Mazda 6 Estate

[Gary-Yorks]

Apologys if this has been asked before
Is there anyone on the forum that has a Mazda 6 estate as i am going to fit a towbar myself and need to know if the rear bumper needs to be cut to fit.I have talked to different fitting centres and there advice is divided some say yes/no so any help on this subject would be greatly received....
Thanks

 

[Lutz]

Judging by the photo below it would appear that the bumper does not require a cut-out:
http://img4.kupplung.de/mall/1/pic/de/640x640/ma0472_640x640_v2.gif

 

[Gary-Yorks]

Thanks Lutz
Normally would have had the bar fitted by a centre,however price fixing seems the norm 4 different quotes all within a pound or two,
even allowing for the price of the bar £150 for fitting seems a bit excessive i can have 15 nights away for that.....

 

[Lutz]

Just a word of warning, though. The photograph shows a swan neck towbar. It is possible, that towbars from other manufacturers with bolt-on towballs are designed differently and these do require a cut-out. Check with the source where you intend to purchase the towbar first.

 

[mucky pup]

I have a Mazda 6 hatch which is much the same as the estate. To fit a fixed tow ball the panel has to be cut. If you are doing it yourself it is not easy to fit and the guy who did mine said that it was the most difficult vehicle to fit a tow bar on, it took him 4 hours in his workshop. He has fitted other tow bars for me and on average they have taken about 2 hours.
On anouther note i have found that the 6 is not a very good towcar and have just brought a Kia Sorento for towing.

 

[Gary-Yorks]

Hi,
In what respect did you find the Mazda to be not a good towcar?

 

[mucky pup]

Hi Gary
The car i have is a 59 reg 163 ps. I have towed with serveral cars over the years but i dont feel confident when towing with the Mazda, it is not a relaxing drive, it has plenty of power and is great going uphill or when under load but on the level and even a slight down slope it always feels like the van is trying to drive the car. My caravan is a Luna Clubman at 1320kg, although most web sites say it is a perfect match the CC site says with caution, basicaly i think the car is a bit light. Dont let me put you off as you may well be ok with the estate version.
Just to confirm the van is loaded correctely, with the correct nose weight ect and never overloaded.

 

[Gary-Yorks]

Thanks for your comments Ken (Muckypup) hopefully i will be ok usually only have my van loaded to about 1150kg, was hoping
to get the bar fitted on this weekend now i have to work (

 

[ChrisUK]

I chose a tow bar that did not require the cutting of the bumper and regreted it. the loop under the bumper ment that the groung clearence was low, invariably grounding when going on ferrys.
Generally we found our 2003 6 diesel estate good for towing, but little grip in slippy conditions and low on ground clearence when loaded and 75kg on the hitch. I found the grears particulary 6th, somewhat high for towing. We were towing 90% of kerb wt.

Remember if the bumper is cut, the towbar will cover the slot and the tow bar will never be removed.

 

[dougie201]

Hi Gary.
I had the Mazda6 hatch and it needed to have the bumper cut, but it is only a very small cut out which you will not notice when looking at your car. These are excellent cars but could do with just a bit more power when towing. It took the fitter 4 hours to fit mine , most of this time was taken wiring the electrics into the cars electrical system.

Dougie....