THE Mazda6 Tourer achieved a first as it made a week spent trawling up and down the country visiting various universities a pleasure.

Many motorway miles were clocked up with my college-seeking son in the 2.2-litre diesel-driven estate - but the spacious, well designed interior, smooth ride and neat handling made it anything but a chore.

Never known to willingly sit in uncool cars, the prospective undergraduate was initially a bit sniffy about travelling in an estate.

However when he saw the recently revamped sporty-looking Tourer with its neat nose and dynamic front wings he had no problem climbing into the cabin.

He didn't notice the silver roof rails that SE-L models are also equipped with, but I thought they were a natty addition - as were the distinctive LED daytime running lights.

Under the bonnet a 150ps oil burner, linked to a slick six-speed manual gearbox, is a star providing plenty of power on tap. It reaches 62mph from a standing start in a shade over nine seconds on its way to a claimed top speed of 130mph.

Good performance figures are married to reasonably low running costs thanks to the SkyActiv badge on the tailgate which indicates the Tourer is fitted with Mazda's fuel-saving stop-start system, as well as clever electronics to harvest energy that would otherwise be lost when braking.

So the 2.2D SE-L is refreshingly frugal with fuel boasting a claimed average fuel figure of around 67mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of just 110g/km - making it attractive to company car drivers looking to reduce their tax bill.

For me it meant being able to travel to Bath University and back while still having plenty of diesel for a trip to sample the delights of Sheffield's higher education facilities without ever having to think about re-fuelling.

The badge may say Tourer, but this Mazda is more like a saloon to drive as you zip around town or cruise effortlessly to the next set of roadworks on the M1. This is no fusty old estate but a modern motor offering plenty of grip designed to give confidence and a fun driving experience.

This is enhanced by the comfortable position behind the steering wheel - which is easy to achieve - and excellent visibility all round.

It is a big car but the addition of front and rear parking sensors and light steering mean there is no hassle when it comes to slotting into tight city centre spaces.

Being a refined beast the Tourer's cabin has a touch of the bouncer about it, refusing to let in wind and road noise while offering a warm welcome for five adults.

Their luggage is also easily accommodated as the boot is a roomy 522-litres with the rear seats in place expanding to 1,664-litres when they are folded down.

Up front a new electronic parking brake frees up space in the cockpit and there are a number of cubby holes as well as door bins and cup holders.

The dashboard is well set out with air-con controls low down while the touch-screen infotainment system is close to eye level.

Mazda throws a lot of goodies at the 28-model, five trim line up with the SE-L I drove adding dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers, climate control, privacy glass and the aforementioned parking sensors to the SE spec's electric door mirrors, keyless start, and a touch-screen infotainment system. The equipment list becomes ever more extensive if you climb up to the SE-L Nav and Sport Nav models.

There's also lots of safety equipment with front, side and curtain airbags offered as standard as well as radar-controlled cruise control and clever gadgetry that warns if the car in front is too close and brakes if it detects an imminent accident.