Mazda 6 Tourer: Test Drive Review

Mazda has made no secret of its intention to appeal to the corporate market with the new 6.

The upper medium saloon ticked just about every box for fleets, and the Tourer adds to the car’s already strong appeal with equally fetching looks, extra space and the marginally stronger RVs that come with most estates.

An additional 23 litres of boot space on top of the saloon takes the Tourer’s total to 506 litres, while folding down the rear seats increases that 1648 litres. That’s not enough to top the class best – rivals such as the Skoda Superb estate with 633/1865 litres remain the leaders – but it’s still impressive.

The 6 estate drives as well as the saloon, which is one of the smaller car’s strongest assets. Press on and you’ll notice the extra weight at the back of the car but otherwise it’s exactly like the hatch, with sharp handling and a comfortable ride.

As with the saloon, there are two versions of the 2.0-litre petrol engine – available with 145hp and 165hp – as well as a pair of 2.2-litre diesel units offering 150hp and 175hp respectively.

We tested the 175hp Tourer in top-spec Sport Nav guise, which is the priciest of the range bar the automatic version of the same model. Despite the engine’s seemingly large capacity and power, Mazda’s Skyactiv clean technology and the car’s low weight have curbed emissions and economy to 121g/km and 61.4mpg, which are low enough to muscle the 6 to the top of its class in these respects – even more so if you plump for the 150hp version with 116g/km and 64.2mpg.

As good as the 175hp version is, it doesn’t come across as significantly more potent than the lower-powered diesel, so operators are better off reaping the running cost benefits of the 150hp. Even so, it’s punchy and happier to rev than your average diesel engine, and despite not being quite as refined as the class best, fleets are unlikely to feel short-changed.