I don’t know if there has been any other manufacturer which has received praise on such a lavish basis in these columns in recent years as Mazda – and for very good reason.

It seems incongruous in a business where pushing technological and engineering boundaries are a commonplace taken-for-granted thing, that certain cars can maintain their position at the head of the sales charts not so much for years, but for decades, without really being challenged even by a determined opposition.

I bet you remember the Renault Megane hatchback TV advert from 2003. The theme tune was Groove Armada’s ‘I See you Baby (Shakin’ That Ass)’ and, well, it featured lots of posteriors jiggling about with shots of the then new Megane hatchback’s distinctive rear end dropped in here and there.

Since its launch here in 2014, the Mazda 3 has been hugely successful and is an increasingly popular choice in the C segment.