Are estate versions of ordinary medium range family cars still relevant? After all, we're in a market that's awash with compact MPVs and lifestyle 4x4s all claiming to fulfil a broadly similar role, arguably in a more adept fashion. It's a question that was foremost in our minds on taking delivery of our 2.2-litre i-CTDi Honda Accord Tourer on long term test but the answer soon presented itself.

No matter how large a car you drive, there are always going to be times when it's not quite large enough. By buying bigger vehicles, we can reduce the number of occasions when this infuriating state of affairs arises but ultimately, size isn't everything - if it were, we'd all be driving around in double-decker buses. The car buying process is about striking a balance between a range of criteria. Size is one, but you also have price, performance, handling, running costs, styling, image and numerous others right down to the number of cup holders and the texture of the headlining material. A successful car strikes the right balance for a large number of motorists with a large number of them choosing to buy it as a result. Honda's attempt at hitting the nail on the head with the kind of customer who needs size, style, handling and economy for around £21,000 is the Accord Tourer 2.2 i-CTDi diesel.

What the Tourer version of Honda's Accord offers in addition to its saloon counterpart is space, 167 litres of it to be exact. The saloon will hold 459 litres and the Tourer 626 with the rear seats in passenger carrying position. Fold those rear seats down and the load area increases dramatically, offering the kind of dimensions that will serve you well on a Sunday afternoon trip to the municipal dump or when loading up after a prolonged trawl through the meatball chewing masses at Ikea.

"Over the course of our test, the Accord Tourer's rear played host to all manner of bulky, dirty objects"

The Accord goes further than most of its rivals in terms of the little touches that aid practicality during day to day use. The space available is very impressive as we've already stated but it's also uniformly shaped and highly usable as a result. The tailgate is quite vertical, there's little wheel-arch intrusion down the sides and the floor is flat, making it easier to slide large boxy items inside. The rear seats then fold down via a clever one-touch mechanism and once folded, they sit flat with the main load floor.

The highlight of the Accord's boot really is something, so much so that you can imagine enthusiastic owners gathering friends and family on the driveway for a demonstration. Imagine yourself staggering through a car park, your arms buckling under the weight of shopping bags or some infernal flat-packed coffee table. Where less well-equipped motorists would have to unload their armful onto the ground to open the boot of their car, you reach into your pocked for your key fob and, with a flick of your thumb, trigger the Accord Tourer's electronic tailgate. The boot swings majestically open as if by magic, you deposit your goods inside, your fellow shoppers turn and applaud in admiration. It couldn't be simpler and it shuts itself electronically as well.

Over the course of our test, the Accord Tourer's rear played host to all manner of bulky, dirty objects and a few mild scrapes and a slightly tarnished carpet aside, the interior stood up to this treatment admirably. Elsewhere inside the car, the black decor drew some complaints as did the quality of the materials used in places. This is a salient point because the Accord has ambitions of muscling its way into the lower end of the compact executive sector where such shortcomings will be highlighted next to German rivals. Having said that, this being a Honda, it's all screwed together remarkable well and retrospectively you can pick-up on the 1980s sci-fi dashboard styling that has since been more fully developed in the latest Civic. With the sat nav and phone systems in our test model, the whole cabin is awash with buttons but they're intelligently placed and we had few problems accessing the functions we were after.

This Accord Tourer's engine is a real peace of work but that's another thing that we've come to take for granted from Honda. The i-CTDi unit is one of the most refined diesels on the market, whisper quiet at cruising speeds and emitting a muted growl when you give it the gas. The 340Nm maximum torque output makes it highly flexible for overtaking or accelerating on to motorways as well and all of this comes with official fuel economy of 48mpg. It's another great piece of Honda engineering.

The refined driving experience is supplemented by the comfortable ride that manages to iron-out the worst of the road surface's imperfections without coming over all wobbly when the time comes to round a bend. The gearchange is pleasantly light and direct as well, making the Accord Tourer a really enjoyable car to get about in.

We've really got on well with the Honda Accord Tourer on our long term test. The vehicle offers versatility and space in generous proportions but it's also a rewarding car to drive. The family estate, it would appear, lives on by virtue of its blend of saloon car dynamics and the kind of practicality that buyers have turned to 4x4s and MPVs in search of. It's an increasingly tough market out there because of the ever-increasing array of models available but anyone settling on an Accord Tourer with the i-CTDi diesel engine should find it a consummate performer of family duties.