by Ben Wilby
Japanese carmaker Mazda has released details of their new tourer and saloon range – the Mazda6 which will soon be available to buy.
The latest version of this popular towcar promises improved safety features with a new body that has class-leading impact protection, along with parking sensors and rear cameras.
What’s more, the new Mazda 6 includes a generous number of features as standard and a huge amount of additional items and technology can be added to help you pick the car that’s right for you.
The headline feature of this new vehicle however is the improved fuel economy and excellent CO2 emissions which should appeal to those towing a caravan.
Features and gadgets
Mazda has put a strong emphasis on how the vehicle drives with the new SKYACTIV-Chassis and Body designed to make driving the vehicle fun along with improving safety and making the car both lightweight and strong.
For entertainment as you drive a CD/Radio with four speakers is included and this also has USB, iPod, Integrated Bluetooth and an extra jack input for connecting plenty more gadgets besides.
For those who really love their music two additional speakers can be included along with a deluxe option that adds Premium Bose surround sound system with 11 speakers fitted to the car.
A 5.8-inch touch screen features as standard and can be upgraded with an integrated navigation system that is powered by TomTom technology.
A range of equipment to aid driving is included, some of which will be particularly useful for towing.
Hill Hold Assist will help you avoid rollback, a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System will ensure that the wheels are in a premium condition, while cruise control will prove useful for long motorway drives.
Another feature likely to appeal to tourer owners is the advanced safety technology that the car boasts. Radar-based Rear Vehicle Monitoring, Smart City Brake Support (SCSB) and Lane Departure Warning System can all be added as costs options for £700 in total.
The interior has been designed for comfort and style with a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear knob. Meanwhile for those who really want to drive in style a full-leather trim upgrade is available for £200.
Pricing and options
Mazda offers a large number of different models and upgrades for their new vehicle, with both the saloon and tourer having different engine sizes, transmissions and fuel types.
As a result prices can differ quite a lot – offering a relatively cheap option for those on a budget to more high-tech options that will appeal to those for whom only the best will do.
The cheapest Saloon model, a 2.0-lite 145ps Saloon SE petrol model is available for £19,595 while the most expensive of this type is the Mazda6 2.2-litre 175ps Saloon Sport Diesel Nav Auto which costs £27,295.
For the Tourer model the starting price is more expensive with the Mazda6 2.0-litre 145ps Tourer SE-L available from £21,265 and going up to the Mazda6 2.2-lite 175ps Tourer Sport Nav Auto which will cost £28,045.
Between these prices both different cars have a variety of pricing options that should allow everyone to find the vehicle that suits them best.
Fuel efficiency
One of the features Mazda are proudest of is the fuel efficiency and carbon footprint of their new vehicle.
Using complex SKYACTIV technology which is expected to set new benchmarks for fuel economy and CO2 emissions, the vehicle will appeal to those looking to save money.
Along with this the vehicle has i-ELOOP technology, Mazda’s unique brake energy regeneration system that can boost fuel economy by 10%.
The different models have a variety of CO2 emissions, most of which are near the lowest available for this type of car.
The smallest is the Mazda6 2.2-litre 150ps model which releases just 108g CO2 emissions per km, manual and 127g for the automatic. Excellent for a vehicle of this size, the manual is in tax band B, meaning it will be free for the first year and only £20 after. The automatic is in band D making it free the first year but £100 thereafter.
In comparison, the Mazda6 2.0-litre 145ps is the highest in the range for manual drive with 136g/km – the same as the highest automatic, the Mazda6 2.0-litre 165ps. That would put both models in band E – with no first-year exemption, it will be £120 per year from the start.
Towing capacity
Although the kerbweight has not been announced it is likely to be around 1,500kg, allowing it to tow most mid-range tourers.
Using the Caravan Club’s 85% rule this will mean it can tow caravans weighing up to 1,275kg, making it a suitable match for the Swift Challenger Sport 442, although it is worth checking as this will vary depending on the model you are using.
The Mazda6 is available to buy from January 25 and it sounds like the complete package for a caravan towcar.
Find more photos like this on CaravanTimes
