Comparison websites have become part of the research phase for car buyers and it is now surprisingly easy to pit cars on your shopping list against each other.

AM’s long-term Mazda6 Tourer, with its Skyactiv technology, shines in some key areas for retail and fleet customers when put up against the competition.

Would the Mazda6 Tourer be selected on that drop-down menu in the car comparator in the first place? Mazda’s biggest challenge with the 6 Tourer is making its marketing spend work hard against the much larger budgets of brands such as Ford and Vauxhall.

A budget of £25,000 for a D-segment estate throws up a lot of potential for a customer. Looking at rivals from Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Honda, the Mazda6 Tourer offers more standard equipment and better CO2 emissions than models in the same price bracket.

Surprisingly, the Volkswagen Passat estate is £1,120 cheaper than the Mazda6 Tourer in 2.0-litre TDI Bluemotion Tech S trim. Customers could even go for a 2.0-litre diesel Ford Mondeo estate Zetec Business for £530 less than the Mazda.

These models have strong badge credibility compared with the Mazda, which would be the wild card choice, but looking at important areas such as fuel economy and CO2 emissions, the Mazda 6 Tourer rises above.

Skyactiv technology is helping Mazda to stay competitive and it has helped the brand to boost total sales by 40% in March to 8,576 units across the range.

The majority of that growth is coming from the new Mazda3 and CX-5, but the Mazda6 Tourer is playing its part. Since its launch in January 2013 to the end of March 2013, Mazda sold 3,394 Tourers, 40% of total Mazda6 registrations.

AM’s SE-L diesel remains the most popular Tourer model within the range.  In March 2014, the brand sold 805 units versus 234 in March 2013.

 

What's in the Mazda 6 Tourer comparison basket

♦  Ford Mondeo estate 2.0-litre TDCi Zetec Business
♦  Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer 2.0-litre CDTi ecoFLEX
♦  Volkswagen Passat 2.0-litre Bluemotion Tech S

 

What has been said about the Mazda6 Tourer

Parkers.co.uk

Mazda6 Tourer is a break from the normal rep mobiles and hits you with a compelling argument as far as tax and running costs go. However, this is a very competitive market and the mainstream rivals - while offering older product that’s perhaps not quite as well-equipped - can compete on cost. As ever, it pays to do the research with comparisons.