When we attended the UK launch of the new Fiat Croma last year it was clear that what Fiat had here was a step forward in terms of quality and comfort over pretty much the rest of the whole Fiat range. With only a few short hours in the car, it wasn't so obvious where exactly the new Croma fits into the automotive landscape. With the release of the top-of-the-range 2.4-litre MultiJet version, we took the opportunity to live with the Croma for a full week.

Now according to Fiat, the new Croma blends the best bits of a regular saloon with estate and MPV. It is priced to compete against conventional D-segment saloons and hatchbacks, which would include the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra amongst others. Though this market segment is actually on the decrease (with buyers migrating to SUVs, MPVs and crossovers) Fiat still points out that one in every five cars sold in the UK is in this sector, so it is still worth developing a new car for it, especially as there has been no Fiat offering here for a long while. Some might say since the original Fiat Croma was launched in 1985.

Pricing aside, the new Fiat Croma is tasked with offering the versatility of an estate, high driving position and space of an MPV and driving dynamics of a conventional saloon. The styling seems to point at a sporty estate, with lines penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro. I like it, especially when fitted with the 18-inch 10-spoke alloys and 'SkyDome' double sunroof fitted as standard to this Prestigio model. The sculpted bodywork around the front and rear wings differentiate the Croma and the rear overhang is neatly disguised by the curve of the rear window. For Giugiaro to say that his Maserati Buran concept car (shown in 2000) was used for inspiration is unfair to the Croma; the Fiat looks better.

Inside, the new Croma lives up to the estate car billing in terms of space alone. Fiat claims that 99% of people can fit comfortably in the rear compared with the D-segment average of 75% and all seats are comfortable in a way that older luxury cars used to be; that's a good thing by the way. Though the Croma doesn't sit any more than the standard five occupants, it does maintain generous luggage space. In the Prestigio range there is a neat under floor storage compartment, which can hide valuables such as laptops, cameras, etc. The rest of the Croma's interior is stylishly designed and quite tactile too. A lot of work has been done on raising the perceived quality of this Fiat.

Importantly, this feeling pervades throughout the whole Croma range. Entry-level is about £15,000 with a 1.8-litre petrol engine, followed by a 2.2-litre petrol (147bhp) and two 1.9 MultiJet versions (120 and 150bhp). Sitting at the top is the 200bhp five-cylinder 20-valve 2.4-litre MultiJet we drove, which looks like suspiciously good value at £22,170, especially as this engine is only available in the high specification Prestigio trim. That this engine is only offered with a six-speed automatic gives you a clue to this car's aims with regards to driving dynamics. Think Citroen C6 rather than BMW 3 Series and you won't be disappointed.

We spent a few hundred miles on varied roads and discovered that this Croma is an exceptionally talented car in which to cover a lot of distance in comfort, especially as fitted with cruise control. The gearbox works well enough, with the odd misjudged change, though when negotiating a series of roundabouts on a quick A-road you may want to use the manual gearchange option to change up early and ride the engine's ample torque.

This five-cylinder diesel engine is, as the 200bhp peak power figure suggests, not short of go, though what impresses most is its relentless acceleration at low revs, which is a result of the peak torque (295lb.ft) available between 1750rpm and 3500rpm. Overtaking is a breeze and the car's natural speed is above the UK motorway speed limit.

Fiat claims 35.3mpg on the combined cycle for this particular car, which is not bad for the size and the losses through the auto 'box, but we actually bettered this figure on average, which if you know us, you'll be surprised by... Most drivers covering mainly motorway journeys should routinely see average consumption above 40mpg.

So who will buy the new Fiat Croma? The marketing bumf says that the top priorities for the Croma were size, comfort, spaciousness, build quality, interior finish, equipment levels and state-of-the-art technology. It does quite well on those aspects and should appeal to what Fiat calls "on-the-road professionals with a family." At this price point, the Croma could be seen to compete against the likes of the Ford Mondeo ST TDCi and various cheaper (but with a lot less performance) Vauxhall Vectras. Even traditional favourites such as the Audi A4 Avant could go up against the Croma. If you are interested in a comfortable saloon, estate or mid-size MPV then it may be worth checking out the Fiat Croma. The only problem Fiat has is reminding buyers of this in an a crowded marketplace, especially when buyers often pigeon-hole themselves into a particular category.

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Fiat Croma UK range overview

- Fiat Croma 1.8 16v Dynamic: £14,995
- Fiat Croma 2.2 16v Dynamic: £15,770
- Fiat Croma 1.9 MultiJet Dynamic: £15,995
- Fiat Croma 1.8 16v Eleganza: £16,145
- Fiat Croma 2.2 16v Eleganza: £16,920
- Fiat Croma 1.9 MultiJet Eleganza: £17,145
- Fiat Croma 2.2 16v Eleganza Auto: £17,940
- Fiat Croma 1.9 16v MultiJet Eleganza: £18,145
- Fiat Croma 2.2 16v Prestigio: £18,270
- Fiat Croma 1.9 16v MultiJet Eleganza Auto: £19,170
- Fiat Croma 2.2 16v Prestigio Auto: £19,290
- Fiat Croma 1.9 16v MultiJet Prestigio: £19,495
- Fiat Croma 1.9 16v MultiJet Prestigio Auto: £20,520
- Fiat Croma 2.4 20v MultiJet Prestigio Auto: £22,170