Think of an estate and your mind is immediately filled with visions of dull but worthy family holdalls with all the road presence of a large brick. It doesn't have to be like that though, as Saab has proved with its 9-5 Estate range. One glance at the sweeping bonnet line and flowing bodywork of this car and it's evident that the Swedish manufacturer has put as much imagination and dedication into this model as it does to the state-of-the-art aircraft it also builds. Like the 9-5 saloon, this estate version benefits from a recent update package which includes a new nose, a revised interior and an updated engine range. To be honest, the 9-5 Estate ought to be a good car - after all, it took Saab over 20 years to put an estate car back in its range. And on first impressions, it looks good.

Built by the nation that brought the IKEA home furnishing concept to the world, there wasn't really any doubt that the 9-5 Estate would be a practical proposition. There's a decent 416-litre boot, which grows to 490 litres with the rear seats folded. Thanks to the sloping rear tailgate, included to avoid the Volvo V70's boxy look, that's not quite as much as its Swedish competitor. However, a range of clever design ideas more than compensate. Strapping things down is a doddle thanks to a couple of aircraft style aluminium cargo tracks concealed beneath plastic strips in the estate compartment. Simply clip a securing metal eye to one of these and, using spring-loaded straps, secure your load as necessary. For a little extra, you can also enjoy the benefit of a couple of even neater ideas. First, there's a sliding panel in the boot floor which glides out half a metre beyond the back of the car, both to save you from backache by making loading and unloading easier and (as it takes up to 200kg) to act as an impromptu picnic seat. Standard touches include a solid load area cover that's strong enough to have luggage placed on top of it. The tailgate design is also well thought out: it's weighted to lift on its own and it rises high enough to act as a rain shelter should you need it to. Incorporated are two helpful courtesy lights to aid night-time excursions. Elastic cargo nets, side stowage bins and a slim, hidden area under the boot floor (that vanishes should you specify the sliding panel) are further practical inducements. Plus, if all that's not enough, the standard roof rails have a 100kg payload. In fact, all that's missing is a third row of seats, left out because Saab doesn't think they provide enough passenger safety.

Unlike estates of old, the 9-5 has fairly good road manners. Handling may not be in same league as a sports saloon, but it is precise and responsive, thanks largely to the fact that from the A-pillars back, the car has been redesigned. In my opinion, this also gives it a sportier, more appealing look than to its saloon counterpart. The ride is set up for comfort and the 9-5 takes all but the biggest of potholes or uneven surfaces in its stride. Performance is more than adequate too, with the light-pressure turbo Ecopower engines set up to be big-hearted in the low to middle part of the rev band - just where you need the power for easy overtaking. Even the 2.0t reaches 60mph from rest in 10.2 seconds on the way to a top speed of 131mph. Economy is about average, with most petrol models capable of consuming 25-30mpg. If that's not enough, there are a couple of diesel options, with either four or six cylinders.

Saab has gone to great lengths to make sure its estate integrates perfectly into the lives of family buyers, as well as anyone who needs extra space, so, yes, I could live with one. Would I buy one? On looks, it easily beats the boxy Volvo alternative, and on paper, the prospect of saving a few thousand pounds over a comparable BMW makes it an even more tempting proposition.