Zoom zoom with plenty of pizzaz

The latest Mazda6 is a serious alternative to the premium German marques, as Paul Acres finds out.

The Mazda6 arrived in 2002, replacing the venerable, but unremarkable, 626. Despite a new design philosophy it was largely anonymous on Britain’s roads. There was nothing fundamentally wrong with it, but a little pizazz to accompany the zoom zoom wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Clearly Mazda took my thoughts on the design to heart because, a decade on, and the latest Mazda6 arrived duly packing the aforementioned pizazz.

The gaping grille dominates the front end, light clusters sweep back into pronounced wheel arches reminiscent of the much-missed RX-8 and the roofline has more than a hint of coupe about it. It’s certainly one of the most attractive models in the family car sector and leaves rivals from Ford, Vauxhall and VW looking decidedly dull.

There’s no hatchback in the range this time, Mazda deciding to offer the latest version in saloon and estate versions only.

I drove the 2.2-litre diesel with Mazda’s SkyActiv technology, which delivers the efficiency of a smaller capacity engine without sacrificing performance. On the road the Mazda6 certainly felt brisk enough and there was enough the hint of a nudge in the back when dropping down through the gears to overtake.

Handling is sharp, with excellent turn-in, while the ride is slightly on the firm side but not uncomfortably so.

Flicking through the gears is made easy thanks to the short throw lever and light, positive action.

It’s not all about how good this car goes round corners, although thanks to its nimble chassis and responsive steering it does do that very well for a car of its size, however. The well-insulated cabin provides a relaxing and comfortable environment for longer journeys and motorways too.

The seats are supportive and, with a little adjustment here and there I was able to find the perfect driving position.

Legroom in the back is fine, but headroom is limited by the steeply sloping roofline and rear windscreen.

The quality of the materials isn’t quite up there with the very best but, you’ll only notice if you’re the sort of person who has to touch everything. To the average driver, those differences will largely go unnoticed.

The graphics on the digital display adjacent to the analogue dials are quite blocky, and the sat nav display is a bit low res, but the real issue with the navigation system is how lethargic and, on occasion, inaccurate it was.

More than once it incorrectly showed that I had joined a slip road and, consequently, told me that the speed limit had dropped to 30mph and, when I ventured off piste it was quite slow in recalculating a new route. Frustrating when you’re trying to navigate through a busy city but, in its defence and in spite of its flaws, it did get my wife and I to see Kate Bush on time. Wow!

The saloon version of the Mazda6 will swallow 483 litres of your luggage with the rear seats in place. That rises to 1.632 litres with the seats folded flat.

While interior doesn’t quite match the high standards set by the rest of the car, the 6 offers more than enough to ensure the class leaders will be looking nervously in their rear view mirrors.