Mazda 6

With its sharp looks, tidy handling and value for money prices, we’re big fans of the 6 hatchback, and the new Estate is an excellent addition to the range. It costs an extra £700, but you get great looks and a really clever luggage area. It’s also economical and is enjoyable to drive, too. The 6 Estate is a talented model that should appeal to business users and family buyers alike.

Good ideas never go out of fashion – take the estate car as an example. Even with the current popularity of compact MPVs and off-roaders, sales are still very strong, proving there’s a place for a wagon in every major car manufacturer’s line-up.

These days, thanks to premium brands such as Audi and BMW raising standards ever higher, large family cars have never been better. But could Mazda’s new 6 Estate be one of the best in the class?

Well, the load-lugger is competitively priced, adding only £700 to the cost of an equivalent hatchback, and the estate certainly looks good, too. There’s a neat sloping rear end, distinctive tail-lights, a sporty roof spoiler and chrome roof rails.

The estate shares the same wheelbase as the hatchback, but thanks to the elongated rear, it adds another 30mm to its length. That means there’s a lot more space inside. With the rear seats in place, the boot has a capacity of 519 litres, and when they’re folded flat, there’s a total of 1,751 litres available.

As well as plenty of volume, there’s depth, too – with the rear seats folded, the maximum load length is 45mm longer than the outgoing car. Plenty of thought has also gone into maximising that room. There’s a low loading lip and a wide opening to ease access, while the parcel shelf stays attached to the tailgate, but rises with it so you don’t have to bend over and reach into the boot.

There are further neat touches when it comes to the folding seats. As with the hatch, the estate gets Mazda’s ‘KaraKuri’ system, first seen on the 5 compact MPV. Pull a lever in the boot, and the rear seat base moves forward, while the seat back folds flat on to it, all in one fluid movement. The system works really well and is one of the best set-ups we’ve seen.

On the engine front, there are three choices on offer – the entry-level 2.0-litre 145bhp petrol, a frugal 2.0-litre 138bhp diesel and a potent 2.5-litre 168bhp petrol. We tried the oil-burner, which provides strong performance and is generally refined, if a little gruff on start-up. Thanks to the Japanese company’s weight-saving measures, it manages to be even more economical and cleaner than the equivalent Ford Mondeo.

It’s not quite as good around corners as the Ford, with steering which doesn’t offer much in the way of feedback, but the suspension set-up is just as taut as the hatchback’s, and the estate is an agile, sporty drive.

All models are well equipped, with the entry-level TS getting six airbags, electronic stability control, air-conditioning and an MP3 player connection as standard. Our Sport model adds leather trim, 18-inch alloy wheels and xenon lights, plus deeper bumpers, side skirts, a rear spoiler, privacy glass and alloy pedals.

Only the flagship Sport Luxury variant gets parking sensors as standard, but seeing as the tailgate glass is quite narrow, that’s an option buyers might want to splash out on to make reversing easier. All in all, though, this is one of the finest large family estate cars you can buy right now.