More than 4.3 million VW Passat Estates have been sold over five generations of the family load lugger, so it is little wonder that VW put so much effort into the car's debut at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show. Even next to the all-new Eos coupe convertible the Passat Estate drew an inquisitive crowd.

Would you blame them? In my eyes, the Estate is a better-looking car than the Passat saloon, with the long roofline balancing the exaggerated rear overhang. VW made noise about competing against the BMW 3-series when it launched the Passat, but only with the Estate version does it really stand up to comparison with the 3-series Touring, in terms of showroom appeal at least.

You can pre-order your Passat Estate from UK dealers right now, with deliveries starting in November. Prices start at just £16,090 for the basic 1.6-litre model, though there are loads of other choices, including 148bhp and 197bhp 2-litre petrol engines (the latter being the same unit as employed by the Golf GTi), and 103bhp and 138bhp turbodiesels. The superb new 168bhp 2-litre TDI engine presented in the Golf GT at the show will eventually make its way into the Passat engine bay, as will a 3.2-litre petrol V6 with nearly 250bhp.

As with the saloon, the Passat Estate features a high level of standard equipment, including alloy wheels, electronic parking brake, air conditioning, curtain airbags as well as those up front and traction and stability control systems along with VW's Electronic Differential Lock. You'll find a lot of tasty new options for the Passat Estate too I you have the budget, including self-levelling rear suspension, a cargo management system including a rail system in the boot floor, keyless entry and electric tailgate closing. Keep an eye on the VW Road Tests page for our review in the coming months.

Shane O' Donoghue - 26 Sep 2005