Road Test: Volkswagen Golf 2.0 TDI 140 SE 5dr

Let's talk about space. not the sort Brian Cox attempts to expertly demystify, but the sort that determines exactly how much slobbering facility your pooch is entitled to in the back of a car. In this new Volkswagen Golf Estate, it's a lot more than before.

A full 100 litres more than before: bigger than its rivals from Ford and Vauxhall, and with the seats up, just five litres shy of the Octavia Estate - 605 litres all in. Fold the seats down (easy), and you get a whopping 1,620 litres. It's flat, easy to access and easily capable of transporting a whole lot of stuff.

It sits on the MQB platform we're constantly banging on about, so to drive, it's just like a Golf. This estate was developed in tandem with the hatch, so the ride is superbly damped and comfortable, the steering nice and progressive. There's a smidgen more weight over the back, but you'd have to be breaking several laws all at once to notice the difference.

Sensible, then. A bit too sensible, because sadly, there won't be any GTI or R versions, so it definitely remains one for the Captain Sensible fraternity.