I’ve become a member of the privileged plate-change club at last. This morning my fiancée’s 57-plate Mazda5 Sport Nav in Galaxy Grey was delivered to our home looking all shiny, immaculate and brand-spanking new.

It was delivered by Norton Way Mazda just as I was about to leave for the office, so naturally I decided to hang around for a few minutes. Norton Way is an AM Award-winning group, so expectations were high. I’m pleased to say the delivery driver (who had no idea who I work for) was spot on, with a thorough walk-round the car before showing my fiancée all the controls, how to program the sat-nav, and where to find the tool kit and spare wheel.

He shook our hands and even cheerily gave our Labrador, Bod, a pat on the head before departing. That’s just the right kind of person the motor retail industry needs more of.

Our whole experience in choosing a Mazda5 has been painless. Peterborough’s Mazda dealer, Donalds, loaned us a demonstrator for an hour on a weekend so the whole family could try it for size. Even though we’ve not bought the car from Donalds, we’ll be regular aftersales customers given the 25,000 annual mileage the car will cover.

The Mazda5’s arrival wasn’t the only excitement this morning. My 4-year-old stepson started school. He’s mad about cars, and within 24 hours of my arriving home in a press car gains an in-depth understanding of all its buttons and systems. Expect to read his views on our Mazda5 in a future blog!