The Tourer is the estate version of the Mazda6 saloon. Both were introduced in early 2013 and relaunched with several changes two years later. As with the saloon, there's a choice of four engines, or rather two (one petrol and one diesel) with low and high power outputs.

A six-speed manual transmission is standard, but you can have an automatic gearbox in either of the diesels. There's no petrol automatic, though, and you can't have a petrol engine with the lowest trim level either.

Performance

The Tourers are slightly heavier than the saloons and are, in the interest of greater load volume, less aerodynamically shaped at the rear. These factors mean that they don't perform quite as well when driven as hard as they'll go, but the differences are minimal. The fastest Tourer is the 173bhp 2.2-litre diesel manual, whose 0-62mph time of eight seconds and 137mph top speed are so close to those of the equivalent saloon that there's no point losing any sleep over them.

Even the slowest Tourer can manage 0-62mph in ten seconds, and the spread of top speeds across the range extends from 126mph for the 148bhp diesel automatic to the 137mph mentioned above. In practice, the diesels naturally perform better at low engine speeds, though we'd be cautious about choosing the 173bhp unit as it can send the front suspension into confusion when you're using the power in mid-corner, for example when accelerating out of a roundabout.

In either petrol or diesel form, quite a lot of engine noise comes into the 6's cabin, which is especially disappointing since this is one of the things Mazda said it paid attention to during the 2015 update.

Ride and Handling

Yes, there are good reasons for choosing a diesel if ride and handling are not high on your priority list, but if they are you'll definitely want to avoid it.

Petrol-run Tourers behave very nicely on the road, and are not badly too affected by being fitted with 19-inch wheels (standard on the top-level Sport Nav) rather than the 17-inch wheels used on lower-spec models. The choice of engine is, however, critical. Yes, there are good reasons for choosing a diesel if ride and handling are not high on your priority list, but if they are you'll definitely want to avoid it. The ride quality is harsh even when you're going slowly, and driving at moderate to high speeds over bumpy tarmac creates a bizarre situation where the front and rear ends are bouncing up and down at quite different rates. Those comments apply to an unladen diesel Tourer. We haven't tried driving one with heavy objects in the boot, and in that circumstance it may be better.

Interior and Equipment

The Mazda6 was a contender for the 2013 World Design of the Year award.

With the rear seats in place, the Tourer has a luggage capacity of 506 litres, which is actually less than what the new Ford Mondeo Estate and Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer offers. With the rear seats folded down, the available volume in 1,648 litres if you pack the car up to the roof. The rear sill is at floor level, so you don't have to lift heavy or otherwise awkward item any further off the ground than absolutely necessary. Rear passenger space is impressive. You could easily carry four large adults in the Tourer, as long as they're not all basketball players. The specification levels follow those of the saloon exactly. There are five trim levels called SE, SE Nav, SE-L, SE-L Nav and Sport Nav. As the name indicates, the trim levels with the word ‘Nav’ included feature satellite navigation as standard. Each model comes with air-conditioning in one form or another, cruise control, DAB digital radio, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, a multimedia system, a seven-inch touchscreen, a start button and Bluetooth, iPod and USB connectivity. Full leather upholstery, a Bose surround-sound audio system, a head-up display, heated front seats and Smart City Brake Support are offered on the range-topping Sport Nav.

Cost

For the lowest running costs you'll want the 148bhp diesel manual, which records 64.2mpg combined and emits 116g/km.

The weight and body shape issues which limit the performance compared with that of the saloon also affect the fuel economy and CO2 emissions. For the lowest running costs you'll want the 148bhp diesel manual, which records 64.2mpg combined and emits 116g/km. These figures are some way behind those of the saloon with the same drivetrain, but they nevertheless make this the only Tourer that will cost you a two-figure sum to tax. (The sum in question is £30. All the others will set you back £110 or more.) While the cheapest 6 saloon costs just under £20,000, the starting price for the Tourer is near £22,000, though the difference would be smaller if there were a petrol SE in the range. You’ll have to spend close to £30k for the range-topping Sport Nav automatic with the more powerful of the diesel engines.

Our Verdict

The 6 Tourer is a handsome estate car, and while it doesn't quite match the class leaders for load space it can't really be criticised for lack of practicality unless you have unusual demands. Petrol versions are outstandingly better to drive than diesel ones, but the latter are naturally cheaper to run. It will be interesting to see if customer demand leads Mazda to bring the four-wheel drive model to the UK.