MAZDA'S stylish saloon has always been one of the best looking in its class since it first came on the scene.

But in a bit of a twist it has been outdone, strangely, by the estate version, which is a striking looking vehicle.

With its cat-like features on the grille to the swooping slope to the rear, roof bars and smart alloys, Mazda6 Tourer looks as much like an elongated coupe than a traditional estate.

It's much more fashionable these days to call the estate a Sportwagon or in this case Tourer, but they remain an estate, but how the styling has moved on.

Mazdas have always been ultra-reliable with customers regularly returning to the brand and they are now up there with the best in terms of quality.

The interior matches many of the premium with high quality soft touch finish chrome inserts to steering wheel and gear lever, high quality seats and reassuring clunk and clicks throughout the cabin. 

The dash is pleasantly and logically laid out and controls are handily placed. As the name of this model implies, the sat nav is an important factor and the central touch screen which controls the navigation, Bluetooth, entertainment and air con is obviously a key component.

Dials and switches are logically placed and sturdy and the seats are comfortable supportive. You would expect plenty of head and legroom and are not disappointed.

It looks good and feels good and the powertrain is impressive as well, one of a range of the firm's fuel-saving SKYACTIV technology petrol and diesel engines paired to six-speed automatic or manual transmissions.

The two petrol and two diesel engines available feature an i-ELOOP capacitor-based brake energy regeneration system which boosts economy by up to 10 per cent  when combined with stop/start system.

The 175ps diesel engine powering this Tourer offers real sporty performance together with excellent economy.

The 2.2-litre unit accelerates the car from 0-60mph in jus eight second, real hot hatch territory, and on to a top speed of 137mph.

The punchy diesel also has bags of torque which really comes into its own on the motorway where the car surges from 50-70mph effortlessly making overtaking a breeze.

A high capacity engine, but still economical deliver an impressive, claimed, 61mpg and low CO2 emisisons of 121g/km, making it an attractive fleet buy.

Its streamlined shape means its sliippery through the air and wind and road noise are kept to a minimum.

On lesser roads the ride can become a bit unsettled but generally it is a comfortable place to be. It handles well for a long car while the responsive steering takes the car directely to where you want it to go.

Obviously estates need to be practical and while not the biggest by any means the vehicle offers plenty of stowage space, both in the boot with 506 litres with seats in place, expanding to 1,648 litres with the seats folded.

It is not the cheapest in its class, the entry level model comes in at nearly £21,345 but is well equipped with the entry model boasting equipment that would be options with many competitors.

Available in SE, SE-L and Sport trim, standard equipment includes 5.8-inch colour touch screen, integrated Bluetooth, iPod and USB connectivity, cruise control,  17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. But you will have to add at least £500 for metallic paint whichever model you choose.

Mazda has a good safety record and the tourer features all round airbags, electronic stability and traction control and assisted braking, and hill hold, plus Isofix child seat anchor points.

Not cheap to buy, but packed with standard kit, and there's Mazda's legendary reliability record to take into account which when all combined make this some car.