HYUNDAI'S big i40 saloon and estate are nowhere near as common as other big family cars, and they are sleek and good looking from all angles.

They also come better equipped than the competition straight out of the showroom and the great thing about buying this or any other car in the Hyundai range is that the five year unlimited mileage warranty is transferable to new owners.

The cars are very reliable in any case, and they have excellent interior space and a range of low emission, high economy engines.

Many were originally company cars, and all of those will probably have the diesel engine options.

These are two 1.7-litre units, with either 114 or 139bhp. The 114bhp model offers fairly leisurely 0-60mph acceleration of 12 seconds, but is capable of an excellent 67 miles per gallon.

The 139bhp pushes the sprint to a much better 10.4 seconds and is capable of almost the same economy..

There are also 1.6 and 2.0-litre GDi petrol engines available with 133 and 163bhp respectively. Both come in standard form or with the company's Blue Drive technology, which includes low rolling resistance tyres, start stop and other tech to cut emissions.

The 1.6 gets to 60 in 11.1 seconds and can achieve a very best economy of 45 miles per gallon, while the 2.0-litre brings the sprint down to 9.5 seconds and can do 42mpg.

All come with a six-speed manual gearbox that has a slick and easy change and a light clutch, and an automatic dual clutch box was available on some models.

The 1.7 diesel should be the engine of choice for most buyers because the higher powered version brings good acceleration off the line and through the gears, and its smooth and willing from even pretty low speeds while managing excellent economy and low emissions.

There's very little roll in the corners and the level of grip is excellent, helping towards very good roadholding, but the steering is a little lifeless and could do with more feedback.

Comfort is excellent over all surfaces but is better - as is almost always the case - if you avoid the larger wheels and lower profile tyres.

The seats are comfortable both front and rear - which is more unusual than you might think - and they give good side support.

Engines are well subdued at all speeds and there is also very little wind or road noise. So it makes a very relaxing car to drive long distances.

As I said above, standard equipment for your money is second to none. There are a number of trim levels and all have alloy wheels, Bluetooth, voice recognition, traction control, leather covered steering wheel with audio controls, air con, electric heated mirrors and an electric parking brake with auto hold.

Mid-range SE Nav adds electric heated seats, cruise control and sat nav, while upper models have parking sensors, leather, digital dash and more.

Pay about £11,000 for an '18 18-reg 114bhp 1.7CRDi SE Nav Blue Drive, or £16,000 for a '20 20-reg, 139bhp 1.7CRDi Premium Blue Drive.