Mazda6 moves ahead with raft of upgrades

While from the outside most new models look the same as the one they replace, there's a lot under the skin helping to drive it forward into direct competition with some more expensive premium brands.

For example, it's a whole 25 per cent quieter in the cabin, and a revised suspension system has resulted in an improved ride without detracting from its dynamic abilities.

Added to that, there's a host of technology new to Mazda boosting its safety, information and entertainment systems.

The seats and interior trim are also upgraded, too, as Mazda's designers showed they have listened to customers and motoring journalists in their attempt to make the car a '6' of the best.

It's worked, too. With prices from £19,795 to £28,795 across the 28-strong model range Mazda has gone upmarket while maintaining the car's reputation for low running costs.

The test car, for example, was a Tourer, or estate, in top 'Sport Nav' spec, and powered by the proved 2.2-litre, 150PS turbo-diesel engine at £27,195 (the saloon is £800 less).

That powerplant is available across the range and is the one Mazda expects to be the most popular with British buyers. On the saloon, for example, a CO2 emissions rating of just 107g/km (no more than many a small hatchback) equates with a £30 a year road tax bill and fuel economy averaging 68.9mpg – yet it's still capable of tackling the 0 to 62mph sprint in 9.1 seconds.

There is a small penalty with the heavier Tourer (64.2mpg and 110g/km).

But the physical upgrades are immediately apparent as soon as you step into the car: bigger, more comfortable seats, the much tidier hi-tech dashboard and the new 'command' centre console.

The revised suspension provides an impressively smooth ride without wallowing or body roll, and with no loss of the car's dynamic abilities.

On top of the centre console is the new seven-inch touchscreen which includes the new entertainment system with DAB radio, phone connectivity and, according to model, navigation system.

In the centre console, Mazda has thrown away the manual handbrake and replaced it with a simple electric button, freeing up more space for storage and the 'command' for a whole range of systems which

falls easily to hand and is instinctive to operate.

The Sport Nav model is the one which has changed most visually, with a more predatory-looking 'face' redesigned to take the new LED headlamp clusters, plus its larger, 19in alloy wheels. This flagship version also comes with a premium Bose entertainment system, leather, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, standard navigation system and 'city brake', which essentially uses radar to stop the sort of low-speed crash all too common in heavy traffic.

It also has Mazda's first HUD, or head-up display system – something that's been around in aircraft for well over half a century but has only been adapted for cars in recent years. Your speed, and a small block diagram from the navigation system, are projected onto a transparent screen in the driver's eyeline, so you never have to look down and away from the road.

No matter which model you choose, you can add a raft of technology with the £800 'technology pack". This includes adaptive LED headlights which automatically cut off individual LEDs within the cluster to avoid dazzling other drivers, whether you're approaching or following.

There's also a city brake support which, unusually, operates at the front as well as the back to automatically prevent you from reversing into things.

The 'safety pack' is pretty comprehensive and seems good value for £800, as even a minor dink could cost you that in time,

trouble and insurance excess, to say nothing of reducing the risk of injury to you or others.

The saloon's boot has space for an impressive 489 litres of cargo but if you need more the Tourer has 506 litres with the rear seats up, and a whopping 1,648 litres if they're folded flat.

The starter model in the new Mazda6 line-up comes with a two-litre, 145PS petrol engine. There's also a 165PS petrol version, and in the diesel world there's the big-selling 150PS option or a retuned 175PS power plant which is only available with Sport Nav trim.

The choice between petrol and diesel is always a fine one, depending on individual taste, driving style and annual mileage.

For me it would be the diesel: the 150PS 'standard' version has considerably more torque – 380Nm – than the highest-rated petrol option (210Nm) and at much lower engine speeds. Acceleration performance is very similar but of course the diesel wins in economy terms.

All versions of the new 6 come with features such as alloy wheels, halogen headlights, fog lamps, electrically adjustable/heated mirrors, multi-adjustable front seats, trip computer, the new and upgraded entertainment and information system, air conditioning, power windows, cruise control with speed limiter, traction and stability controls, front, side and curtain airbags and 'hill hold' assist.

The rather shapely Mazda6, in its current guise, was originally launched in 2013 and has won 'best family car' awards for two years in succession, as it's both fun to drive and practical with generous space for those in the rear in particular.

But in these competitive times no-one can afford to rest on their laurels, hence this mid-life upgrade of ride, refinement and equipment which means Mazda shouldn't have much to fear from newer rivals such as the recently launched VW Passat and Ford Mondeo.

By John Griffiths