Following Mazda's visit to Scotland today with the full range of Mazda 6 saloons and Tourers for the Scottish motoring press to drive, I made one conscious decision. When eventually I get old enough to require (need?) a good handling, comfortable, family car with an automatic gearbox, then the Mazda 6 will be in the short list. With its 175 PS diesel engine and slick 6 speed auto, it's as smooth as a scalpel slicing through a plump maraschino cherry. Even the paddle shift works as well going down the 'box as it does going up, and the surprisingly torquey 2.2 litre oil burner makes the most of it. This is one of those 'Mr Kipling of cars' type machines. But I would make one prime requirement. I'd have the 17 inch standard alloys rather than the 19 inch buttock bruisers.
