BIG Volvos or Mercs used to be the estate of choice for drivers who wanted a big load lugger without having to resort to a people carrier or a 4x4.

But now there's a new king of the hill with a gargantuan boot even when all five seats are in place.

The Skoda Superb is massive even in five door hatch form, with a big, big boot and enough limo-like rear legroom for passengers to cross their legs.

But the estate improves on that space, making those big Volvo estates of a few years ago look rather small.

I drove the 2.0-litre 150bhp turbo diesel, driving the front wheels through the VW group DSG gearbox - the best automatic I have ever used.

The combination gives excellent performance, and even driving as hard as I did for one trip across country, it still managed a very good 42 miles per gallon.

That means with careful driving, the Superb in this guise should be capable of the high 40s or low 50s. That's brilliant for such a large vehicle.

The gearbox adapts to your driving, holding onto lower gears longer if you're pressing on and changing up at low revs the rest of the time.

Kick-downs are almost instantaneous or there's a manual option to select a lower gear.

Comfort is simply marvellous. It rides like a magic carpet over every conceivable surface - even on the rutted potholes that seem to breed in every town these days.

Such comfort makes long journeys a breeze, with an odd stop to stretch the legs.

I thought the softish suspension might affect the handing and road-holding, but it only shows up in a slight wallow in some undulating corners.

The rest of the time, it takes the curves in great style, with only a small amount of roll and excellent grip.

Inside, the seats are well shaped and supportive and the fit and finish high quality.

Equipment includes a roller blind cover for the boot, start-stop, leather covered multi-function steering wheel, an electric parking brake, trip computer, Bluetooth and a DAB stereo with USB and aux.

There is a large touch screen for the infotainment system, dual zone climate, 17-inch alloys, rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control - as well as a pair of umbrellas neatly concealed in the front door arm rests!