It seems everyone is looking to step up into an SUV these days; they are truly becoming the darlings of the automotive world. Sedans appear to be falling by the wayside. Every automaker offers an SUV these days and these vehicles, for the most part, are brawny, roomy, and stylish. Mazda’s 2019 CX-9 is the CX-5’s bigger and more athletic-looking brother; it is an SUV standout that offers styling, capability and driving excitement to boot.
The CX-9’s makes-you-wanna-look design, flows. The broad hood, strong character and shoulder lines, sleek wraparound headlights, and unique protruding grille, all add impressive marks of distinction to the SUV. Inside the near-luxury hauler are some pretty premium amenities–ventilated front seats, supple Nappa leather upholstery, layered wood trim, detailed stitching, available ventilated front seating, Bose 10-speaker audio system, and heated steering wheel. The CX-9 interior is elegant, you’d swear you were in the bosom of a swankier ride.
The vehicle has been fitted with high-quality materials throughout, ambient lighting, real wood, sculpted aluminum, an abundance of soft touches that extend to the rear, just overall tasteful touches; nothing looks poorly put together. The dash is uncluttered. The seating in the first two rows is lumbar supportive and road-trip comfy; the rear passenger seats recline slightly which eases strained backs. The large vehicle can coddle more passengers because it has an available third row. Mind you, the extra row should be reserved for quick trippin’ only. But then again, what third row in any vehicle is really roomy enough for adults traveling on long trips? Gotta mention the CX-9’s wide door openings that make it easy to load and unload stuff.
Outward visibility in the SUV is all good. The heads-up display is sharp and informative—LOVE! The infotainment system in the CX-9, however, is a tad slow on the draw when toggling between screens and menus but the graphics are crystal clear on the 8” touchscreen. Mobile connectivity is available via Apple CarPlay integration, and for Android users, there’s Android Auto. As far as cargo, the SUV has enough room for regular, shmegular needs. With the third-row seats folded flat, the CX-9’s cargo area measures 38.2 cubic feet which is on the puny side for a vehicle this size but has a 40/20/40 split folding backseat for bulkier stuff. There is also a power lift gate.
There are zero complaints when putting the pedal to the metal in the CX-9. Under the hood of the CX-9 is a turbocharged 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with 310 lb-ft of torque that is paired with a six-speed auto tranny. The vehicle cranks out 227 horses. The CX-9 is a fuel sipper for its size coming in at 22 city/28 highway which puts it ahead of many of its rivals. The midsized SUV rises to the top when it comes to handling (tester—Signature AWD); beating out many of its competitors. It has a carlike drive that is nimble, balanced, and responsive on the road. Maneuvering the CX-9 is very engaging. And you can definitely hear yourself think in the midsizer’s very quiet cabin. Riding over annoyances is a smooth operation, but so is the overall ride in the CX-9.
Mazda backs its CX-9 safety-wise with i-ACTIVSENSE, a suite of visual and audio alerts to help the driver avoid impending danger—lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, hill launch assist, advanced smart brake support with pedestrian detection, and blind-spot monitoring–all providing a high-level of security all around and peace of mind.
The 2019 Mazda CX-9 has great driving dynamics, a beautiful exterior design, modern/upscale layout with high-quality materials, and all with good gas mileage to boot. It also bustles with safety features that impress. Hands-down, the brawnier Mazda is sure to keep a grin on your face!
Prices start at $32,280. Need more info? www.MazdaUSA.com.