The new Estates from Fiat have taken the game ahead. Firstly, as before, they serve their primary purpose better than any of the competition. The Fiats will swallow an enormous amount of luggage without any fuss, giving them an instant advantage over their opposition. Both in their own right are good looking - the Weekend the gentleman and the Adventure the one with the attitude. The rock-solid chassis they&46;re built around has been purpose built to deal with our roads.

The ride and handling is in a class of its own which makes these estates so reassuring and safe to drive. The downside are the spongy brakes and niggling faults that tend to crop up in Fiats. A dealer network that still cannot cope with the swell of customers is no help either. For a car in this price bracket, the overall quality and fit and finish needs to be better. Which leaves the main question answered: what will it cost?

Though Fiat have not announced the price as yet, we expect the Palio Weekend to cost Rs 50,000 less than the Siena Weekend it replaces! That puts it in the same price bracket as the substantially smaller Corsa Swing. The Adventure is likely to cost Rs 20,000 more than the Weekend and it&46;s the model we would go for. Brash, bold, laden with attitude and twice as intelligent as an SUV, the Adventure is a unique blend of practicality, performance and appeal. And to top it off, it&46;s nicer to drive.

Improved estates take the game ahead