I had occasion recently to drive a TD6 again (one I used to own) after some 6 years of driving my 2011 TDV8 and the comparison was interesting. The TD6 has now done 122k miles and is still going strong. I was surprised at how comfortable the ride is, in many ways better than my TDV8. The TDV6 engine is still sound as a bell but is raucous in comparison and needs to be revved hard to make rapid progress. It does 2400 rpm at 70 mph compared with 1400 rpm on the TDV8. This probably accounts for the fact that the TDV8 is more economical. The TD6 engine has had no reliability issues in comparison with the TDV8 which has had the usual oil coolant leaks, DPF issues, restricted performance due maf sensor issues and engine starting problems.
the GM gearbox works well with smooth gear changes probably helped by the fact that I had the gearbox flushed and serviced at 80k.
The TD6 interior is still a nice place to sit although the AV system shows its age with a very out of date map and very slow map updates on the gps.

Overall though, the TD6 is still a very cheap entry point into the L322 if you can find a good one. 2011 Vogue TDV8 4.4
1992 Mazda Mx5

Quite agree.

My first L322 was a 73,000 mile HSE TD6 (note: I know you probably know this and it was a typo but it's a straight, not a V6) specced up to a vogue except for the stereo, and was my best one ever. Never broke down, everything worked throughout its time with me and the seats were the most comfortable in my opinion. The engine was a bit agricultural To be fair but even with a power boost box on, it was ok for cruising. My MPG was better than my 4.4 TDV8 too!