ESTATE car practicality often comes at a price - you have all the room and versatility you could possibly wish for, but sadly the car looks like a bulky, load-lugging machine.

But that's certainly not the case with the ultra-stylish Mazda6 Tourer with its sleek streamlined profile and eye-catching good looks.

Despite offering a boot capacity of 522 litres, which is increased to a whopping 1,648 with the rears seats dropped flat, the five-door car drives like a dynamic family saloon and is exceptionally economical along the way.

It looks smart from any angle with the likes of 19-inch alloys, LED headlights with LED daytime running lights, a striking grille, silver roof rails, twin tailpipes and tinted windows adding to its appeal.

Move inside and the premium build quality is instantly noticeable thanks to elegant leather upholstery, neat chrome trim and a soft-touch dashboard.

There is a generous amount of on-board technology as standard, including a pitch perfect BOSE sound system complete with 11 speakers, a DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity, dual-zone air conditioning, a reversing camera, powered and heated front seats, sat nav and a head-up display.

The interior is neatly laid out with all controls and readouts perfectly positioned for ease of use, and a simple-to-operate rotary dial between the front seats is used to access the features on the colour infotainment screen.

The cabin is exceptionally spacious with ample room for five adults and there are plenty of handy storage compartments such as a deep glovebox, convenient central bin, cup holders, trays and a drop-down sunglasses holder.

This range-topping Sport Nav model was powered by a very frugal but powerful 2.2-litre 150ps diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

The car can reach 62mph from a standing start in 9.2 seconds and tops out at 130mph.

According to official figures it can achieve combined fuel economy of 64.2mpg with carbon emissions of 116g/km.

The Mazda6 Tourer will have instant appeal to any business driver who clocks up the motorway miles because the car glides effortlessly along eating up the Tarmac.

The acceleration through the gears is smooth and responsive with a constant supply of power on tap. The efficient suspension irons out the uneven surfaces and the effective insulation blots out any outside noise.

In busy town centres the good all-round visibility is a bonus, as are the parking sensors and reversing camera. Then on faster lanes and motorways the car is happy to crank up the power. The road-holding is assured and the steering nice and precise.

The all-round driving experience is difficult to find fault with and despite clocking up more than 200 miles, the fuel gauge barely seemed to drop.