This handsome mid-sized saloon is a pleasure to look at and a pleasure to drive. With plenty of leg-room front and rear, the only space drawback is the diminishing headroom at the back (sloping roofs tend to do this). The boot offers a generous 519 litres of space, which expands to an ample 1019 litres with the rear seats folded.

You’ll get an exceptionally enjoyable drive out of this series; it has excellent suspension, the front-wheel drive gives superb road grip, and it’s got some real zip and verve. There are three petrol models (one at 1.8 litres, one at 2.0 litres and the last at 2.5 litre) and a 2.0 litre diesel. All give exceptional performances (although the basic petrol model is a little feebler than the others).

The car looks and feels well-crafted and sturdy and has surprisingly high quality interior specifications.  It’ll never feature as James Bond’s next vehicle, but it delivers excellent quality all round, a responsive and enjoyable driving experience and good fuel economy. The Mazda 6 may well be under-rated – what it lacks in ‘coolness’ it more than makes up for in performance and elegance.