Strange company, Renault. In some ways it's a mass market manufacturer in the same vein as Ford and Vauxhall.

In fact, it's our third most popular marque behind those 'big two' and it's traditionally our biggest importer of cars.

But Renault also has a sort of cachet that neither Ford or Vauxhall could ever aspire to. Tell people you drive a Ford or Vauxhall and you won't get much reaction. Renault, however, sounds a lot more interesting.

After all, Renaults do have more allure about them.

So, how exactly has Renault achieved this? Well, it can't have been easy considering that Renaults compete in almost exactly the same markets as its bigger-selling rivals.

Instead of Fiesta and Corsa you've got Clio; in place of Focus and Astra, you have Megane; and for Mondeo and Vectra, there's the Laguna. But there are differences, and the Laguna Sport Tourer is one.

The clue is in the name. Renault could have called it the Laguna estate, but in truth it's more than simply a load-carrier. Rather than simply being an estate version of the Laguna, the Sport Tourer is, as its name suggests, a sports car capable of touring.

OK, it does largely the same job as an estate but with a smile on its face. It's a sleeker, sexier and more spirited model than a conventional estate.

Now, it does have a couple of shortcomings. If it's space and versatility you're after (which is, after all, what estates usually offer) then this isn't the biggest model.

It offers 1,515 litres of luggage space which is slightly embarrassed against a Mondeo estate (1,700) or Vectra estate (1,850 litres) but the Laguna Sports Tourer is arguably more of a driver's car than any of its key rivals.

It's more of a saloon than a fullblown estate and it looks sleeker and sexier than any conventional estate.

Some critics say that some of the smaller engines are less than adequate but such criticism of this model would be way off the mark.

It has a 150bhp 2.0 litre diesel engine, 20bhp more powerful than the older 1.9 litre diesel unit and even a couple of bhp more powerful than the bigger 2.2 litre unit.

The 2.0 litre engine is good. That shouldn't surprise you for Renault have long been champions of the diesel engine and this version offers the sort of power and smoothness that you might expect of a petrol engine with the economy that only diesels can offers. In truth, it's easily the best in its class.

It's a well-trimmed car. The cabin feels luxurious and the equipment levels are impressive with alloy wheels, twin airbags, anti-skid control, CD system, leather upholstery, cruise control and even a handsfree phone system as standard. Ok, this is the flagship model but it's still pretty impressive.

PRICE: £23,880. What Car? say you should pay £19,020. The sports tourer range spans £16,980 to £24,480 ENGINE: A 2.0 litre diesel unti generating 150bhp.

PERFORMANCE: 0 to 60mph in 9.8secs. Top speed 132mph.

EMISSIONS: 154g/km.

COSTS: Combined 48.7mpg.

WARRANTY: Three years or 60,000 miles.

INSURANCE: Group 11.

All T&A road test vehicles are independently selected and assessments are carried out impartially by members of our own staff who base their opinions only on the vehicle supplied for these purposes by the manufacturer.