Mazda6 Estate: month 2

Arrived: May 2008
List price (including options): £19,490
Average economy: 38.0mpg

The Mazda6 Estate has been -

Busy. Very busy. The odometer is now around the 5,500 mark, the 6 Estate having covered over 3,000 miles since it arrived just over a month ago. Much of the recent mileage has been thanks to a trip to Le Mans and back - a visit to the 24-hour French race a must for any car fan. Camping is very much the thing at Le Mans, and despite my driving partner springing an additional passenger on me the night before we left the Mazda6 coped admirably, hauling us and all our stuff down through France. Indeed, few believed we managed to squeeze so much into it. We decided to be civilised this year and stop for a spot of golf on the way, so there were additional demands on the boot space for three sets of clubs along with the camping gear and bikes. Yep, bikes. Three of them, carefully dismantled and mixed in with three tents, sleeping bags, a camping cooker, lights and even a fridge (warm beer a no-no when you're camping). All with room for three adults: just. Very impressive.

We're loving the -

Boot. Hats off again to its size. My bike has been in there quite a bit recently and it goes in easily with the seats up - so long as I take both wheels off. The same job in a Volkswagen Tiguan I drove recently required both rear seats folding down. Lifestyle cars? Estate cars are more lifestyle than SUVs. The more miles I put on the Mazda the more I appreciate the seats; they're firm, supportive and leave me ache and pain free even after many hours behind the wheel. The deep centre cubby between the driver and passenger is proving a real boon too, it fitting all the kit I use on a daily basis and having neat cut-outs for cables; I can have my iPod - or phone charger - plugged in and accessible without wires being all over the place. It's a neat touch that shows someone's really thought about the interior.

But not so impressed by -

The steering. Fully loaded on the way to Le Mans the power steering would load up with inconsistent weighting at times. I put it down to the fact that there was so much weight in the rear, as it's not something I've noticed since being back in the UK and driving without the kitchen sink in the rear.

Unfortunately, the exterior paintwork seems prone to scratching, a deep scratch on the front wing mysteriously appearing when it was parked overnight at an airport car park. Annoying. I take the blame for the other mark on the inside of the rear door opening - my haste in trying to get the beer fridge out and plugged in at Le Mans caused it. Oops. Thankfully it's only visible when you open the door. Still, I think I'll be investigating scratch repair services in the coming months. The engine seems to have freed up a bit with more use, but it's not the quietest when accelerating, though is nicely hushed when cruising.

We're looking forward to -

Getting all of the French camping detritus out of it. I'm still finding half-eaten packets of mints, beer-bottle tops and the odd tent peg in the 6. It'll be getting treated to a good valet before I point it north to Scotland, where it'll be transporting me for a weekend back home. I'm looking forward to enjoying it on the more interesting roads through the Scottish Borders.

Kyle Fortune