FOR me, the comfort of the latest Mazda6 puts it right at the top of a very competitive class that includes the Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and VW Passat.

It's also beautifully put together, with the kind of build quality that means it will last and last.

As well as that excellent ride, which means occupants will remain comfortable over many hundreds of miles, refinement is also top notch.

Wind, road and engine noise are all very subdued, which means there is no problem talking to rear seat passengers at motorway speeds.

The engine range is limited to two sizes and four power outputs. The excellent and very tuneful 2.0-litre petrol unit comes with either 143bhp or 163bhp, while the 2.2-litre diesel offers 148bhp or 173bhp.

The lower powered models of both petrol and diesel are the better buys because they're going to be cheaper, and they still offer good performance.

In manual form, the petrol is good for 0 to 62 miles an hour in 9.4 seconds, and the diesel covers the same sprint even quicker at just 9 seconds. Best performer is the 173bhp diesel, which does the acceleration benchmark in 7.8 seconds.

Six speed manual gearboxes are standard, but the six speed auto, while very smooth and easy to live with, cuts acceleration times by about a second.

Petrols are good for about 40 miles per gallon in everyday driving, which is fantastic for such a big car, and the diesels can reach over 50 according to owners.

But these are cars that drive so beautifully it's difficult to keep your foot off the loud pedal, and therefore some owners may not reach these figures!

The supple ride might suggest a penalty to be paid in handling and roadholding, but not so with this one.

There is loads of grip, and the balance, even when pressed very hard around a circuit, is excellent. There is a little roll, but I've never found it too uncomfortable. Steering is responsive and direct adding to the enjoyment.

This is a car that's every bit as good to drive as a Mercedes, while not quite matching up to the all-round ability of the BMW 3-series.

The level of equipment is excellent, surpassing many others. Lowest SE gets alloys, electric mirrors with puddle lights, start/stop, cruise, air con, multi-function leather covered steering wheel, front fog lights, LED rear lights, and CD audio aux in and USB.

Early models had a 5.8-inch touchscreen but this became 7.0 inches from 2015, and other kit includes bluetooth, driver's lumbar adjustment and a 60/40 split-folding rear seat.

The 2015 update also added an electric parking brake, see you home headlights, Mazda's Multimedia Commander control system, a DAB radio and the MZD Connect system, which allows access to the internet while on the move.

Pay about £8,200 for a '13 13-reg 2.0-litre 143bhp SE Nav petrol, or £11,900 for a '16 16-reg 2.2-litre 148bhp SE-L diesel.