Story: David Meierfeld
Model Tested: Grand Touring
Rating: 5
Typically the terms “SUV” and “zoom zoom” don’t go hand in hand, but when Mazda designed the new CX-9, they kept the “zoom zoom” mentality. The CX-9 is a sports car hidden in a Mazda-curved, family-hauler design. Still producing one of the smallest cars available, the Miata, it’s surprising how nimbly the 4,500-pound, seven-passenger sport-ute moves around corners, displaying almost zero body roll. The size makes you forget how hefty this Mazda really is.
A 273hp V6 moves the CX-9 with vigor, but stopping all that mass requires strong leg muscles to keep the sculpted front end from fallin’ flat on its face— though we’re a bit tired of the smiling bumper. Whether carving the back roads to work or taking the family out to dinner, the CX-9 is up to the task. And with an interior as nice as this, nobody will mind how long the trip is.
Specs:
Damage: $33,145
Power: 273 hp, 270 lb.-ft.
0-60: 7.9 secs.
Gas Cash: 16 city, 22 hwy.
Miles Driven: 150
Always liked the driving dynamics of this vehicle (not so much the mishmash of Ford and Mazda parts, the non-matching blue and orange displays in the interior and that terrible mpg). The next gen version sounds exciting (turbo 4, updated design language and luxury-grade interior)! The long wait for it is buggin’ me.