Fresh from testing the MX-5, our man hops into the CX-60 large SUV for a week’s test.

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 Mazda CX-60 3.3 e-Skyactiv D AWD Takumi

List price (BiK): £50,445 (32%) CO2: 139g/km Economy: 53.3mpg Test efficiency:48.2mpg

Monday

Another week and a very different Mazda to the MX-5 that was wrenched from my grasp. This process was made easier by the roadster being replaced with this CX-60. It’s in 254hp 3.3-litre straight-six Takumi spec, so sits at the top of the mild hybrid line-up. A plug-in hybrid model makes more financial sense for fleet users with its 8% BiK rate (versus 32% for the car here), but this is also a solid option for those who spend more of their driving life on motorways.

Tuesday

It’s a big SUV, the CX-60. I hadn’t realised until meeting this, the first one I’ve encountered, and it’s definitely got presence. A BMW X5-owning friend is suitably impressed and a bit surprised in a good way when he learns it’s a Mazda and not a Lexus or Genesis. He’s also keen on the sound the 3.3 e-Skyactiv D engine makes, which he reckons has been tuned to appeal to BMW buyers.

Wednesday

There’s nothing wrong with the acceleration of this CX-60. Off the mark, it’s brisk and keeps pulling all the way to motorways speeds. The eight-speed auto gearbox is just as slick and I’ve quickly grown to like the stubby selector and the way it slots across the gate to go from Park to Reverse. The only negative is it can take a moment to wake up when the car is started before it will let you select Reverse or Drive.

Thursday

A day of short hops on local back roads and I had to do a double, then triple, audio take. At first, I thought it was just something thrown up by the wheels on these scabby roads, but it’s happened several times now. There’s a faint but just there whirr every now again that feels like the four-wheel drive system is having a debate with itself. It doesn’t affect the drive, but now I’ve noticed this, it has started to irritate.

Friday

On some flowing A-roads this morning and they quickly show the CX-60 is not a match for a BMW X3 or X5 in the corners due to the Mazda’s body lean and steering that leans very much towards comfort over sensation. That’s no bad thing and the CX-60 is very good at dealing with lumpy, punchy road surfaces. It’s also free from wind noise at higher speeds, making it a very able long-distance machine.

Saturday

There’s no third row of seats in the CX-60 and that’s fine with me. It means there’s plenty of legroom this morning for my son and his ever-more lanky chums as we head to football. There’s also a the large 570-litre boot that gobbles up their kit bags with ease. The high load sill would be more of a challenge for loading up the family dog if she were to be allowed into the car, which she’s not with test cars.

Sunday

Coffee and number crunching this morning shows the CX-60 has turned in 48.2mpg over the past seven days. That’s pretty good against an official figure of 53.3mpg as I’ve made plenty of use of the six-cylinder engine’s deep lungs to pass the treacly thick holiday traffic that is now prevalent in my neck of the woods. Given the PHEV version of the CX-60 offers 35.8mpg if you can’t charge it up, that’s a point to the diesel model.