What few will call to mind, because Renault simply isn't famous for its large family cars, is the Laguna.
I owned one back in the mid-nineties when I used to transport dogs and family over long distances and the beloved Sierra Estate had gone out of production. That first generation was generously equipped, roomy, and superbly comfortable - as long as you were standing still.
It may have done well in the British Touring Car Championship but, on the road, its soft seats and softer suspension meant it wallowed along at no great pace, despite the two-litre engine.
I bought a hatch before the estate was available and even that had enough room. The estate, when it did appear, was simply enormous.
Then along came its replacement and the estate became the Sport Tourer.
For this year, there is the GT 205 model promising a sports chassis and powerful engine. In estate - sorry, Sport Tourer - form, this ought to meet the greediest demands for space while addressing the problems of power and handling.
Fairly firm
Don't expect it to turn you into Fernando Alonso but it is, certainly, quite quick and fairly firm. Happily, there was no appreciable lessening of performance with four adults on board. The standard (electrically operated and heated) leather seats are among the most comfortable of any car on the market and it would be very pleasant to drive were it not for a very dead feel to the power steering. And the horsepower does not arrive effortlessly.
You have to floor the accelerator for the car to feel speedy, making the electronic stability programme work hard for its living {hellip}as well as suffering the consequences in fuel consumption.
Gentle driving can produce 35mpg, though add a few jams and quick getaways and you're soon down in the mid twenties.
The ESP, together with ABS, and all the other safety features are, of course, standard.
It comes, too, with electronic tyre pressure monitor, cruise control, electronic parking brake, automatic rain sensor (which I found a little unpredictable) and automatic light sensor (which is so sensitive, you may end up rushing to disable it).
Bog standard
There is also a standard - bog standard in fact - sat nav system. Its monochrome screen tells you the name of the road you are on and uses arrows, together with voice, to guide you. It is not very impressive in complicated situations. She told me to turn left at a very complex junction but did not stipulate which of many left turns there were. And on another occasion, the CD had obviously been produced before one particular road had been turned from a bend into a junction and she stayed silent until I had already gone wrong.
In both instances, an on-screen map would have solved the problem - and with Halfords selling colour map portable systems for about £200 these days, this one seems a little stingy in a car costing more than £20,000.
But the weirdest thing of all is the hands-free Renault card. This credit-card sized device opens and locks the car like any other remote system. But as long as it is about you person, the engine will start at the push of a button. I enjoyed the novelty value - and loved the way it gives you a little beep of the horn and flash of the lights if you walk away and forget to lock up.
At the end of the day, though, you have to wonder what will become of the driver so lazy that he doesn't even turn an ignition key.
Three of the last four cars I have tested have been estates. They have come on apace since the days when I felt I needed one. Of the three, the Jaguar X type took the top honours, leaving this and the Peugeot 407 SW to fight it out for second place. The jury is out.
