Want a fast estate? The Megane GT Tourer is here

Want a fast estate? Of course you do. Fast estates are cool. If you’re shopping somewhere south of Audi RS6 levels, your choices are currently hot hatch-based estates from Ford, Seat and VW. To them, you can add this, the Renault Megane GT Sport Tourer.

It’s the peak of the Megane’s 25-strong estate range, and immediately presents itself as the most exciting thanks to its 205bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, which endows the Megane – and its 1,504 litres of potential boot space – with a 7.4sec 0-62mph time and 143mph top speed.

Like the GT hatchback, it comes with four-wheel steering, launch control and a paddleshift gearbox that, with a prolonged pull of its left paddle, will pop down to the lowest possible gear. Extra sportiness, see. Quite how apt all that is on a car with more luggage capacity than a Volvo V60 is something to discuss with people far more grown up than us.

Of course, the bulk of Megane Sport Tourer sales will be further down the range. Prices start at £18,550 - £1,600 more than a comparative hatchback – which buys you a 130bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol, while the cheapest diesel starts at £19,850 and comes with 96g/km CO2 emissions and a claimed 76.4mpg. A diesel-electric hybrid arrives next year.

The GT? That’s a more princely £27,450, which is over three grand more than a more powerful and similarly roomy Ford Focus ST estate. The French car’s probably a bit more useable day-to-day, though, and Renault does offer a heck of a lot of tech these days, 360-degree parking assists among them.

Which would you have?