My MINI Clubman has a new stablemate…a 2019 Mazda CX-9 AWD Signature in Machine Gray with a gorgeous Auburn Nappa leather and black interior. It replaces our 2008 Jeep Liberty, which after 11-years, almost 200,000 miles and some mounting issues, was in need of being replaced.
I looked at most of the major players in the 3-row SUV segment…Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander and 4Runner, Kia Sorento, Nissan Pathfinder, VW Atlas, Hyundai Santa Fe, and the Mazda CX-9. It’s a pretty solid segment, with some good options. In the end, the Mazda won out on its looks, and features for the price.
Initial Impressions
We have had the car less than a week, so my opinions are not yet fully formed, but here are my initial impressions…
Exterior
Just look at it. Seriously, go look…the CX-9 just looks great. Outside of the Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Evoque, the CX-9 (and CX-5 for that matter) might be the best looking SUV(s) on the market. Period. I have loved the look of it since I first saw the redesigned CX-9 at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show.
Mazda’s current design language is some of the best in the industry right now. Their entire lineup of vehicles have a look and feel that punches way above their market weight. Nobody is going to mistake the CX-9 for something else, and it’s certainly not an anonymous, cookie-cutter vehicle. It has style.
Interior
As good as the outside looks, the interior of the CX-9 is just as nice. It’s a comfortable, well thought-out, engaging place to be. Maybe some of that engagement is the newness of it, I guess time will tell. But it is a pleasure to be behind the wheel, with plenty of modern features…blind-spot monitoring, rearview camera, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, 360º camera, adaptive cruise control, heads up display, front & rear parking sensors, Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto if you’re into that sort of thing), to name a few.
The look and feel of the interior materials is excellent. Honestly, it almost has a German, over-engineered feel…but with a certain Japanese sanity to it. The interior styling makes you feel like you’re in a cockpit, it wraps around you nicely, and everything is right there where you expect it to be, all within easy reach.
And it’s quiet. Noise is dampened down incredibly well. Doors close with a reassuring, and solid, *thud*. Engine noise in the cabin is definitely dampened at start-up and idle, but while driving, there is enough engine noise transmitted into the cabin, to engage you while driving.
Apple CarPlay was a feature I really wanted on a new vehicle, so I was thrilled to hear Mazda brought it to the CX-9 for 2019, and I’ve been really pleased with it thus far.
Driving
As the CX-9 is my wife’s daily driver, I haven’t spent a ton of time behind the wheel. But it is a really nice vehicle to drive. At almost 200 inches in length, it’s considerably larger than the MINI Clubman I daily drive, and 24 inches longer than the Jeep Liberty, but it doesn’t drive like a big vehicle. The Jeep felt big, and lumbering…the CX-9 feels agile and nimble, and nothing like a vehicle it’s size. Until it comes time to park, then you feel every inch of that length. At least the 360º camera and front/rear parking sensors help when parking, but it is definitely going to take some getting used to.
The 2.5L SkyActive-G Turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, with 250 horsepower (running 93 octane, 227 horsepower when running 87 octane), and 310 lb-ft of torque at 2000 RPM was a pleasant surprise. With nearly 50 lb-ft torque advantage over the V6 engines in it’s class, it is really nice to drive around town. All the low-end grunt gives the CX-9 a jump off the line the V6 equipped vehicles don’t quite have, despite giving up at least liter in displacement, and 2-cylinders. Those two fewer cylinders also equal better fuel economy, averaging better mpg city and highway over the V6s.
More to Come
I’m looking forward to spending more time in the driver’s seat of the CX-9. We’ll be doing some traveling over the upcoming holiday season, so I will definitely be reporting back as I have more thoughts on vehicle, but my initial impression is extremely positive.