By John Simpson 13 March 2012
Fleet bosses would be foolish to overlook the new Mazda3; that’s the view of Glass’s Guide after it upgraded the hatchback’s residual value.
Most of the five door Mazda3 models will retain 34% of their value including the new 115ps 1.6-litre diesel Sport and Sport Nav with the flagship 260ps 2.3-litre MZR DISI Turbo MPS keeping 36% and the 185ps 2.2-litre MZR-CD Sport Nav 35%.
If Glass’s Guide is to believed, the 1.6-litre 115g 65.7mpg diesel Sport, which comes retails at £19,095, will be worth £6,472 while the £19,945 Sport Nav would bag sellers £6,711 after three years/60,000 miles.
Andy Cutler, UK Car Editor - Forecast Values at Glass’s Guide, predicts that the Mazda3’s Sport trim will boost the model’s appeal amongst younger motorists.
“Fleet operators will overlook the Mazda3 at their peril as the vehicle can certainly hold its own in this segment,” he commented.
“The model is a well priced, good mid-sized hatchback which is competitive against its rivals. The upgrade should help the values of the vehicle stand up a little more as well as have more appeal.”
Peter Allibon, Mazda Sales Director, added that he believes the Mazda3’s corporate appeal has been bolstered by the recommendation.
He explained: “The residual value uplift given by Glass’s Guide to the upgraded Mazda3, coupled with improvements in emissions and fuel economy on most models, the addition of a new Sport model and Mazda’s established core fleet strengths - excellent vehicle reliability, strong residual values and fun-to-drive characteristics - means corporate appeal has been strengthened even further.”
Company car drivers are also set to save thanks to CO2 emissions being cut by up to 3.5% and BIK tax bill reductions while improved fuel economy across the three petrol and two diesel engines will unlock lower fuel bills.
As mentioned, the 1.6-litre diesel model emits 115g/km of CO2, returning 65.7mpg on a combined cycle and placing it in the 17% company car benefit-in-tax bracket for diesel models in 2012/13.
The 150ps 2.2-litre MZR-CD diesel model loses 5g to emit 139g/km (21% BIK) as does the 185ps 2.2-litre MZR-CD diesel model which now emits 144g/km (22% BIK).
Categories: Fleet news , Mazda
