Mazda 6

With the Mazda 6 only having been on sale for two years, you wouldn’t think it was time for a change. But with the Japanese firm paying close attention to critique from reviewers and listening to feedback from its owners, Mazda’s largest saloon and Tourer has come in for some attention. While all models get a revised, better quality interior, it’s only the top-spec Sport Nav models that gain any exterior changes, with a redesigned front grille, new alloy wheels and reprofiled rear light clusters. All editions gain extra soundproofing to reduce road noise, and interior quality has been nudged a little higher, gaining revisions to the dashboard design, an improved seven-inch infotainment screen and an electric park brake for the first time. All of these enhancements are quite small in isolation, but designed to keep the Mazda6 in contention while capable cars like the latest Ford Mondeo and VW Passat are launched.

What hasn’t changed is the hugely charismatic 2.2-litre diesel engine, which continues in 148 and 173bhp guises. Our test car featured the more powerful unit of the two, with a creamy manual gearbox and six nicely chosen ratios, which combine to deliver excellent pace and sizeable mid-range pull. There’s an intoxicating sound when you bury the accelerator pedal in the footwell, and progressive brakes that deliver good stopping power to bring you to a rest. It’s a great companion for a cross-country gallop, where agile, precise steering pairs with great body control and high levels of grip to deliver an entertaining drive. It’s equally at home on the motorway, where engine noise is appreciably low, and both wind and road noise are well contained, and while the suspension has a firm edge to it, you’ll only notice the deepest ruts and potholes, and on faster A-roads, it remains controlled and supple.

There wasn’t a lot wrong with the outgoing Mazda6 for the way that the cabin was styled, but the latest improvements shift the quality up a notch compared to before. It’s disappointing that the tablet-style infotainment screen doesn’t feature touchscreen functionality, but its graphics are clear and easy to understand, and all controlled by an intuitive dial placed between the front seats.

There’s a nice action to all of the buttons, and the controls are logically arranged relatively high up on the dashboard for ease of use. Most of the materials are of the latest soft-touch variety, and the revisions to the instruments retain superb clarity. There’s plenty of room for oddments, with a good selection of different storage areas dotted around the cabin, and the front seats are nicely supportive with plenty of adjustment possible to both the chairs and the steering wheel.

Unusually this saloon edition features an eight centimetre longer wheelbase compared to the Tourer, endowing our test car with an extremely generous amount of rear legroom. Up front there’s lots of headroom, too, and there won’t be many complaints in the back, either. Boot space is well up to class standards, with a wide, well-proportioned 489 litres of luggage room on offer, which is extendable by folding the rear seats down.