For some (including my wife) estate cars are in the same league as caravans and the colour beige. Think Austin Montego.

But this new Saab is no estate - it's a 'Sportwagon', which, like 'Touring' and 'Avant', convinces young execs that a little extra storage space doesn't herald the onslaught of middle age.

And there's more to it than a big boot and clever name. The styling is lifted straight from the concept car, with a hockey-stick-shaped rear shoulder and chunky roofline disguising the swollen rump.

Inside, the usual 9-3 furniture is just as easy on the eye - the functional slab of aircraft-style 9-3 dash wraps around you up front, while the new load area performs a neat trick with a false floor to reveal hidden load space.

As with all these compact exec wagons, the Sportwagon is more lifestyle than load lugger, but the opening is wide and the floor low, so swallowing garden waste - I mean surfboards - will be a doddle.

Aside from the extra storage space below the boot floor (with funky aircraft-shaped handle for access), the luggage area is pretty much standard issue. With seats up there's plenty of room for long legs; with seats folded you get a virtually flat floor and enough space to save you hassling Ikea for home delivery.

For cargoless journeys, it's easy to forget the extra space behind you. There's a whisper of wind noise and some tyre rumble - but that'll only bother those in the back.

The car we drove was fitted with Saab's new 250bhp 2.8 V6 turbo -a smooth and tuneful engine that'll thump you in the back from almost anywhere in the rev range. It delivers exactly the kind of low-down shove that really suits an auto gearbox.

It doesn't suit the Sportwagon chassis quite as much, though. As with the 9-3 saloon, the front end squirms a bit if you nail it and the steering is a little short on feedback. You could cure this - at least in part - by ordering your 9-3 with a smaller engine, but we'd rather live with the occasional tyre squeal.

The other Sportwagon engine options mirror those of the 9-3 saloon and each demands a £1,000 premium over the four-door.

Which brings us back to this range-topping 2.8T's biggest problem - at nearly £28,000, there's a lot of competition. None, though, offers such a blend of style and class. Not even my wife can argue with that.

Back to Saab 9-3 Overview