While the Kia Optima Sportswagon itself hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP, the saloon gained a five-star rating when it was assessed, so there’s no reason to assume the estate will be any less safe.

Just over half of the body is made of high-strength steel, plus you get six airbags and electronic stability control as standard.

The amount of driver assistance tech varies with trim level but you can get plenty of kit, including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, smart cruise control, blind spot detection, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert, 360-degree view camera and automatic parking.

You’d expect a large estate car to do well here and you’d be right – a large 552/1,686-litre boot (seats up/down) gives you plenty of room to pack things into and there are a number of different lashing and tie-down options as you climb the trims.

There’s lots of room up front and rear passengers do quite well too, providing they’re not tall and sitting behind a tall driver. The middle pew is a bit cramped but you should expect to carry four adults in comfort.