Running report, Mazda6 Saloon 2.5 194ps GT Sport Auto

I got a new chauffeuring job in July.

No, I haven’t left Professional Driver. And no, I’m not getting paid for it. I’ve been spending the month chauffeuring various members of my family around. On demand.

That means now.

I do it willingly, of course. Even in the hottest month since British weather records began. And of course, it gives me a great chance to put the Mazda6 through some long drives, City drives and back road trips.

In particular, my daughter had university interviews (no idea where her brains come from!) so off we went to Bristol, Britain’s most confusing city. Thankfully, the mad heat was kept in check through a combination of climate control and ventilated seats. This meant I didn’t arrive at my destination a sweaty angry mess!

This is a decent run, 170 miles each way, so it was a good opportunity to stretch the Mazda 6’s legs down the M4. Every time I drive the car I discover more of the great features – such as the super-bright LED headlights, great for the last leg of the journey through dark forests in Kent, where you need to have good vision in case a rather large deer decides to take a stroll across the carriageway.

On the motorway, the assistance features such as lane-keep assist, blind spot monitor and adaptive cruise control make the drive so much more relaxing. It’s not until you have these features that you realise how much you needed them. The 6 is most at home on the motorway.

It’s quiet and responsive, and feels like a bigger car than an upper-medium saloon. All my (non-paying) passengers found the seats very comfortable and supportive.

Our test car has a head-up display which is much-needed these days with the amount of average speed cameras and temporary speed restrictions. The sat-nav system was more impressive, with speed camera alerts and live traffic updates Sadly, it doesn’t remind me to pay the Dartford tunnel crossing the next day. Oops!

At one point, the heat became so bad I began using the car as an office which was far more enjoyable than the tiny little cupboard my family have allotted me at home.

The negatives from the last month boiled down to the fact that the boot only unclicks when you press the key instead of opening fully and the DAB radio needs to be more powerful so that I don’t miss the crucial ball being bowled during the cricket commentary.

This is definitely a car that would grace any private hire fleet it has a nice presence, good boot space and will comfortably seat 4 passengers.

And the 39mpg that I am getting is slightly more than the brochure said it would be – result! Mazda says you should feel at one with the car, and increasingly, that’s the case.