece of kit which has helped to keep many drivers on the road.

Despite roominess on board being more average than extravagant it was sufficiently plentiful for those in the seats at the back with the two rear seated adults voting the experience a quite comfortable ride, while my front seated colleague was more than satisfied with head and leg room.

However, while luggage space proved adequate for the average family with some 415 litres on offer and 1,395 litres available with rear seats folded flat, some competitors do offer more boot room.

Powered by a punchy 1.6-litre turbo diesel with 113bhp, the i30 estate proved a nifty little mover boasting some firm grip in and out of the corners and little body roll.With fully independent multi-link rear suspension its road manners were pretty exemplary, too.