New Mazda CX-9 vs Toyota Kluger, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento to find out which seven-seat SUV is best for modern families?
Steven and his wife will soon be welcoming their third child to the family. Their current family car is a Mazda CX-5 but they're thinking it might be time to move up to something with more seats. They'd like to stick with an SUV but aren't sure where they should be parking their cash.
The budget
About $50,000
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The shortlist
Not that long ago Steven would have had little to choice but to ponder options with roots going back a decade (Ford Territory), close to a decade (Toyota's previous-generation Kluger) or more than five years (Kia's previous-generation Sorento), and accept the various compromises that tend to be inevitable as the game moves on. Even some of the fresher contenders he would have been perusing don't really look, feel or drive like it (Nissan Pathfinder).
Now, though, it's a very different story. Of the trio we've assembled here, one is literally hot off the presses, another has just passed its first birthday and even our oldest contender only arrived here in 2014. Suffice to say, they're all candidates for being the best mainstream seven-seat SUV currently available.
Kia Sorento, from $40,990
This Kia's seven-seat cabin has more than sufficient space and versatility for a three-child scenario.
Its safety artillery ticks off the fundamentals (head-protecting curtain airbags for all rows of seats, reversing camera) and it comes with the peace-of-mind of a seven-year warranty/fixed-price servicing combo, the latter with yearly/15,000km intervals.
It's a comfortable and refined thing to drive, and you can choose between petrol or diesel power ? the petrol is sweeter, smoother and cheaper but the diesel drinks less (7.8L/100km vs 9.9L/100km) and has better low-rev driveability.
Downsides? Its final-row seats aren't quite a benchmark for space, its handling isn't spectacularly agile and its service prices aren't quite as affordable as some rivals.
You need to step up to the $55,990 Platinum to gain safety technology like blindspot/lane-departure warnings, while autonomous emergency braking isn't part of its repertoire.
Read Drive's Kia Sorento reviews:
Road test: Kia Sorento SLi
Road-test comparison: Seven-seat SUVs?
Mazda CX-9, from $42,490
This Mazda is this group's freshest package and its safety reflects that ?blindspot monitors and autonomous emergency braking are standard even on the cheapest model.
Its 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine is powerful, flexible and refined, while its impressive economy (8.4L/100km for front-drive models, 8.8L/100km for AWDs) makes up for the lack of a diesel variant.
It's comfortable to ride in, impressively quiet and its practical seven-seat cabin has this group's only final-row child-restraint anchor points, plus a more upmarket ambience than its price suggests.
But the CX-9's three-year warranty isn't a benchmark. While covered by a lifetime fixed-price servicing regime, it loses points with yearly/10,000km intervals and higher than average costs.
Its final-row seating isn't quite the roomiest in the class and noticeable steering kickback over big bumps casts a slight shadow over its otherwise pleasing handling.
Read Drive's Mazda CX-9 reviews:
Review: 2016 Mazda CX-9
Road-test comparison: Seven-seat SUVs
Toyota Kluger, from $42,190
This Toyota scores big practical points with its roomy second-row and final-row seating.
Its safety package ticks off the fundamentals (curtain airbags for all rows, reversing camera), its 3.5-litre petrol V6 is a strong, relaxed performer and Toyota's fixed-price servicing regime asks less of your wallet than many seven-seat SUVs.
But the Kluger is somewhat ponderous through the bends, its petrol V6 is thirsty (10.2L/100km for FWD models, 10.6L/100km for AWDs) and there's no diesel out-clause.
Its unremarkable three-year warranty is backed up by this group's shortest fixed-price servicing coverage (also three years), plus this group's least convenient intervals (six-monthly/10,000km).
You need to aim for topline Grande models (from $64,075) to get blindspot/lane-departure warnings and autonomous emergency braking.
Read Drive's Toyota Kluger reviews:
Road test: Toyota Kluger Grande AWD
Road-test comparison: Seven-seat SUVs
Drive recommends
The Toyota gets big ticks for space and servicing costs but its mediocre economy, mushy handling and safety-tech limitations mean it doesn't have everything its way here.
The Kia's practicality, value, ownership benefits, choice of engines and all-round competency help it get a finger on the winner's trophy but it's now comprehensively shown up on the safety-tech front in the $50k domain, which means it can't quite hold onto it.
The Mazda doesn't quite have everything its way but its solid practicality, strong driving credentials and equitable balance of performance and economy mean it ticks a lot of boxes. A standout safety-tech serve in this budget range seals its victory.
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