Kia has entered the family estate segment with a car that offers good looks, plenty of space and a decent engine.

The previous Optima was only available as a saloon, so the new Optima Sportswagon is a departure from the South Korean manufacturer’s previous strategy.

It has been designed and built specifically for the European market with the aim of appealing to image-conscious business and retail customers in the market for a stylish, practical and efficient vehicle.

The first thing that struck me about the Optima Sportswagon was its impressive body style. Indeed, it has to be one of the best-looking estates in its class, standing out from the crowd in comparison to some of its drab rivals.

The exterior remains faithful to the widely-praised Sportspace concept, which was revealed at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

The front end is identical to an Optima saloon with its substantial and distinctive appearance. However, the raised roofline and sleek window shapes at the back mean the estate version is more elegant than its sibling.

When buying this vehicle, it’s helpful if you’re not too fussy about choice of engines.

That’s because the Optima Sportswagon is powered exclusively by Kia’s 1.7-litre CRDi turbodiesel unit with a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

Fortunately, it’s a pretty good engine, offering 139bhp, 340Nm of torque and decent performance for an engine of this capacity.

It’s a little noisy under heavy acceleration, but generally offers enough grunt to power a car of this size.

There’s a bit of lag in the lower rev range, but the car comes into its own and offers reasonable power when you reach around 2,000rpm.

The manual version goes from 0-60mph in a fairly uninspiring 10.7 seconds, with a potential top speed of 124mph.

In terms of fuel economy, the car is capable of returning more than 60mpg, which is an impressive figure.

The steering is quicker than the saloon’s, making the Sportswagon seem more agile and entertaining to drive.

However, that steering can feel a light when driving into the tighter corners at pace.

The ride quality is generally very good, although there’s noticeable body roll in the corners.

The dual-clutch box, tested here, is arguably a little clunky at lower speeds, although it operates more smoothly once you’ve got a bit of momentum.

Inside, it is smart and well laid out, with materials that are more than acceptable for the vehicle’s class.

It’s roomy too, with lots of space in both the front and rear, easily accommodating five adults.

The boot is also a large space, with no loading lip and a wide aperture making it easy to use and very practical.

Three trim levels are available on the new Optima Sportswagon, with the top-spec GT-Line S tested here. It comes with an eight-inch navigation screen which is very user-friendly.

Even the tallest drivers will have little problem getting comfortable as the car comes with an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s memory seat.

In Yorkshire’s recent chilly weather, the heated front seats proved to be another useful feature. Other highlights of the top spec version include 18in alloys, LED headlights and a panoramic sunroof.

It’s also available with a full suite of advanced connectivity and active driver assistance technologies, while there are also USB charging points in the front and rear of every vehicle.

As ever, Kia has displayed great confidence in its own design qualities by giving buyers the peace of mind of having a sever-year warranty, which remains a big selling point for many.