A stone chip which turned into a large crack down the windscreen unfortunately cut short our time with the Mazda6.

It was a shame as the limited period spent with the car was a pleasant experience.

As an estate, it is destined to be filled with clutter and children and therefore has plenty of cubby-holes and wipe-clean seats to fulfil that role.

Boot space of 519 litres expands to 1,751 litres with the seats down, which is marginally bigger than the Ford Mondeo. Combined mpg is 51.4.

The dashboard does lack the quality look and feel of competitors but the car offers good value for money in a price-conscious sector.

• Engine 2.2 TS2 diesel
• Price £19,010