Five of the Best Super Estates

It might not be a true M car, but the 550i has more than enough power to scare the living hell out of you. It's powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces a considerable 402 bhp and 443 lb/ft of torque. This is enough to get the Touring from 0 - 62 mph in 4.7 seconds and onto an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Like all BMW (aside from xDrive variants), the 550i Touring has rear wheel drive and an exceptional chassis, with all the grown up composure you'd expect from a top of the line BMW yet the potential to offer some serious fun on a track or winding country road.

Despite the performance BMW has worked wonders to make the 550i economical - you could achieve 33.1 miles per gallon on a combined cycle and BMW claims you might even lick 40 miles per gallon on the motorway (if you stick to 50 mph in top gear, mind). A 560-litre boot that can be extended to 1,670-litres seals the deal for families.