| First Drive | Sardinia, Italy | Mazda6 |

So nobody wants mainstream saloons and hatchbacks anymore? That's what everyone is saying, but with the current backlash against some of the sectors that stole sales from such cars in the first place - think SUVs and preposterously large MPVs - then the mainstream family car might just be in for something of a resurgence in popularity. And buyers have never had it so good. There's the excellent Mondeo, Honda's impressive Accord, VW's middle-class respectable Passat and the fleet-friendly Vauxhall Vectra. Mazda has just added another contender in this hotly-contested market too, the new 6. With it Mazda aims to build on the impressive foundations it laid with the outgoing car.

The old 6 really did come from nowhere, shaking up the family and fleet marketplace with its Ford Mondeo rivalling dynamics, neat looks, excellent space and sensible pricing. Its success really rejuvenated Mazda so with its new car Mazda is offering more of the same. This time it's in a more refined tax and environmentally-friendly package. It certainly looks the part, the 6 sure to turn heads in the office car park. The most obvious styling features are the neatly detailed front and rear lights, these working well with the rest of the unfussy design. It's a handsome car that's got an upmarket look about it and one that smartly hides the 6's increased dimensions.

There's a wider track, a longer wheelbase and a taller cabin, the 6's growth increasing the interior space. The cabin itself is light and airy, the large glasshouse adding to the impression of space, and the boot enormous. There's plenty of room in the back seats for taller passengers, with head and legroom good all round. But it's the detailing inside where the 6 really scores. The hatchback and estate models retain the useful one-touch Karakuri split-fold rear seats, the simplicity of their operation making carrying larger objects a real breeze. Mazda has concentrated on making all the 6's controls just as simple, their layout and operation beautifully easy, most functions able to be operated by steering wheel controls via what Mazda calls its CF-Net (cross-functional network).

The trim materials feel good to touch and look good too, and Mazda has been playing about with the backlighting to 'welcome' you aboard at night, and highlight discreetly which button you've just pressed. It's all very upmarket, and the just sort of thing that's likely to appeal to buyers in this segment. It's not just inside where Mazda has been paying attention to the quality; the panel fit outside is right up with the best of the premium competition. Reliability should be assured too, the previous 6 winning several awards for its dogged resistance to faults or breaking down.

For many buyers that'd be enough, but the 6 goes further by offering quite eerie refinement and an enjoyable driving experience. Three petrol engines are offered from launch, a 1.8 with 118bhp, a 2.0-litre with 144bhp and a 2.5-litre with 167bhp. A 2.0-litre turbodiesel with 138bhp will also be available. All the petrol units are smooth, the 2.0-litre unit being the most rounded performer, feeling only fractionally slower than the larger 2.5, yet usefully torqueier than the 1.8. The 0-62mph sprint is achieved in the 1.8 in 11.7 seconds, the 2.0-litre in 10.3 seconds and the 2.5 in 8.3 seconds. All offer decent efficiency, the two smaller capacity engines able to deliver over 40mpg on the official combined cycle, and the 2.5-litre managing 34.8mpg. An official combined consumption figure of 50.4mpg is expected for the turbodiesel when it arrives.

Mazda has managed to eek more mpg out of each version via tweaking of the engine range and also by reducing the car's weight. So despite the 6's increase in size and extra equipment, the range is lighter. Mazda claims that the 6's bulk, if following conventional thinking, should have gone up by around 90kg, but it's managed to shave as much as 35kg off some models in comparison to the outgoing car.

That weight loss is significant, not just for reduced CO₂ emissions - which have dropped by around 19-20% like-for-like from the outgoing models - but for the 6's dynamics. Always a car that was a contender for class honours on the driver entertainment front, the new 6 is even more enjoyable. Key to this is the 6's steering rack, it being borrowed from Mazda's RX-8 Coupe. It's quick and nicely weighted, the 6's suspension nicely judged too, giving it a sporty feel but avoiding a harsh ride. Body control is excellent, the 6 resisting roll and pitch, it demonstrating perfectly that being mainstream doesn't need to mean dull. Indeed, against the class-leading Mondeo it feels far more wieldy, its seemingly smaller dimensions making it a more natural performer on tighter, winding roads.

So what's not to like? The new Mazda6 is handsome, refined, well equipped, sensibly priced, more economical and enjoyable to drive. That's quite an achievement and one that has the 6 troubling the best cars in the class. This market might be a declining one, but when the cars in it are as good as the 6 it really should be one that's growing.