Mazda6 2.3 Sport - 9,351 miles

IN September last year, when writing a road test on our Mazda6 1.8 TS long- termer, I remarked that I loved the car's stylish looks and sporting image but would have preferred it with more 'oomph'.

Well, cue drum roll, the Mazda6 2.3 Sport, provides the answer and it is one of the latest additions to our long-term test fleet.

The colour of our model – pacific blue – is stunning and the car is as handsome as ever. And I'm pleased to report that its engine is eager to please.

Not that I was able to unleash its full performance on one recent trip.

Like hundreds of other poor motorists including colleague Simon Harris, I was recently caught out by a nasty bout of heavy snow that would make brass monkeys huddle together for warmth. It rendered the A14 and M11 in Essex and Cambridgeshire treacherous and for many hours, impassable.

However, I was very pleased to have the Mazda6 as my travelling companion on this trip.

It was during this mammoth journey (seven hours to cover 70 miles) when I most enjoyed some of its many standard features. The six CD autochanger and fantastic Bose sound system kept me entertained and the climate control ensured I didn't turn as blue as the car.

Company car tax bill 2003 (22% taxpayer): £88.18 per month