ONCE the Cinderella of car ranges the estate is enjoying a new golden age.

It all emanates from the rise of the lifestyle estate or sportwagon which reloaded the old design into a snazzy coupe-styled load lugger which answers the needs of drivers who want a capacious car without sacrificing practicality.

The latest smart estate to appear is the new incarnation of the Ford Focus estate which appeared in dealer showrooms in May and has attracted 2,000 orders already.

Ford treats the estate market very seriously because the old Focus estate, launched in 1998 sold 179,000 units, representing 12.5 per cent of Focus sales.

And with the new model, the manufacturer has even higher expectations because it is expected to account for 18 per cent of the Focus market share.

So it is understandable that this new option comes loaded with a raft of features that may well tempt buyers away from hatchbacks and into the new world of estates.

For instance on every model in the range there is a DAB radio/CD player, Bluetooth, voice control and USB connection, full-length roof rails, tonneau cover, Tatcham Cat 1 alarm, Electronic Stability Programme, electric front windows and much more.

The estate is based on the latest Focus five-door which was launched in March 2011 and introduced a host of new SMART technologies.

These include an optional £750 Driver Assistance Pack that includes Active City Stop, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Aid and Driver Alert plus a Blind Spot information system.

The Focus Estate is 20cm longer than the five-door and can handle 476 litres of cargo with the rear seats in place and 1,502 litres in two-seat mode.

There is minimal wheel arch intrusion and the suspension layout enables the lowest possible floor height.

There is a comprehensive choice of petrol and diesel engines and four trim levels. Prices range from £16,000 to £25,000.