The mainstream upper-medium saloon has been quietly disappearing from mainstream showrooms for years, squeezed out by crossovers and premium badge alternatives.

Mazda is betting that there is still an audience for a proper large saloon-like hatchback done well, and on the evidence of our first encounter with right-hand-drive examples, the Mazda 6e makes a compelling case.

The name alone carries weight. Three generations of the Mazda 6 built genuine affection among fleet and retail buyers alike between 2002 and 2023, and the 6e trades on that goodwill without coasting on it. It’s a new Mazda, built on shared underpinnings with Changan, and a pragmatic shortcut that has allowed Mazda to bring a competitive EV to Europe at speed.

It has also been calibrated specifically for European roads at Mazda’s R&D centre in Germany.

The result feels almost everything you’d expect of a Mazda. The Kodo design language translates well into electric form, with the low roofline and short rear deck giving the car a genuinely handsome profile. It is more characterful than the Volkswagen ID.7 and, when the new BMW i3 arrives in September, will undercut it significantly on price – even if the i3’s longer-range variants will stretch considerably further on a charge.

The 78kWh battery is the only one offered in the UK (it’s the larger of the two options available in other markets), and delivers a 348-mile WLTP range. On a 200kW DC charger, 10 to 80% takes 24 minutes.

On the road, the rear-wheel-drive layout and 47:53 weight distribution give the 6e a character that feels lower and more tied-down than most EVs of this size. That is a genuine point of difference. Where many large electric cars feel floaty or remote, the Mazda responds with directness and composure. The 258hp motor delivers 290Nm of torque, and the 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds understates how responsive it feels in practice. Sport mode sharpens things further without feeling artificial, but who drives EVs in ‘Sport’ mode?

One detail worth singling out is how Mazda has handled ADAS. Early left-hand-drive versions drew criticism from journalists for interventions that felt intrusive and alerts that quickly became irritating. Mazda listened, and the right-hand-drive cars delivered to the UK have been recalibrated accordingly. The result is the most discreet ADAS experience of any car I’ve tested since the mandatory introduction of these systems – present when needed, invisible when not. For those covering long distances, that refinement matters as much as any performance figure. Drivers will be more comfortable leaving these systems switched on, which could make a genuine life-saving difference at some point.

The interior is where the 6e targets higher-status badges. The floating dashboard, panoramic roof and quality of materials – especially in the Takumi Plus, with its tan Nappa leather, artificial suede, titanium accents – create an environment that would not feel out of place in something much more expensive. The 14.6-inch touchscreen works well, after the initial familiarisation, and the Sony 14-speaker audio system is genuinely impressive. But although there’s a simple two-variant choice, it can’t match the ID.7 or Polestar 2’s more varied line-up.