THE bags were packed, sat nav primed, and the Skoda Octavia vRS Estate was fully fuelled and ready to go.

After a build up that proved the London Marathon would be easier to organise than my daughter's return to university, it was now all down to whether the Octavia could rise to the challenge of transporting a student, an emotional mum and a frazzled dad - plus a vast sea of luggage - back to college.

And with remarkable ease it showed that not only could it swallow any amount of student paraphernalia, it could also deliver a deliciously responsive drive that was more sports car than station wagon.

I was left in no doubt we would get everything in after popping open the Estate's boot lid - it is the motoring equivalent of Dr Who's new assistant opening the door to a police box and finding it's a Tardis.

There is a vast amount of room even with the rear seats up, while folding them down creates a cave even Aladdin would struggle to fill.

The cabin can easily accommodate five adults with long journeys anything but arduous thanks to comfortable seats and intelligent design.

The vRS part of this Octavia's moniker guarantees two things - firstly, nice exterior and interior design touches marking it out as a sporty little number, and secondly, that it can hit 62mph from a standing start in a shade over eight seconds on its way to a top speed of 143mph.

As far as the bodykit goes there are eye-catching red brake calipers and vRS badging plus nice sporty touches in the cabin and on the steering wheel - while 18-inch Gemini anthracite alloy wheels look particularly natty.

The engineering side is handled by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine which is mated to a slick automatic DSG gearbox with paddles behind the steering wheel for manual changes when required. The motoring holy trinity of practicality and power is completed by decent fuel economy figures - helped by an efficient stop/start system - with a dashboard display delightfully revealing how little diesel you are using and how far you have to go before needing to fill up.

The vRS estate appears to hug the road - thanks to it riding 15mm lower than the standard Octavia model - and it offers lots of grip while sharp handling characteristics make it nimble and sure-footed in corners.

There is a small price to pay in that the ride is on the firm side - but it's not uncomfortable and adds to the driving experience. However, if you want to float along the road this isn't the car for you.

There are three drving modes to choose from - Eco, Sport and Normal - depending on whether you want to save the planet, race hot hatches or simply drive to work.

Skoda doesn't skimp on equipment with goodies including satellite navigation and a 5.8-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system including a DAB radio. Other bits and bobs include LED running lights, climate control, cruise control and xenon headlights.