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At the risk of alienating my fellow motoring scribes, I love the permanent running lights that give the new Mazda 6 estate a slightly menacing air when you see it hoving into view in your mirrors. The in-thing these days is to sniff disdainfully and say they're a naff addition to a well-styled car, and isn't it a shame that everyone now uses them, but I don't care. I love them. I also like the red-and-blue instrument lights and - let's face it - just about everything to do with Mazda's new estate car. It's cheaply priced, no doubt reliable, a genuine pleasure to drive and it looks fab.

When the original Mazda 6 was launched back in 2002, it heralded a new era for the Japanese manufacturer. One facelift and a total redesign later, the most recent version takes the model from strength to strength. It's a very good-looking machine and must be a real contender for fleet and private drivers' wishlists. With a choice of 2.0-litre diesel or 1.8, 2.0 and 2.5-litre petrol engines, and four equipment levels (including the new range-topping Sport Luxury spec), there should be a Mazda 6 to suit most lifestyles and budgets.

I drove the 2.5-litre 170PS petrol estate, which was a beautifully balanced creature: the handling is a delight and you can't help making comparisons with the oh-so-fabulous Ford Mondeo estate. Even in such illustrious company, the Mazda doesn't fall short, and you get the refined sense of a premium car without the premium price-tag. That price is just a whisper over £20,000 for this particular version of the estate, with the 2.0-litre model at a mere £17,330.