THE rebirth of MG in Britain under Chinese ownership has been an accelerating success story.

Take the MG6 sports saloon as an example. Early examples scored a definite ‘could do better' mark, but the latest incarnation which features diesel-only power in a fastback body has made the rest of the car market sit up and take notice.

At £17,995 the 150ps TL model I drove gave the instant impression of a lively, good looking all-rounder and what stood out most was the quantum leap in build quality.

No matter where you look MG has tightened up in this area and the whole car now says quality rather than just value.

The diesel DTi-TECH engine emits just 119g/km of CO2 and is capable of returning 61.4mpg.

And it is picking up awards including honours for best security and best handling.

Maybe not up to BMW or Audi standards, but definitely on the road to better things.

And the interior has demonstrated the benefits of an upgrade with a better fit of trim, better materials and the new MG touch infotainment system.

The in-house 1.9-litre DTi-Tech variable rate turbocharged diesel engine has 120mph in its sights. Most of the design and engineering development work of the engine was carried out at the MG Birmingham site which occupies part of the old BMC Mini site.

The diesel has an impressive maximum torque figure of 350NM at 1,800rpm. The torque curve through the six-speed transmission is a particular feature of this new power train and offers strong acceleration through the gears with brisk overtaking speed.

An interesting feature is Smart Charging, a system which saves energy by only supplying power to certain electrical components when it is actually needed. Diesel MG6 models have E-HPAS - a progressively variable power assistance feature which means that the steering is lighter at parking speeds and firmer at motorway cruising speeds.

With the MG6's widely acclaimed chassis and suspension, specially tuned for the diesel, the result is sporty handling dynamics with the practicality of a family five-seater.

Muscling in to a marketplace dominated by the likes of Audi and BMW, the MG6 has a tough job, but it steps in to the lower end of the sports saloon arena, offering a surprising blend of value, performance, driving enjoyment and practicality.