Paris motor show - Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer

According to Vauxhall, its new Sports Tourer isn't simply an estate version of the Insignia. However, to anyone thinking of buying one, that's exactly what it is.

That means it needs a whopping great boot, and thankfully it has one. To the window line with the rear seats up there's 540 litres of space (slightly more than the hatch and saloon because it's 8cm longer).

Drop the seats down and the whole load bay grows to 1501 litres. In English, that means the Insignia is big, but not as vast as its main rival the Ford Mondeo.

You'll have to fork out another £1250 over the hatch or saloon when it goes on sale in the spring, which is about the same premium charged by Ford, but significantly more than Mazda.

Like the rest of the Insignia range the Sports Tourer will also be available with two- and four-wheel drive, as well as Vauxhall's FlexRide system with its Adaptive Stability Technology.

Green-minded buyers may want to wait until later next year for an ecoFLEX model, which has lower emissions and better fuel economy.