FIRST ‘people carriers' hammered a nail into the coffin of the good old estate car.

Then, along came the SUV which well and truly finished the job off.

With a flood of popularity the high-riders looked like they had driven out the estate car, tourer or station wagon - whatever name was chosen.

But with the launch of a brace of sleek, stylish five-door load carriers which blended practicality with good looks, the genre appears to be making a comeback. Witness Mercedes' new CLA Shooting Break and Audi's latest A6 Avant.

Here we check out the diesel version Audi's biggest estate. Unusually, it's a turbo diesel mild hybrid which uses its 1.7kWh battery to assist the 2.0-litre engine. It will also run for a short time on electricity alone.

The formula results in a nimble performance allied to unusually good economy. We had no trouble in squeezing 43 miles from a gallon of diesel, while acceleration to 62mph is covered in a swift seven seconds.

The TDI comes as standard with quattro four-wheel-drive, a definite plus in slippery conditions.

Steering is pleasantly weighted and has a bit more road-feel than most Audis. There's more cornering roll than some rivals but the ride over poor surfaces helps compensate and the tyres stay firmly glued to the Tarmac.

It's a very calm and relaxed cruiser with subdued noise levels despite being an oil-burner. Audi engineers have done well to reach such a high level of refinement.

The driving emphasis is very much on ease of passage with a minimum of commotion and effort rather than dynamic performance. As such it fits the bill well for attractive, luxury family transport. The seven-speed S tronic automatic transmission works a treat with smooth changes and steering wheel paddles for those who want greater involvement,

The cabin is a place of beauty with premium fittings, well shaped seating and an elegant facia. Too many controls are touchscreen based for our liking, but Audi isn't alone in this area.

The Launch Edition Plus version we drove even had a passenger screen so your partner can select radio channels, play music or view a film. A nice luxury touch.

Leg , knee and headroom in the rear is ample and the seats are supportively comfortable. The middle passenger may not be as comfortable due to the hump on the floor which intrudes into leg-space.

The rear seats split 40-20-40 to expand luggage from 466 litres, which is slightly less than the class average. When rear seats are folded, there's almost 1,500 litres of cargo room. The electric tailgate can be opened by merely sliding a foot under the bumper.

Praise has to be heaped on designers who, with the help of tweaks to frontal and rear, have freshened and sharpened the latest Avant. The big 20-inch alloys which fill the wheel arches and the striking grenadine red paintwork further enhances the design.

Audi's formula of blending space, practicality and economy with unusually good looks has to be winner for new Avant, though such elegance doesn't come cheap.

£68,555

1,968cc, 4 cyl diesel hybrid engine driving 4 wheels via automatic gearbox

147mph

7.0sec

50.4

42

146g/km

34%

3yrs/60,000 miles

4.6