Affordable all-rounders: Top 5 used performance estates for under £20,000

These fast four-wheel drive wagons have it all: performance, practicality, and a temptingly low price. Find out why Uniroyal’s equally versatile Rainsport 5 tyre makes for the perfect pairing.

Let’s be honest, sports cars are great for unbridled driving thrills, but in the real world of screaming kids, crumbling roads, and bleak British weather, they’re all but useless. However, long before fast SUVs hit the scene, performance estates (like these five honourable ‘Bahn stormers), proved you could have practicality without ditching driver engagement. 

Now, in heavily depreciated form, they’re more alluring than ever. Offering stellar all-weather performance at an affordable price point, they’re an ideal match for Uniroyal’s ‘master of the wet’ Rainsport 5. But which bags the top spot?

5. Vauxhall Insignia VXR Sports Tourer

Vauxhall. It’s not the first brand that springs to mind when you think of a fast estate — perhaps that’s why this one never sold particularly well in period — but the Insignia VXR’s poor sales record can now be used to your advantage: this 325-bhp, V6-powered beast costs less than half of our £20,000 budget.  

While its badge might not carry the cachet of some German rivals, this handsome machine counters with rock-solid, four-wheel drive handling which, combined with Uniroyal’s Shark Skin Technology, should make the VXR a formidable performer on sodden backroads. There’s only one real stinger: £735 a year road tax. Ouch.

4. Skoda Octavia VRS TDI 4x4

Want something a little more sensible? Skoda’s enduring VRS estate is available with front or four-wheel drive, and petrol or diesel engines. You probably won’t be disappointed by any of those combinations, but for its blend of effortless mid-range grunt, excellent fuel economy, and unflappable traction, the TDI 4x4 is our pick of the bunch.  

It won’t blow your socks off in a straight line compared to some of the options on this list. However, the Skoda’s 181-bhp four pot manages over 600 miles to a tank of diesel, and it should be cheaper to tax and insure.

3. Audi S4 Avant

Yes, you could get a maniacal V10 S6 Avant for under £20,000 (maybe even a twin-turbo RS6), but this list is about sensible, all-round performance cars, and there’s nothing sensible about single digit MPG or servicing a car with ten spark plugs.  

If you want to go fast without a major wallet haemorrhage, Audi’s V6-powered S4 Avant Quattro makes much more sense. Achieving 60 mph in less than five seconds and returning over 37 mpg combined, this mid-sized estate is fabulously versatile. Plus, when it comes to all-weather traction, Audi literally wrote the book with its venerable Quattro system.

2. BMW 335d Touring X-drive

BMW’s multitalented 3 Series now has more sequels and spin-offs than the Star Wars franchise, and they all bring something unique to the table. But, if you’re after scorching acceleration and true handling finesse wrapped up in a practical package, this 335d is your best bet in budget. 

500-litre boot? Check. 0-60 in 4.8 seconds? Check. 50 mpg? Check. Never mind the best budget estate, this 3 series is a serious contender for best all-round car. And, if you shod it in a set of Uniroyal Rainsport 5, you’ll be able to revel in the 3 Series’ perfect handling balance come rain or shine. 

1. VW Golf R Estate

It’s painfully predicable and a perhaps a little unadventurous, but there’s a good reason why VW’s Golf R Estate is our favourite sub-£20k all-rounder: there’s nothing it can’t do. 

Despite boasting performance to rival most contemporary sports cars, VW’s ultra-practical R won’t bankrupt you to run. Plus, it’s looks strike the perfect balance between subtlety and sportiness. 

Want proof that you can have your cake and eat it too? Just pair that remarkable 4Motion all-wheel drive system with the Rainsport 5’s innovative Aqua-Twist sipes, and watch the Golf demolish far pricier, more specialised machines down any damp stretch of tarmac.

Has our list got you itching to find the ultimate all-weather wagon? Let us know which of our affordable fast estates gets your vote.

Hero image credit: VW