I enjoy reading car reviews that people post on here so I figured why not review the CX-9! A little history; we bought the car in January with 36,000 miles. Funny little side story, according to the ad it was supposed to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 31,000 miles. They did not tell me this apparently someone had been using it at the dealership as their "personal" car. I had driven all the way to Illinois to get it and, and could have walked. I almost did actually but dealership manager offered a 9 year 150,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty on the deal. I thought that was pretty good so I accepted 👍 she's sitting at 51,000 and some change now, ok on to the review!
My wife and I both really enjoy it a lot! It is the sport model, so very minimal features. Essentially this is their base model, with a better name I'll admit that makes you think it's not. It does have all wheel drive which was a must on our list. Like I mentioned before, I drove 200 miles to Illinois on a whim with my father-in-law. I felt confident in the reviews that I would like it and it didn't disappoint.
Pros:
- Drivetrain. Power from the 2.5 turbo 4 is plenty enough to get this thing going. No rocket ship of course but lots of low-end grunt which is what you want in a grocery getter. I also like the 6-speed Mazda uses very smooth and predictable. Only minor gripe I've noticed is when it's cold out the first couple of shifts can be abrupt. I'm sure there's something to do with the programming and a reason for it.
- overall fit and finish is very good. No squeaks or rattles in the doors, dash etc. In general when you were driving, it just feels like it is quality.
- love the driving Dynamics, Mazda lives up to its reputation of making vehicles driver focused. Even in their largest, I really do like driving it and it feels engaging.
Cons:
- I can't complain too much because it is a sport model so if I wanted more features I should have got an upgraded trim. So it does not have automatic headlights. I'm used to turning the headlights on and off on the crown Vic so no biggie. One feature I actually do really like though if you turn on the headlights and forget to turn them off, they will turn off saving the battery! I will say I wish it did have proximity key sometimes when your hands are full it's nice to just be able to push a button on the door handle.
- overall fit and finish seems to be holding up well, only gripe is the driver's seat is starting to get a little squeaky sounding when you move around or making a turn.
- not a huge fan of Mazda's infotainment setup including the rotary dial. You can touch the screen as well but I just don't find it very user-friendly.
- fuel economy is not bad but I was expecting a little better at least in city and mixed driving. In the all-wheel drive config, it is rated at 20/26. I keep track on fuelly, over 9,600 miles tracked It's averaging 21.3mpg. the reason I mentioned depending on what type of driving, it has exceeded its rating on the highway at slightly more than 28. When driving all City mileage though it is very difficult to get up to 20, more like 18 with conservative driving. That 21.3 is definitely an overall mix of driving so I was hoping for a little bit more. Could be worse, could be better kind of thing.
- rear cargo space is not as good as some of the competitors but I haven't ran into any issues. We knew this going in so not complaining but more of a wish list item
I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that sums it up mostly. In the 15,000 miles that we've owned it, I've done filters, oil changes and a couple of fuel treatments. Other than that nothing. It does have an annoying clicking sound sometimes when stopping, I've read there is a TSB regarding brake pad shims. It hasn't bothered me enough to take it in but may if I have to do something else. On my to do is transfer case and transmission fluids in the near future maybe spring. According to the Carfax there was no listed repairs either other than new set of tires so I would say the first 36,000 were pretty trouble-free as well. To sum it up it has been one of our favorite vehicles we have owned. I definitely understand the appeal of Mazda's vehicles.
A few pics, I don't have great ones. Second one is the crown Vic following me home from Illinois. Side note, if you're ever in Peoria, Illinois and enjoy Indian cuisine; Indian Tadka was great 🍻
My wife and I both really enjoy it a lot! It is the sport model, so very minimal features. Essentially this is their base model, with a better name I'll admit that makes you think it's not. It does have all wheel drive which was a must on our list. Like I mentioned before, I drove 200 miles to Illinois on a whim with my father-in-law. I felt confident in the reviews that I would like it and it didn't disappoint.
Pros:
- Drivetrain. Power from the 2.5 turbo 4 is plenty enough to get this thing going. No rocket ship of course but lots of low-end grunt which is what you want in a grocery getter. I also like the 6-speed Mazda uses very smooth and predictable. Only minor gripe I've noticed is when it's cold out the first couple of shifts can be abrupt. I'm sure there's something to do with the programming and a reason for it.
- overall fit and finish is very good. No squeaks or rattles in the doors, dash etc. In general when you were driving, it just feels like it is quality.
- love the driving Dynamics, Mazda lives up to its reputation of making vehicles driver focused. Even in their largest, I really do like driving it and it feels engaging.
Cons:
- I can't complain too much because it is a sport model so if I wanted more features I should have got an upgraded trim. So it does not have automatic headlights. I'm used to turning the headlights on and off on the crown Vic so no biggie. One feature I actually do really like though if you turn on the headlights and forget to turn them off, they will turn off saving the battery! I will say I wish it did have proximity key sometimes when your hands are full it's nice to just be able to push a button on the door handle.
- overall fit and finish seems to be holding up well, only gripe is the driver's seat is starting to get a little squeaky sounding when you move around or making a turn.
- not a huge fan of Mazda's infotainment setup including the rotary dial. You can touch the screen as well but I just don't find it very user-friendly.
- fuel economy is not bad but I was expecting a little better at least in city and mixed driving. In the all-wheel drive config, it is rated at 20/26. I keep track on fuelly, over 9,600 miles tracked It's averaging 21.3mpg. the reason I mentioned depending on what type of driving, it has exceeded its rating on the highway at slightly more than 28. When driving all City mileage though it is very difficult to get up to 20, more like 18 with conservative driving. That 21.3 is definitely an overall mix of driving so I was hoping for a little bit more. Could be worse, could be better kind of thing.
- rear cargo space is not as good as some of the competitors but I haven't ran into any issues. We knew this going in so not complaining but more of a wish list item
I'm sure I'm forgetting something but that sums it up mostly. In the 15,000 miles that we've owned it, I've done filters, oil changes and a couple of fuel treatments. Other than that nothing. It does have an annoying clicking sound sometimes when stopping, I've read there is a TSB regarding brake pad shims. It hasn't bothered me enough to take it in but may if I have to do something else. On my to do is transfer case and transmission fluids in the near future maybe spring. According to the Carfax there was no listed repairs either other than new set of tires so I would say the first 36,000 were pretty trouble-free as well. To sum it up it has been one of our favorite vehicles we have owned. I definitely understand the appeal of Mazda's vehicles.
A few pics, I don't have great ones. Second one is the crown Vic following me home from Illinois. Side note, if you're ever in Peoria, Illinois and enjoy Indian cuisine; Indian Tadka was great 🍻
Attachments
Last edited:
