As I write this, the Mazda 6 is one of five cars shortlisted for the Semperit Irish Car of the Year 2003, the winner of which will be announced on Thursday. It came second in both the European Car of the Year 2003 and the Danish Car of the Year 2003.

And it is not hard to see why this replacement for the 626 has done so well in the very short time since it was introduced. Developed under the guiding hand of Ford, which has run the company for a number of years, the new 6 is everything the predecessor car was not. It looks good, has modern engines, an interior that lifts it close to the luxury class, and it drives very well indeed.

When we took it on photoshoots before it became well known, it was compared by onlookers to BMWs and Lexuses in looks. And that’s not surprising, because there are elements of style from both those luxury end brands in this car.

It doesn’t go over the top in style, or anything near it. And that’s probably a good thing, because this is aimed at a relatively conservative market segment - the middle/upper managers, the mature family group - and yet there is a deal of distinction in several of the cues. The front end, with its wide lights clusters that sleek rearwards into the wing, will make a strong impression in any rear view mirror. Likewise, the rear lights encased in clear smoked lens covers stand out clearly in the car park pack.

Inside, a nice change from many Japanese cars of today, it is bright and airy, and I admire the selection of trim and the style of the centre dash are in particular, with large controls for climate and entertainment systems, and a good strong-lit information screen which won’t disappear on a bright day.

The seats, and the material they’re covered in, are as good as they ever were in the predecessor car (this has long been one area where Mazda provided best in class, even when the overall older vehicle became dull), and a good driving position seems to just happen almost of its own accord. At the same time, I found that rear leg room is more than ample for somebody of my stature, and - here’s again a specific improvement from the 626 - headroom is also more than adequate.

So far I’ve had occasion to drive the 6 in 2-litre petrol and 2-litre turbodiesel guises, the latter in wagon form and over a very mixed set of twist backroads as well as motorway. They produced 138bhp and 134bhp respectively, and the petrol unit is lively and almost sporty in sound. It is also a very well behaved engine, and allows a very even progress right through its working revs range.

The Tdi, though with a slightly less power output, has an enormous torque low down, to the point that a fast stab on the ‘go’ pedal from standstill can have you in a seriously fast accelerative mode before you know it. There’s a lower-power 118bhp Tdi as well. The one in the wagon I drove was well quietened, and even on a cold start only barely let on it was an oilburner.

They’ve picked up well on the suspension designs too, and the 6 is a car which will allow a mature driver to enjoy whatever kind of motoring he or she likes, whether a long lope to the West on main highways, or a bit of twisty fun on a winding mountain road. The good thing about it - and it is why I specified ‘mature’ - is that the characteristics of the 6 don’t require particularly fast driving to appreciate the car.

Maybe it’s because Mazda in this segment has come now from being quite a way behind (having been top of the heap, though, back in the early 90s), but I found it hard put to find anything I dislike about it so far. Perhaps some more time behind the wheel will do that. But the only thing that bothers me is the complexity of the price/specification list, which includes various ‘packs’ for Comfort, Touring, Sport and Sport Touring.

It’s going to keep the salesmen busy explaining the options and what they include.

Still, I wouldn’t like to be going back to the days when the only extra choice was whether to have the new car rustproofed, at extra expense, and where electric windows, remote locking, airbags (there are eight in the 6), ABS, outside mirrors (I remember when all you got was the one inside, never mind electric outsides), steering audio controls and touring computers weren’t even thought of.

The cars as driven were E28,240 and E31,500 respecyively. You can get into a 6 with a 1.8-litre engine from E24,640, or go as high as E41,260 for the just-announced 2.3-litre AWD Sports Wagon.

Better still, a Mazda in this segment is now a REAL choice again.