2021 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD Video Review: MotorTrend Buyer's Guide
How big can Mazda stretch the "zoom zoom" ethos? Jonny LIeberman finds out
Category
đźš—
MotorTranscript
00:00 (tires screeching)
00:01 This is the Mazda CX-9.
00:04 It's a large three-row SUV for people who don't mind
00:07 sacrificing a little bit of practicality
00:10 for style and driving fun.
00:13 Does the fun-to-drive, good-looking Mazda CX-9
00:16 still have what it takes to compete in a hot segment
00:19 half a decade after it debuted?
00:21 (upbeat music)
00:28 For the most part, Americans hate driving minivans,
00:32 which is why family-friendly three-row SUVs have exploded.
00:37 We've always loved and praised the CX-9
00:39 because it was the only three-row SUV
00:42 that was any good to drive.
00:44 With the second generation CX-9,
00:47 what Mazda's doing is instead of just focusing
00:50 on how it drives, they've added a little bit of power
00:52 and some styling too.
00:54 So, they wanna woo a customer who doesn't just want
00:57 the biggest or the best value proposition.
00:59 No, they want a buyer who wants to say something
01:02 with their family hauler.
01:03 What Mazda's been trying to do
01:07 with their design language lately
01:09 is make all of their vehicles more upscale.
01:11 And I think with the CX-9, they've accomplished their goal.
01:14 Now, this is a higher-spec signature CX-9.
01:18 If you take a look at this grill,
01:20 there's not a ton of chrome or bright work on this car,
01:23 but the stuff that's there has been done very tastefully.
01:26 The grill, the surrounds, the roof rails,
01:28 it just, it looks really good.
01:30 It's not bling-bling, it just makes it pop a little bit.
01:33 Coming down the vehicle, I wish Mazda
01:36 would make their wheels stick out more.
01:37 It kinda makes the cars look sporty.
01:39 However, they've done a great job with chiseling the side.
01:42 SUVs are kinda blobular, and they've done a nice job
01:46 with kinda reducing the visual weight of this thing.
01:48 I really wanna call out the D-pillar here.
01:51 The hardest thing to do in car design is on a sedan,
01:54 the C-pillar on an SUV, the D-pillar back here.
01:57 It's where everything has to come together,
01:59 and they did it in a very, very tidy way.
02:02 Mazda's trying to make the CX-9's interior
02:06 look nicer than it is,
02:07 and I think they're partially successful.
02:10 Again, the design is rather good,
02:12 but if you look real closely at some of the materials,
02:15 for instance, they make a big deal
02:16 about having real rosewood,
02:18 and apparently it is real rosewood,
02:20 but it's like maybe a millimeter thick veneer over plastic,
02:25 and if you feel it, you can kinda tell it's plastic.
02:28 A lot of the stuff that looks like metal,
02:30 it's actually plastic, so as a result, it's too shiny,
02:33 but there are some genuinely nice touches,
02:35 like the quilted leather seats.
02:37 They look and feel really good.
02:40 In the top trim signature model,
02:41 you can get the optional captain's chairs in the rear.
02:44 Sure, you lose a seat, but the two that remain are heated.
02:47 As for technology, there's a new 10.3 inch screen,
02:51 however, it's not a touch screen.
02:53 Everything is controlled through this rotary dial,
02:55 which is sorta weird in an age
02:57 when even your refrigerator
02:58 is probably a touch screen at this point.
03:00 Still, the CX-9 has both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
03:05 so maybe that point is moot.
03:07 Overall, in terms of the class,
03:10 the interior's a little bit smaller
03:12 than the rest of the competition,
03:13 and while I do like the way it looks,
03:16 I would trade a little bit of this style
03:17 for some more cup holders.
03:19 The only thing Americans hate more than minivans
03:23 is station wagons.
03:24 The only thing we hate more than station wagons
03:26 is paying for premium gasoline.
03:29 I mention that because Mazda went to the trouble
03:32 of putting a high-tech, sky-active,
03:34 2.5 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine
03:37 under the hood of the CX-9 that makes 250 horsepower
03:41 and 320 pound-feet of torque
03:43 if you fill it up with premium.
03:46 But you're not gonna do that.
03:47 You're gonna put regular gas in this car,
03:49 and that's okay because it makes 227 horsepower
03:52 and 310 pound-feet of torque.
03:55 Two things you should know.
03:57 No matter what grade of gasoline
03:58 you choose to put into your CX-9,
04:00 this is the torquiest SUV in its segment.
04:04 However, because it uses a six-speed automatic transmission
04:07 where most of the class has moved on to a nine-speed,
04:10 the gas mileage is just kinda middle of the pack.
04:12 If there's one thing you should know
04:14 about the Mazda CX-9, it's this.
04:17 In a segment where nobody is thinking
04:19 about how an SUV drives, Mazda is.
04:23 And as a result, the CX-9, it's the driver's family car.
04:28 (upbeat music)
04:30 I mentioned that the CX-9 is a family vehicle.
04:33 Well, a big part of that is it's an incredibly safe SUV.
04:37 This thing gets a five-star crash rating from NHTSA
04:41 as well as a 2020 Top Safety Pick Plus rating from IIHS.
04:46 And what that means is that the CX-9
04:49 is a great combination of passive safety
04:51 as well as a whole bunch of standard active safety features.
04:55 Let's talk value.
04:59 The CX-9 actually has a pretty wide price spread.
05:02 The base model starts just over $35,000.
05:06 And if you go all the way to the top of the line
05:07 Signature Edition, it comes in under $48,000.
05:11 Now that last number might sound high
05:13 until you realize that the CX-9
05:15 is priced just like the competition.
05:18 So the question becomes, are the attributes
05:22 that this SUV is emphasizing, fun to drive,
05:25 style, and a torquey motor, ones that you care about?
05:29 If so, it's quite a compelling vehicle.
05:34 In conclusion, the Mazda CX-9
05:37 offers what the competition does not,
05:39 namely style and performance.
05:42 The question is, what are your priorities?
05:45 If you want a family SUV that's an alternative
05:48 to the mainstream, this could be it.
05:51 For more on cars we love and the latest rankings,
05:54 check out motortrend.com/cars.
05:58 (upbeat music)
06:00 (upbeat music)