The road manners of the car entice us to push harder, and the steering is well calibrated to place the front wheels exactly where you want. And despite the sport suspension, the ride is still smooth for comfortable driving on the highway.

Materials and build quality are appreciable.

Still a beauty
Even after 5 years on the market, the 6's appearance still pleases me. Svelte and muscular, it shows no excess body fat. The front and rear overhangs are a little long, but overall, I won't get tired of looking at it.

My appreciation for the 6 continues in the cockpit. The materials are high-quality stuff, and everything is executed in good taste. The silver trim is a nice contrast on the dashboard and the centre console, and the leather is nice, despite my preference for cloth seats.

I'm a little tired of the red instrument display, however. And though I will sound like a broken record, it's shameful that the sound system can't read MP3 files while its competition can. The navigation system works well, but it doesn't display every street name, and it looks like the screen only has 8 colors. The small joystick on the remote control isn't very precise.

Practical
Weighing only 130 lbs more than the sedan, the 6SW offers more than twice the cargo capacity with the rear seats in place. Fold them down, and you'll end up with an impressive amount of space.

What I find quite interesting, is the levers located on each side of the cargo area that allow us to fold down the rear seatback without having to climb in or go through the rear doors. A clever idea.

Space for all occupants is sufficient, but not generous. It's a small mid-size, just like the Subaru Legacy and Audi A4.

The wagon doubles the sedan's cargo capacity.