The Skoda Superb Estate safety issue isn’t something you should be worried about. Packed with safety kit, it’s no surprise it gets a top five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating.

This rating is also under a new, tougher, system introduced in 2009 to cover not only adult occupant safety but also child and pedestrian safety along with a rear impact whiplash test.

Seven airbags are standard and a further two are optional, while other equipment includes Isofix child seat anchor points, anti-lock brakes, electronic brakeforce distribution and a tyre pressure monitor. An electronic stability programme (ESP) – to help prevent skidding – is also standard.

Again, Skoda Superb Estate practicality is imperious. Cars don’t come more practical than this.

The rear seats fold down quickly and easily to reveal a whopping 1,865-litre load space, making the Superb one of the biggest of the big estates.

Being low to the ground means the load area is easy to fill and there’s no awkward lip – boxes slide in easily.

Two lights in the boot lid illuminate not only the boot, but also the surrounding area – useful when loading in the dark.

An electronic boot lid can also be specified as an option. This can be set to a predetermined height, making it easier for shorter people to set it to a height they can reach.

But the Superb is so much more than a huge carry-all. A number of touches throughout show that real thought has gone into making this an easy-to-live-with family car.

There’s a handy rechargeable torch in the boot, an air conditioned glovebox and numerous large cubby holes.

It is also the only car this side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom to come with an umbrella concealed in the door – for when you’re unexpectedly caught in the rain. Standard on SE and Elegance models, it sits in a specially designed waterproof slot underneath the rear passenger’s door armrest and when the door is closed the umbrella self-dries, too.