SO, you want the best of every world, eh? Who can blame you. Family commitments dictate an estate car but emotionally you are sports car buyer.

Or maybe you are more a hot-hatch type, but the last thing you really feel like driving is a rep-special estate.

What are the options, then? One possible route is Honda's Civic Tourer Black Edition.

For a start, despite the Tardis-like space and the practical-looking profile, the name ‘estate' has been banished from the title. Then there's the paint job with jet black wheels while side skirts, roof spoiler and rear bumper fairings finish off the effect and mark this family car as something a bit different.

Under the bonnet the treatment is less radical - a 1.6-litre diesel four cylinder which gives the Honda a good turn of speed allied to excellent mileage, but performance falls somewhat short of breathtaking.

Any disappointment here is soon dissipated by the knowledge that the Civic clocks up emissions of just 99g/km, neatly absolving it from road tax.

The engine itself is a gem, being quieter and more refined than most diesels yet possessing ample torque - 221lb/ft at 2,000rpm - making feel somewhat faster than it actually is. Top speed is 121mph and its can dispatch 62mph in a useful 10.1 seconds.

Sharp, light yet precise steering coupled with the body's integral strength make it a tidy car to thread through corners. There's little body roll and bumps are easily smoothed out. A six-speed manual gearbox has quite a long-throw action but the changes are fast and smooth.

The official combined mpg is an impressive 74.3 and most users will notch up close to the 50mpg mark in everyday driving. My best during the 550 mile test was 61mpg with an average of 49mpg.

Despite the relatively compact overall length of 4.3m, the Tourer can out-accommodate many larger estates. Against the tape measure, with the rear seats in place it packs away 624 litres of luggage which is about 150 litres more than its hatchback brother.

The rear seats fold flat to expand space to a huge 1,668 litres. A secret under-floor storage space holds 117 litres, which is included in the 624 litre total.

Clever design which has placed the fuel tank beneath the front seats and an unusual rear suspension set-up has freed up valuable space for clobber. Legroom both front and back is generous - surprisingly there's even room for a six-footer to stretch out in the rear seats.

The cabin is smart and well-finished although some may find the fascia layout somewhat contrived and fiddly. Three large dials face the driver in binnacle and there's a wide cowl above it with further information.

The steering wheel is packed with knobs and switches and a central console contains heating, air con and ventilation controls.