Darwin was really onto something when he came up with the theory of natural selection. Although it's tough to fault his logic, as a spectator sport, evolution makes crown green bowls look a hot ticket. In nature we have to wait thousands of years before finches develop beaks to reach a certain plant's nectar. Aside from the obvious question of whether they know they're being short changed in the interim, it's not something that we can see developing in our own lifetimes. The same can't be said of evolution in the car market. This natural selection moves at breathtaking speed and has resulted in cars like the Chrysler 300C Touring.

Perhaps a word or two of explanation is in order. It was only about seven or eight years ago that the estate car sector was looking very much like an evolutionary dead end. It was the Neanderthal being ruthlessly wiped out by the Homo Sapiens that were the MPV-style vehicles. Nobody was interested in a car that didn't feature flippy spinny seats, multiple cupholders, auxiliary power points and a whole host of jaunty 'lifestyle' promotions to push it out of dealerships. Over the space of a few years, the penny finally dropped. There was nothing preventing any of these features being built into an estate. What's more, customers would have all this practicality, a place to stow luggage and a driving experience not radically removed from that of a conventional saloon or hatch. Suddenly driving around in a high-sided vehicle that looked more like something you'd queue up at for a 99 with flake looked about as appealing as, well, quadripedal walking.

Estates have become big business. What's more, smart designers have found ways of making them look - in certain instances - even better than the salons and hatches that spawned them. The fact that Chrysler's 300C Touring doesn't is a compliment to the striking styling of the saloon rather than any deficiencies in the penmanship of an estate version, but it's nevertheless a very neat job. This car shares the same specification and engines as the hugely successful 300C saloon but adds striking estate proportions to create what, in its maker's eyes is 'one of the best-looking estate car on the road today'.

"The 300C Touring is, if anything, even more impressive looking than the saloon"

Apologising in advance for an awful pun, that may be stretching it a little, but the 300C Touring shares the same bluff front end that has the ability to scare outside lane dawdlers onto the hard shoulder. It's the same metalwork back to the windscreen pillars but beyond that all of the panels are different, ending up with a neatly integrated set of wide windows and tailgate. What's more, this is no 'lifestyle' sportswagon that serves up less carrying capacity than the car it's based on. With the rear seats in place, the 300C Touring's load area holds 630 litres of cargo, compared with the saloon's 504 litres. With the rear seats folded down, cargo capacity rises to a monstrous 1,602 litres. In case you're wondering, that's better than established class benchmarks like the Audi A6 Avant and Saab 9-5 Estate can manage. A rear cargo organiser and cargo cover are also included to keep luggage safe and sound.

Only one engine is now offered - a 3.0-litre 218bhp diesel which uses the same Mercedes engine as is found beneath the bonnet of a Mercedes C320CDI and costs from £28,495. There's also the option of enjoying some of the flagship SRT-8 model's 'street racer' appeal by paying a £5,000 premium for the SRT-Design version.

Recent improvements? Well, outside, there are changes to the rear fascia and rear light clusters. The rear saloon boot lid is also restyled and now incorporates an integrated spoiler and high-mounted stop light. Inside, there's a fresh instrument panel and centre console design, highlighted with satin silver bezels. Soft touch surfaces on arm rests and door panels and a darker interior colour offers more of the kind of feel you'd get in a prestigious German alternative. Other changes include an ignition key with one-touch start-up, a fully adjustable steering wheel and LED lighting that extends to the front cup holders and front and rear door pockets. In addition, seat-mounted airbags have been added to the front and side-curtain airbags to the rear.

Like most American cars, the handling isn't quite up to the standard of its key European rivals. The steering is somewhat vague and the handling soon lapses into safe and predictable understeer. This isn't surprising given the weight in the nose, but it does make the 300C feel a little stodgy, an impression backed up by the nautical levels of body roll the car displays if the driver gets a little enthusiastic at the tiller. Despite this relaxed attitude to cornering, the ride quality is surprisingly garrulous. If you drive this car in a straight line it will feel sporty which is enough for the domestic market.

Although the 300C is relatively inexpensive to buy, there's no getting away from the fact that it's a sizeable slug of automotive real estate that has started to lose its novelty value for many. As such, there are quite a few about if you're looking for a used bargain and residual values reflect this. The best three year residual figure is around 39 per cent for this version but bear in mind that this is just one aspect of running costs and that this car will cost just 57 pence per mile to run. Compare that to the supposedly more cerebral Audi A6 Avant 2.7 TDI S line - also retailing at around the same money - which will cost 63.4ppm to run and you have to wonder where the smart money is really going.

Evolution has proved to be many things, but one of them is rarely predictability. Who'd have thought an 'American' estate car could prove to be a hot ticket? Stranger things have happened. It's just that I'm struggling to come up with one right now.