Mazda is plotting a huge product offensive and a large-scale renewal of its line-up, in an attempt to revitalise the brand and reverse its declining sales figures. Touchy about being thought of as a "one-car company" - the producers of the MX-5 sports car - Mazda intends to inject some passion, desirability and, errr, "zoom zoom" (you can't have missed the ads) back into its non-roadster line-up. First up for the zoom zoom treatment is its medium-sector contender; replacing the uninspired 626 is the Mazda6 (we'll just call it the 6 here), a crucial car for the company as it climbs back into profit and back onto the radar of enthusiastic drivers.

The 6 is an all-new product, which Mazda is ambitiously pitching against the so-called prestige products of its size, the BMW 3-Series, Volkswagen Passat, Audi A4 and so on, proclaiming it as the premium Japanese alternative. Realistically, it will be fighting the cheaper Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Vectra, Nissan Primera, Renault Laguna and so on, but that's no easy job either given the extensive all-round abilities of all of these. Mazda is unshakably confident that the 6 will meet the challenge, saying that it is "best in class" on a number of criteria; buyers can make their own minds up, but we can confirm that it's a worthy contender for sales in this declining, but still important, fleet- or company car-dominated market - it's marginally short of a five star rating.

The 6 is available in saloon or 'Sport' hatchback form, or as a 'Wagon' estate.