2016 Mazda CX-9 review

Total tech and design overhaul brings the brand's biggest into line with the Mazda family.

July 8 2016 - 8:36AM

David McCowen

Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied
Mazda has given its seven-seat CX-9 a complete overhaul. Photo: Supplied

Car companies sometimes tell fibs by heating up yesterday's models, adding new bumpers or headlights and calling the result a "brand new" vehicle. The Mazda CX-9 is not one of those.

The largest vehicle in the Mazda fleet has been comprehensively reworked to make it more relevant to today's families, bringing the seven-seater into line with the successful CX-3 and CX-5 duo.

Mazda developed the new model by tailgating SUV-loving Californian families to see exactly how people use their cars, replicating their routes and driving styles to understand what people want from a modern family wagon. Engineers also spoke with past and present customers in the US and Australia before going back to the drawing board.

The result is a car that couldn't be mistaken for anything but a Mazda. The CX-9's style gels nicely with the brand's current lineup, wearing the "Kodo" design treatment so comfortably it could be mistaken for other members of the family, albeit with some noticeable styling evolution.

Under the skin, a new chassis adopts Mazda's "Skyactiv" series of weight-saving and eco-conscious measures that help save around 100 kilograms. Its overall length is shorter than before, but the wheelbase is 55mm longer to lend more cabin space in the first two rows. The redesigned body with shorter overhangs translates to a slightly smaller boot that now offers 810 litres of cargo room with the third row folded, or 230 litres with it in place.

There's also slightly less legroom in the child-friendly third row, though redesigned chairs give back-row occupants more kneeroom and space for their feet.

Engineers attempted to address Mazda's widely reported road noise issues by stuffing nearly four times as much insulation under the floor, while also working to trim wind noise with new glass and seals.

But the biggest change is under the bonnet, where the CX-9 dropped its old 3.7-litre V6 engine in favour of a new 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol model. As before, there is no diesel option, but Mazda says that won't hurt sales.

The new engine makes less power on paper than the V6, offering 170kW compared with the old model's 204kW output. But that's not the whole story, as the new car's 420Nm of torque at 2000rpm easily out-guns the discontinued car's 367Nm at 4250pm, offering more accessible performance in the part of the power band SUV drivers use.

As with the previous CX-9, the new model is only available with a six-speed automatic transmission and a choice of front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. The new car is impressively efficient, using fuel-saving start-stop and energy harvesting i-Eloop systems to sip a claimed 8.4-litres per 100km of fuel for front-wheel-drive models – well less than the 11L/100km of its predecessor while undercutting the 10.2L/100km of its key rival, Toyota's V6-powered Kluger.

It's also more affordable than before, with an entry point of $42,490 that makes it a $1280 cheaper proposition. The base CX-9 Sport features 18-inch wheels, LED headlamps, three-zone climate control, a seven-inch touchscreen with six speakers and internet apps such as Pandora, a reversing camera, sat nav, blind spot warning system and rear parking sensors as standard kit. All-wheel-drive traction is a $4000 option across the range. The mid-grade Touring models add leather trim, a nicer touchscreen and more gadgets while buyers with $57,390 to spend can get hold of a CX-9 GT that adds 20-inch wheels, smart keys, a quality digital driver display, sunroof, 12-speaker Bose stereo and front parking sensors.

The top of the range CX-9 Azami costs $59,390 in front-wheel-drive form, featuring all of the above plus radar cruise control, adaptive LED headlights and driver aids such as lane keeping assistance and smart brake support.

The cabin feels much more modern than its predecessor, with an excellent driving position and spacious, premium feel to higher-grade models that should attract around half of the CX-9's customers in its first year on sale.

We tested the CX-9 in two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive form on a grey Melbourne day that brought plenty of rain. While the two-wheel-drive layout should prove adequate for most drivers, it didn't shine on slick and bumpy roads that challenged the car's traction levels. It is easy to induce wheel spin with Mazda's torquey new motor, which easily calls traction control into service to cut power and keep everything tidy. The result is that the front-drive CX-9 is frustrating on slippery surfaces, while the all-wheel-drive model powers on with ease.

Two-wheel-drive customers are also likely to notice a decent dollop of torque steer that tugs at the steering wheel under full throttle, and both models are affected by bump steer that twists the tiller in your hands over imperfections.

The all-wheel-drive model is a better bet on the road, using its on-demand system to shift drive rearward when required. While you usually feel a touch of front wheelspin before it really brings the rear into play, Mazda says the system will pre-emptively adopt an all-wheel-drive layout by looking at factors such as ambient temperature, G-forces and whether the windscreen wipers are in use to determine whether it should drive the rear axle before slip occurs.

Mazda's new engine is a quiet and effortless gem, and it's possible to exceed its fuel economy claims without trying - we returned 9.6L/100km in a spirited run in the all-wheel-drive car before a regular cruise in the two-wheel-drive model returned 8.3L/100km on the road.

The brand's efforts to make the wagon quieter seem to have worked well, with significantly less road and wind noise making its way into the cabin.

The result is that the new CX-9 feels far more accomplished than its predecessor. Mazda is confident that it will be much more popular than the previous model, giving Australian families even more choice in the ever-growing SUV market.