I have been particularly impressed by the magnificent torquey 2.2-litre diesel. The motor is available in a number of models including Mazda3 and CX-7.

The 6 speed manual gearbox is a delight to use across the range. 1st gear is fairly low ratio but is well suited to some modest towing demands.

I am looking forward to driving the new CX-5 when it arrives soon.

I suppose it is easy to rate a car too highly but generally my Mazda6 diesel wagon ticks all the boxes.

The same vehicle in an AWD variant would be a winner.