It has felt like just lately that every other car I've reviewed has been either electric, hybrid, an SUV or a combination of any of those.

Not this week however. This week we have something just a little bit different. It's a Shooting Brake. The Arteon Shooting Brake to be precise.

The term Shooting Brake originated in the 1890s to describe a horse-drawn wagon used to transport shooting parties with their equipment and game but has come to define a sub-species of estate car that is designed to be a little more svelte, sporty and, dare I say, sexy but as a result, is often significantly less practical.

It’s all relative of course. Just because it doesn’t accommodate as much of your luggage as a ‘normal’ estate might it is still an effective load-lugger and the hatchback version of the Arteon has already proven itself to be practical (executive) family transport.

That the Arteon Shooting Brake has very few natural rivals shouldn’t come as a surprise. You could probably count the number of times you’ve encountered one on a dealer forecourt on the thumb of one hand.

Mercedes will sell you the CLA Shooting Brake for about the same money but it’s less spacious on the inside. Other than that, well, you’re back in the realm of traditional estate cars like the ridiculously roomy Skoda Superb or the Arteon’s stablemate, the Passat.

So just how does the Arteon Shooting Brake measure up against the, admittedly limited, competition? Let’s find out.

The dashboard is lifted straight from the Passat but that’s not a bad thing because it brings excellent ergonomics that make it a doddle to use. VW has added a little pizazz with tasteful inserts and contrast stitching on the seats. It does share some of its controls with the cheaper Skoda hatchbacks (fastbacks? Sportbacks?) which, obviously, compromises quality a little but, overall, the fit and finish is excellent.

The infotainment system is a decent effort. You get an eight-inch screen as a standard and the graphics are pin sharp. It’s a touchscreen interface, which makes it a little more awkward to operate when you’re on the move than systems that use analogue controllers but the on-screen icons are a good size and the menus intuitive. You also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto included.

Upgrade to the Discover Pro system and you’ll get a 9.2in touchscreen with gesture control.

VW’s Digital Cocpit Pro is fitted as standard across the range. It replaces analogue dials in the instrument binnacle with a 10.3in LCD screen. It can be customised to display useful additional information including sat-nav and phone contacts. There’s a head-up display among the options too, but this reflects onto a piece of pop-up plastic which makes it a little less clear than systems that use the windscreen.

There are physical controls to operate the air conditioning but, before you all cheer wildly, they are capacitive buttons and sliders that you will have to look away from the road to operate. To add to my concerns the controls are right at the bottom of the dashboard.

Pressing the buttons on the steering wheel isn’t a particularly pleasant experience. They feel sticky – it’s deliberate – when you release them. They are also touch sensitive so you don’t have to press them at all but I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve accidentally activated the cruise control when I wanted to do anything but.

Visibility is quite good considering the Arteon’s low profile. There are no issues with the view out the front but it is hampered slightly by the narrow rear window and thick, acutely-angled rear pillars. The standard-fit front and rear parking sensors are a big help here, while you can also add a rear-view camera to your options list.

There is lots of space up front with ample head, leg and shoulder room. If you were expecting me to say that passengers in the back fared badly, you’d be wrong. Unlike the hatchback where the steeply raked roofline impacts significantly on headroom there’s a welcome extra couple of inches above your head and the amount of legroom on offer is impressive meaning you can comfortably accommodate three six foot-plus passengers across the rear bench.

Storage-wise there’s a pair of large cupholders in the front that can, sometimes, rendered useless if you move the moveable armrest, a decent-sized cubby beneath the air con controls and a bin beneath the armrest. The door bins are large and flock-lined, so anything you drop in there won’t be rolling around noisily while you’re driving.

So what about that boot? Well, compare it to the hatchback and you’ll see that’s there’s not a significant difference between the two but, what the Shooting Brake does offer is a much more user-friendly space thanks to the squarer profile of its rear end.

There’s a fairly large lip to negotiate if you’re planning on carrying heavier loads and the boot floor isn’t totally flat with the 60/40 split rear seats folded away. The central armrest does hide a handy ski hatch.

In wet or slippery conditions the front wheels can struggle for traction from a standing start. On the move, however, and the variable ratio steering, which is nicely-weighted and precise though not particularly feelsome – makes it easy to place the front of the car accurately through corners and exploit the huge amount of grip that’s on offer.

Variable steering, which is standard on the Arteon, means that it feels much more settled at speed and a little sharper when you’re driving around town to make manoeuvring a little less strenuous.

You can have the Arteon with either adaptive (standard only on 1.4 plug-in models) or non-adaptive suspension. My review car rode on the latter and at motorway speeds it is generally compliant and comfortable. Sharper potholes and ridges can cause it to thump while around town it can feel a little unsettled.

Wind and road noise are very well suppressed making the Arteon a particularly suitable companion if you cover a lot of miles on our motorways.

While spacious and comfortable the Arteon Shooting Brake can’t compete with the very best, and more focused, estate cars on the market but it isn’t supposed to. It’s load-lugging ability is compromised by its styling and this is car that is designed to be stylish. Hence the Shooting Brake moniker.

The fact is that luggage capacity is little different to the hatch but it does boast significantly improved rear headroom so, if you must have an estate but without the dull, boxy looks you might associate with this type of the car then the Shooting Brake could be the car for you.

VW Arteon Shooting Brake Elegance 2.0-litre TDI 150 PS 7-spd DSG

Price: £37,995

As tested: £47.055

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic

Max power: 150PS

Max torque: 360Nm @1,600 – 2,750rpm

Max speed: 134mph

0-62mph: 9.5sec

Fuel consumption (WLTP) mpg

Low: 41.5

Medium: 57.2

High: 68

Extra high: 59.3

Combined: 57.8

Emissions (CO2): 128g/km

For more information visit www.vw.co.uk

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