Mazda Mazda6 Saloon Grey

Mazda offers the 6 with a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, all with sufficient power to give it decent – if not exhilarating – pace. The petrol engines are quite rare in that that they’re not turbocharged, so you have to rev them pretty hard to get the best from them. There’s not a lot to separate them for outright pace. It goes without saying that the 165-horsepower version of the 2.0 feels a bit stronger than the 145-horsepower version, although not by as much as you’d expect. Likewise, the 194-horespower 2.5 doesn’t feel like a big step up in pace, but that’s partly because it comes with an automatic gearbox as standard. For more effortless pace than the petrols, look to either of the 2.2 diesels. Whether you choose the 150- or 184-horsepower version. A sweet-shifting six-speed manual gearbox is standard for all but the 2.5 petrol, while an automatic gearbox is an option for the lower-powered 2.0 petrol and both diesels.