IN a motoring world where change is never very far away the estate car continues to give of its best despite constantly facing legion competitors of so-called people carriers coming in all shapes and sizes.

Today's estate car has come a long way since those early days of the 1950s and 1960s when the breed was little more than a line up of glorified vans fitted with rear windows and seats following the carrying scene as shooting brakes and station wagons.

I have just tried the estate version of the Mazda6, which came with stylish good looks and proved fun to drive.

With 21 Mazda6 models on offer in hatchback and estate styles, there are six engines, three petrol and a trio of diesels, plus four kit levels from which to choose with an attractive starting price of £17,805 on the road.

Quite a sophisticated facia faces you from the driving seat and the durable look of the interior fittings made cabinside a particularly comfortable place while overall there is also much to admire on the inside.

Ability and style have dovetailed in harmony to produce some pretty aggressive front styling and with the 2.2-litre 185ps MZR-CD diesel engine paired with a six-speed manual gearbox proving very responsive.

Handling ability comes out of the top drawer with plenty of grip to boost road holding plus some precise steering. There is also plenty of urge to be found to get the best out of overtaking.

I found the 185ps model more than adequate for tackling the urban trawl or cruising over the long haul thanks to some pretty effortless progress.

This range-topping model did promise the capability of being able to cover the 0-62mph dash in under nine seconds and deliver some combined driving performance results of a little over 53mpg which I considered a pretty good return.

With a cargo volume of 1,751 litres when loaded to the roof with rear seats folded flat (510 litres with rear seats up) the 4.78-metre long Mazda6 Estate proved a capable carrier.

Mazda's unique Karakuri 60/40 split, easy fold seat mechanism proved quite a boon when getting ready for the off.

The Mazda6 Estate is a capably competent family car, a great all rounder which comes well put together.

There is a decent amount of legroom in the rear of the cabin while additional equipment includes the likes of eight-speaker sound system with six CD changer, heated front seats, climate control, front and rear parking sensors and multi function steering wheel.