What’s new: Mazda‘s all-new upper medium hatch offers one diesel and three petrol engines. This is the premium, £19,375 170PS 2.5-litre petrol.
Excellent: Sport trim and bodykit and Aurora blue mica paint make this a very good-looking car. Rapid throttle response, top speed of 137mph and 0-62mph time of 8.0secs means it’s brisk as well as handsome.
Good: Compared to its diesel compatriate, the engine is beautifully smooth and quiet. Blue back-lit speedo dials are lovely and strangely calming, lending a unique air to the cabin.
Average: Despite not being slow, an engine size of 2.5-litres meant we expected a quicker acceleration time and more than just 170PS.
Poor: A lack of parking sensors makes this very large car tricky to manoeuvre into tight spots around town.
Verdict: Sub-£20,000 and 51.3ppm makes this one of the pricier 6s in the range, but the engine just about does justice to the looks.
