CHEVROLET, the rising stars of the massive global General Motors conglomerate, seems to be motoring along quite smoothly in Cruze control these days.

While it may have taken the marque three years to complete their best-selling Cruze family, it certainly has put all that time to good use.

A sleek sports tourer is now adding to the Cruze's existing saloon and hatch body styles.

And there's a lot of great things about the estate version that will help keep a lot of old friends happy while adding a whole lot of new ones in both the private and fleet markets.

First of all it looks great and comes with all its curves in all the right places.

Chunky looking from the front with its split grille set-off with the familiar golden bowtie logo positioned in the centre, it immediately gives the impression it's well up for the job of coping with the most demanding of transport needs for the more active of families.

Viewed from the side, the car's gently-rising concave shoulder line is offset by the rear-sloping roof which comes fitted with a pair of slim rails for those who need to transport bulkier goods which even the near 1,500-litre carrying capacity of the Cruze SW can't manage.

But not only does it look good from the outside, it's much the same story inside the vehicle, as Chevy continues to make great strides pushing to increase even further a growing market share.

There is a nice soft-touch feel about the cabin and neat touches such as the multi-function, leather trimmed steering wheel, blue back-lit instrument dials and easily-accessed centre console switches.

Ok, some tiny areas of hard plastic - such as those surrounding the electric window stitches on the door armrests - do let the side down a little, but overall the Cruze SW is well finished and comfortable.

Kicking off the range is a 122bhp, 1.6-litre petrol offering in both standard LS or mid-range LT trim.

It comes priced at £15,375 and £16,475 respectively and is extremely well-equipped, with even the LS featuring air conditioning, follow-me-home headlamps, electric/heated door mirrors, front electric windows, cargo hooks, remote central door locking and electronic boot release as standard.

Electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes, six airbags and traction control are also among the standard safety features found throughout the range.

A larger, 137bhp 1.8-litre petrol variant is also available in LT trim and will be the only Cruze SW derivative initially available in the UK to feature an automatic gearbox. It is priced at £18,075.

However, the model expected to command around 80 per cent of all Cruze SW sales will be the 1.7-litre VCDI turbocharged diesel. It delivers a punchy 128bhp matched by an impressive amount of torque from between 2,000 and 2,500 revs.

Featuring extremely green credentials, thanks in part to its stop/start technology, it returns up to 62.7mpg on the combined cycle, while its low emissions figure of 119g/km of CO2 and BIK figure of 17 per cent, makes it an attractive proposition for business users.

Available in LT specification at £18,925, it also comes in range-topping LTZ Nav trim which, for a premium of only £860, adds among other goodies electronic climate control, 17-inch alloys, satellite navigation system, Bluetooth and rear-view reversing camera.

Out on the road the Cruze SW follows very much in the footsteps of its saloon and hatchback siblings. Safe, dependable yet even more practical, the LT diesel version I drove over a mix of motorway, country and city roads give the estate ample chance to show its true capabilities.

And it stood up to the test extremely well. The powerful engine mated to its silky-smooth gearbox is a perfectly-matched combination for both rural and urban work alike, while the machine showed its surefootedness when conditions became slippy during some severe thunderstorms.

Inexpensive to purchase, maintain and run, the SW in all of its guises will be a welcome addition to the Cruze range.

With more than 12 per cent of all family models now estate cars, it will also help open up a massive new market opportunity for the expanding Chevrolet brand.