Hi Nick - Congratulations - as a dad I wear my estate car like a badge of honour! My experience has been (and I reckon shared by others here) is that bigger is better because of the ridicuous amount of associated baby paraphenalia. When I was choosing an estate I was looking at Honda Accord, Avensis, Mazda 6 ( I like Japanese brands). It's one less thing to think about - to be able to lob all your kit into the boot without thinking about how it needs to be arranged or what you might need to leave behind. And let's face it, you could have a top spec, rip snorting Beemer but you'll lose kudos when you have to resort to the dreaded roof box!!
So out of those I'd be looking at the A6. Have a look at a 5 series or an E Class - those rwd 3-series tourers really don't have big boots. As said, I'm not really into pemium brands but those Jag XFs look nice, as do Volvo V70s. Hopefully others here with more know-how/ experience those of the specific brands/ engines will give more feedback on more technical matters.
BTW - If you like to keep your cars looking smart, leather might be preferable for its wipe-clean properties! One exploding nappy can easily ruin your upholstery...
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