Pity the poor old estate car. For years, if you had a family but needed a bit more space for your clobber, you simply ticked the “estate” option on the extras sheet of whatever saloon you’d have otherwise bought. Then your car would turn up with a big box on the back into which you’d duly shovel all the belongings, pets and children’s mates.

But then came MPVs and SUVs, both of which provided more imaginative takes on the beast of burden theme. The MPV offered all sorts of innovative solutions to the needs of the family on the move, from flip-down picnic tables, to seats that slid, swivelled, folded and, at the tug of a lever, disappeared into the floor. SUVs were less practical, but still carried loads of gear, would get you across the beach or school playing fields without getting stuck and at least gave the appearance that their drivers were not enslaved to their children. After all this, who’d want a boring old estate?

Me, for one. I have always liked estate cars: I like their honesty and lack of pretence. I like the fact that they vary the design of the conventional family road car only as far as is absolutely necessary to perform the extra work you require. They are not ostentatious, nor do they try to be cool. They recognise their station in life, do only the work you require of them and, on the whole, do it extremely well. They may be as unfashionable as string vests, but they are fit for purpose, which is more than I can say for the majority of SUVs.

And I quite liked this latest one, the new Renault Laguna Sport Tourer, when I first became acquainted with it. It’s not exactly great to look at, but that’s almost a plus when it comes to estates: most such cars that try to look trendy are the automotive equivalent of middle-aged fathers trying to impress their children’s friends with their dancing. To date, only Peugeot’s 407 SW has pulled off the trick of looking good and doing its job.

What impressed me more was the Laguna’s quiet cabin and comfortable ride. Like all the best Renaults, it is an easy and relaxing car in which to waft around, at least when it’s fitted with the 175bhp 2 litre diesel I found under the bonnet of the test car. It was quick, which was of no importance to me in such a car, but it was also effortless, a characteristic I liked very much. My children liked the respectable amount of room in the back while I noticed that, in line with all of Renault’s recent cars, the quality was of the highest order given its class and price.

But after a few days my admiration started to wane. Configuring it for estate use by removing the rear parcel shelf and dropping the rear seats could scarcely be easier but, once in position, there’s no escaping the fact that there’s just not enough room in the boot. The reason the Christmas tree standing in my sitting room has a somewhat truncated appearance is because I had to take a saw to it before I could squeeze it into the Laguna. Two weeks ago, I was driving around in the Ford Mondeo estate, which will be the Laguna’s strongest rival, and I am certain it would have done this job considerably better. The statistics suggest as much too: the Laguna offers 1,593 litres of boot space, the Mondeo a very impressive 1,733 litres. A Vauxhall Vectra boasts an incredible 1,850 litres. Among its chief rivals, only the Peugeot 407 SW has a smaller boot, reflecting the price paid for looking cool.

Other things irked me. If you open a door without applying the handbrake, it beeps at you, and I don’t need a car to tell me if my children have done up their seatbelts or not. I also soon tired of its many, fiddly controls.

But what I really ended up thinking about the Sport Tourer was that there was nothing about the way it looks, drives or carries loads that was in any way new, unique or interesting. I didn’t dislike it and it’s not a bad car, but there are others out there that do the job better. We live in an era in which, despite the attempts of our legislators to impose design conformity across the board, many car makers continue to push back the boundaries in engineering, appearance and dynamics, even in the relatively prosaic world of the estate.

But the Laguna seems content with a midfield role and it is that, more than any specific deficiency, that ultimately left me disappointed with it. New cars should break new ground and this one doesn’t.

Vital statistics

Model Renault Laguna Sport Tourer Initiale 2.0 dCi 175

Engine type 1995cc, four cylinders

Power/Torque 175bhp @ 3750rpm / 280 lb ft @ 2000rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel/CO2 42.8mpg (combined cycle) / 174g/km

Performance 0-62mph: 8.9sec / Top speed: 134mph

Price £23,900

Verdict Capable enough, but breaks no new ground

Rating

Date of release Out now

The opposition

Model Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Titanium X £23,095
For Good looks, big boot, handles nicely
Against Heavy and slow, messy dashboard graphics

Model VW Passat SEL 2.0 TDI 170PS £23,087
For Classy image, well built, spacious cabin
Against Engine lacks refinement, boring to drive