2020 Mazda CX-9 review & buyer's guide
The act of breeding shouldn’t consign you to a life of misery school runs and failing to keep up with the Joneses. Mazda CX-9 brings luxury offerings without the snobbery. But is it really the SUV you need?
Before you lose all notional common sense and run out using this report as an excuse to drop up to $70k on an SUV, let’s do a quick compression test because you need to sort the practical stuff first. Right?
The typical excuse for buying an SUV goes something like this: ‘I have kids and they require me to carry lots of crap - thus, SUV’. Do you really need an SUV? >>
If this is you all over, just hold up. CX-9 might be nice to look at, but if you have three or more offspring (and a spouse, presumably) and you put the third row of seats up, you’re going to be shoving school bags, strollers and sports paraphernalia into a 230-litre cavity. Have fun with that.
Third row up: 230L; down: 810L; second row down: 1641 litres.
Although 230 litres with the third row up is more than a Toyota Prado (120L), Hyundai Santa Fe (130L), Toyota Kluger (195L), and Kia Sorento (142L). So there’s that.
With the third-row folded however, in a standard five-seat layout, it’s a different story, blowing out to 810 litres, putting the Subaru Outback (512L), Sorento (605L), Santa Fe (547L) and Kluger (529L) to shame. Although to be fair to the others, measuring to the roof (as opposed to measuring to the top of the rear seats like the rest) is no doubt Mazda’s way of sneaking in front on the spec sheet.
But if by some miracle you’ve managed to add triplets, or something, then not only are you gonna need a bigger fridge, you’re going to need the SUV-beating Kia Carnival >>
They say it takes a village to raise a child, well take my advice, put down your credit card and think. How much room do you actually need? Because an SUV is not necessarily the answer. If they’re kinda nearly grown up, or at least eat like they are, then CX-9 might be the best seat in the SUV house.
Large SUV sales - non-4WD
Okay, so you’ve passed the compression test and are convinced on objective criteria that an SUV is going to best suit that next chapter of your life. But immediately, the next question is budget - because the bigger they are the harder the are to afford.
CX-9 and its rivals are certainly on the more expensive side of $40k, so let’s look at the basics for and against the big Mazda.
CX-9 is definitely one of the nicest seven-seat SUVs to do the private school drop-offs in…
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Love
It’s a divine place to sit; leather, leather everywhere
2.5-litre petrol turbo four-cylinder is more than adequate
Back seats are commodious, with decent luggage space even with third row up
Auto emergency braking (in forward & reverse), tyre pressure monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring all standard across the range
Very respectable towing capacity at 2000kg braked
Good spec-level on base model ‘Sport’ which (finally) includes Apple CarPlay & Android Auto standard
Five-star ANCAP safety rating
Hate
Feels big, largely because it is: 1.95 tonnes before people and gear, over 5m long, 2m wide
No diesel engine for rural buyers and regular towing
Pricey - CX-9 does not come cheap, but neither is the flavourless Kluger
Nobody should have to limp the family home on a space saver spare wheel
360 degree monitor - ideal for tight parking - only available on $68k top-spec Azami LE
Far too complicated range with nine different spec levels, including two drivetrain options (front-only or on-demand all-wheel drive)
CX-9 is fundamentally a big car in all directions, but driving it doesn’t necessarily feel that way.
Kicking off
If you thought the Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series was enormous, then re-calibrate your perception because CX-9 is over five metres long, two metres wide, as near as makes no difference 1.8m high and, like a flashback to The Biggest Loser, she weighs-in at 1.95 tonnes - before people and gear. And that includes a full 74-litre tank of fuel.
So, before you get all itchy and drop that deposit, whip out the high-tech miracle known as a tape measure, and make sure your carport, garage, assigned car space in the underground lot will accommodate it. While you’re doing some mental arithmetic, check the overhead height on gantries at the supermarket, the McDonald’s drive-thru and your underground carpark, because with a set of roof racks, you’ll be passing two meters vertically.
Logistics to one side, CX-9 delivers on the luxury front. Every carmaker is desperately trying to win this affordable luxury fight, especially in the large SUV segment and it’s putting serious pressure on the conventional ‘luxury brands’ like Mercedes and Land Rover, whose base models often cost the same (or more) as top-spec mainstream brands.
Usually the combination of big 20-inch wheels suggest one’s posterior is in for a hellish time hitting Australia’s globally infamous road. But with 255/60 profile tyres from the GT to Azami LE, a well-tuned Macpherson strut front end and electric steering calibrated for both little old ladies and brawny six-footers makes it pretty good to move around town in and get out of it on weekends.
Hitting the dirt roads will reveal the CX-9 probably hasn’t had much R&D work done beyond the blacktop, which is to be expected of a vehicle aimed at on-road cruising than soft-roading activities like the boating, camping, fishing type.
Lower-spec models with higher profile tyres and smaller wheels will ride better on gravel and ruts.
RANGE & PRICE
If you’re older than, say, 40, you may remember a time when luxury and mass-market divided the automotive world, when luxury was a sanctimonious, unattainable palace on the hill where peasants and mortals’ paths ne’er shall cross. How the mighty have fallen.
The CX-9 range goes like this: Sport, Touring, GT and Azami in front-wheel drive, and then Sport, Touring, GT, Azami and Azami LE in all-wheel drive. Still there?
Two cylinders less than the pack, but more torque.
Mazda’s All-wheel drive system is on-demand only, and adds $3000 to each respective spec level.
The only engine available is what Mazda’s marketing department calls its ‘SkyActiv-G’ powerplant, essentially a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder delivering a heady 170kW at 5000rpm and 420Nm of torque from 2000 revs - that’s more than a V8 HSV had in the 90s - running on regular 91 octane.
It does a good job of motivating two tonnes of CX-9, and the conventional six-speed epicyclic automatic transmission is very smooth changing up or down. This powertrain will also handle a reasonable towing load - small boat, jetski, average single-axle caravan - out the back without going to extremes.
Mercedes-Benz GLE: 75.7kW/t. Mazda CX-9: 90.2 kW/t.
However, the CX-9’s 93.7kW/tonne doesn’t quite have the power-to-weight advantage of Hyundai Santa Fe (114.5kW/t), Kia Sorento (109.9kW/t) or Toyota Kluger (109.8kW/t), all with 3.5-litre V6 engines, even in their lightest trims levels. Although Mazda’s engineers deserve credit where it’s due for producing more torque with two fewer cylinders.
CX-9 in Azami LE trim offers a better power-to-weight ratio, 90.2 kW/t than a $99,900 Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d at 75.7 kW/t - for a $40,000 saving (before on-road costs).
And the Mercedes dealer will look you in the eye as he charges an extra $3900 for seats six and seven, $850 for tyre pressure monitoring, $3200 for red metallic paint or $3000 for leather seats. And with worse ground clearance than the Mazda.
Also standard on CX-9 is autonomous emergency braking in both forward and reverse, meaning the car will detect kids in driveways behind you and running out onto the road. Adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping and departure warnings, and blind-spot monitoring are standard across the CX-9 range, which is respectable. But you’d want it to be starting at $48K.
It’s really only as you step up through the range you find bigger 20-inch wheels, LED headlamps, bigger touchscreens, and various luxuries like fancy climate control, panoramic sunroof, cooled seating - and so on.
There’s about $20 grand between base model front-wheel drive Sport and the full furnished Englehart Home that is Azami LE all-wheel drive.
So let’s find out what’s what and see if you can get by without nudging the Luxury Car Tax threshold… in a Mazda.
CX-9 rides pretty well on unpaved roads but isn’t what you’d call sublime. Smaller wheels and bigger tyres improve things.
Model line-up
CX-9 Sport - FWD $48,490 / AWD: $52,490
Standard features: Auto emergency braking with forward collision warning alert, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, reversing camera and parking sensors, seven seats with third-row airbags, satnav, 18-inch alloys, tyre pressure monitoring, heated folding electric mirrors.
CX-9 Touring - extra $6000 drivetrain to drivetrain: FWD $54,490 / AWD: $58,490
Additional standard features: Proximity key, front parking sensors, heated front seats with driver lumbar adjustment, LED foglamps, partial leather electric front seats, eight-inch colour LCD touchscreen.
CX-9 GT - extra $6000: $62,490 (FWD) / $66,490 (AWD)
Additional standard features: 20-inch alloys, sunroof, premium Bose audio with 12 speakers, heated rear outer seats, electric tailgate.
Compromises: extra 50kg kerb weight (1928kg), reduced payload to 577kg (versus 627kg), additional costs for tyres, minor increase in fuel consumption.
CX-9 Azami - extra $2000: $64,490 (FWD) / $68,490 (AWD) / Azami LE adds $1700 - $70,227
Additional standard features: 360-degree camera, heated steering wheel, auto LED headlights, adaptive LED high beam headlights, LED daytime running lamps, windscreen de-icer, seven-inch LCD driver info display.
Going AWD over FWD means: larger fuel tank 74 litres (adds two litres), increased fuel consumption 8.4l/100km to 8.8, additional 72kg kerb weight equals two-tonnes (incl. fuel), 2kg less payload capacity 577kg to 557kg.
Azami LE is strictly AWD only, adding Nappa leather for an additional $1700 topping out at $70k.
Safety
CX-9, like its segment rivals is a pretty safe vehicle to be involved in a crash. But this was the first generation of CX-9 to be crash tested by ANCAP - just as well it scored five stars.
Last tested in mid-2016, the official safety score was 35.87 out of 37 - quite comfortably inside the criteria for achieving a five-star ANCAP safety rating at that time and putting collision avoidance features like auto emergency braking and adaptive cruise on the base model keeps it relevant.
In the frontal offset crash test at 64km/h, CX-9 scored 14.87 out of 16 points, with slight mark-downs in chest and leg injuries, rated “acceptable”.
Curtain airbags extend all the way to the third row, unlike the old CX-9 and its Korean rivals. If you're putting kids in the third row frequently, there are also seat belt reminders.
Also, a reversing camera is standard even on the base model. This will also certainly save lives because, sorry to ruin your mood, driveway death is the single biggest cause of accidental death in children after backyard swimming pool drownings.
You can view the full ANCAP crash test report on CX-9 here>>
The seven-seat competition
The crucible for determining which new car is best, using objective criteria, starts with the respective base models on offer. Let’s see what features are on offer at entry-level pricing, fighting to secure your cash, and let’s do it with three of the best-sellers and one statistical sales-straggler - before on-road costs, in petrol, front-wheel drive form, bar one.
Kluger GX from $48,850:
Good: Auto emergency braking standard, 18in alloys (full-size spare), avg. combined fuel consumption 9.1 L/100km, warranty 5yr/unlimited km, front & rear camera, driver knee airbag
Bad: service 6mth/10,000km, no heated or folding mirrors, no satnav, no front parking sensors, archaic foot-operated parkbrake, no emergency hazard/stoplights, no driver fatigue warning, the heaviest SUV at 1915kg (tare), no 2nd row seatbelt pretensioners, most expensive base model here.
Santa Fe Active from $43,000:
Good: Auto emergency braking standard (low & high speed), 17in alloys (full-size spare), Apple/Android phone connectivity, rearview camera, rear parking sonsors, 7in touchscreen, avg. combined fuel consumption 10.6 L/100km, warranty 5yr/unlimited km, service 12mth/15,000km, driver fatigue warning, lightest SUV 1799kg (tare).
Bad: No satnav, no front parking sensors, no front camera, no third-row curtain airbags or driver knee airbag
Sorento Sport from $44,990:
Good: Low-speed auto emergency braking, 18in alloys (full-size spare), Apple/Android phone connectivity, avg. combined fuel consumption 10 L/100km, warranty 7yr/unlimited km, service 12mth/15,000km, satnav, front & rear parking sensors, rearview camera, heated/folding door mirrors.
Bad: No front camera, no blind-spot monitoring, no high speed AEB, no third-row curtain airbags or driver knee airbag, first service cost goes up to $300 on 2020 model year.
Everest Ambiante (RWD) from $49,490:
Good: Auto emergency braking standard, three-tonne towing (braked), 17in alloys, avg. combined fuel consumption 8.4 L/100km, warranty 5yr/unlimited km, full-size spare wheel, noise cancelling, 80-litre fuel tank, 800mm wading depth, first servicing cost $299 (12mth/15,000km), satnav.
Bad: Diesel-only, five-seats standard +$1000 for third-row seats, kerb weight 2.24t, basic cruise control, no blind-spot detection or tyre pressure monitoring, no third-row curtain airbag, Ford’s cheapest seven-seater is expensive post-Territory>>.
CX-9 Sport from $46,420:
Good: AEB and radar cruise standard, Apple/Android phone integration standard, 18in alloys, SkyActiv 2.5-litre petrol engine offers 420Nm at just 2000rpm, five-year roadside assistance, two-tonne towing, third-row curtain airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, 230L boot space (3rd row seats up), not the most expensive large SUV.
Bad: Space-saver spare wheel, the tallest, widest and longest, no knee airbag, servicing every 12mth/10,000km ($356 first service), not the most affordable large SUV.
You can see how well the CX-9 stacks up to the competition by how few ‘Bad’ points there are to make. On balance, CX-9 offers quite a bit of kit as standard. There is no perfect vehicle, of coures, and CX-9 is not without its compromises.
It’s a question of which ones can you live with.
Luxury meets CX-9
In case it wan’t already abundantly clear, let’s do a quick spec-check against the three-pointed swastika’s GLS seven-seater and see how it stacks up to the big Mazda.
Mercedes GLS 350d (4x4)
$137,371 +on-road costs
190kW @ 3400rpm | 620Nm @ 2400rpm
Power-to-weight 77.5 kW/t
Kerb weight 2455kg
Towing capacity 3.4t (braked)
Front & side camera
Blind spot, rear collision warning, driver attention detection
Lane keeping & departure warning
Costly extras:
Auto emergency braking
Panoramic sunroof $2100
Tyre pressure monitoring $850
Hyacinth Red metallic paint $3400
Mazda CX-9 Azami LE (AWD)
$70,490 +on-road costs
170kW @ 5000rpm | 420Nm @ 2000rpm
Power-to-weight 90.2 kW/t
Kerb weight 2000kg
Towing capacity 2t (braked)
Front & side camera
Blind spot, rear collision warning, driver attention detection
Lane keeping & departure warning
Auto emergency braking (incl. reverse)
Adaptive cruise
Tyre pressure monitoring
Rear cross traffic alert
Pedestrian detection
Speed sign recognition
Subwoofer & amplifier
CX-9 objectively questions the status quo on luxury, admit it.
Conclusion
The CX-9 pushes the boundaries of both accessible luxury and puts pressure on the rest of the field.
Decent towing capacity, good power delivery, proper boot storage and third-row airbags all challenge the status quo on what it means to be premium. German prestige which adds excessive hair and make-up in a struggle to stay relevant is proof the Japanese and South Koreans really have turned a corner.
Definitely put CX-9 on your test drive list if your preference is luxury and on-road manners in the day-to-day concrete jungle, because that’s where it does its best work.
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