You will have noticed in the glossies in the weekend newspapers that car adverts are akin to a circus barker’s promise: designed to pull in passing trade.
Advertising of this nature – all style and little substance with the important bits in miniscule print – is naturally ephemeral by nature.
The car with the stylish lines and the Impressionist background – always a blue sky and a woman in a jumper – is basically a lure: ultimately, the only test, the one that will determine if you bite or not, is applying your foot to the throttle.
Then, all the senses should come into play: the purr of the engine (or not), the feel of the clutch, the view in the wing mirrors and so on and so forth.
This week’s test drive model, the new Mazda 6, is a feast for and of the senses, the it-only-takes-one-date type of car. The feast is both tactile and visual.
Whoever designed the Mazda 6 had a sensitive drawing line to begin with – continuity unfurling endlessly – and then set about clothing the exterior with chemistry of what lies beneath.
For example. The swooping front wings suggest an equipoise in movement which, in the mind’s eye, is connected with a unique ultra capacitor, whose function is to charge the car when it slows, and kinetic energy is converted into electricity.
You see the Mazda quest for endless perfection in how a car like the 6 performs is driven by maximising the recycling capacity of the enormous energy at its disposal.
I experienced this last year with one of the most worthwhile drives of something entirely new, the CX-5, a novel take by Mazda on what an SUV can be.
Even from this perspective I look back on my jaunt with the CX-5 with a reverential smile: it tamed several roads in Wicklow that wouldn’t make it onto a map.
This was my introduction to the tangible benefits of the Skyactive Technology, a philosophy of powerful elegance and exciting dynamics which has transferred to the 6.
So as the 6 slows in traffic, the alternator is charged and it in turn powers the ultra capacitor, a feat of regeneration which accounts for a saving of 10% of fuel economy.
The i-stop pauses the engine rather than stalling it when the car is at a standstill, so iit kick starts with much less fuel.
The 6 (2.2 diesel, 150 PS, Sport SE, price E37,245) promises a return of 67 mpg, and after driving it to Dublin and back, this curvilinear saloon, with a wheelbase extended to increase foot room in the rear seats, didn’t disappoint.

To truly appreciate and understand Skyactive Technology, you have to view it as a method of telepathy between the smooth six speed transmission, and a choice if 148 bhp or 173 bhp four cylinder engine, with a two stage turbo charger which boosts torque levels to 5,500 rpm. The top speed of the 6 is 131 mph and 62 mph which is achieved in nine seconds.

With the 6, Mazda has every intention of muscling in on BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi territory, and whether it succeeds or not may have more to do with the conservatism of badge snobbery than its merits, of which there are many.
At a practical level, the car’s unexpected extras were a boon during early mornings of mist and frost: the rear vehicle monitoring was invaluable and the ice warning wasn’t ignored.
At night on twisty roads the adaptive front lighting redirected the headlights when cornering, while a high beam is automatically reduced to with oncoming traffic.
However, saving the best for last, the 6 is frankly beautiful to drive and from the off you will find the response totally exhilarating. Admittedly, some, though not I, have found 6 to be a firm drive, but that depends on perhaps what you are used to. I found it anything but firm but then I have an affinity with Mazda and think I know how to get the best out of its cars.
Inside, from the optional leather seats to the tactile and communicative dashboard, the ergonomic design of the 6 reflects the Mazda philosophy of segueing the driver to the intuitive switches and dial in a display that is not complicated or busy.
To conclude, the new Mazda 6 is exquisitely refined, handles assuredly and in performance is quite sensational.