Mazda 6

You might not have seen many new-shape Mazda6s yet. Perhaps that's the recession, perhaps that's because it isn't a wildly striking car and you've just been missing them. But there's another reason. The Mazda6 launched with a restricted diesel range, and this part of the market is diesel-dominated, so it was a hard sell.

Now there's a new 2.2-litre diesel, replacing the old 2.0. It comes in three power outputs - 125, 163 and 185bhp. It has twin camshafts and a balance shaft, which the old one didn't.

It feels modern. I had a go in the mid-ranger and the performance is pretty decent. It doesn't feel thumpingly quick on boost, but by compensation there's performance all across the range so you don't have to be too busy with the gears. It's quiet, if not eerily so. It slips in under 150g/km of CO2 too, which matters for taxed drivers.

The Mazda6 remains an engagingly different car to most of its rivals, simply because it feels compact. The Mondeo, Insignia, Accord, Avensis and so on - they all seem to be pretending to be a big Benz. They're refined and stable, but they just feel a bit lardy. The Mazda is lighter on its feet. Probably a bit more tiring on a long journey, but sharper in bends, more sudden to the pedals. More connected to the driver. I like that.

Paul Horrell