Spacious and practical with a hint of adventure, it's clear to see why families are flocking to SUVs as their vehicles of choice. Seven-seat SUVs have become a popular alternative to the large sedans and people movers previously used on holidays, the school run and everyday duties. And they just keep getting better.
Drive reshaped its annual awards in 2015 to better reflect the growing SUV landscape. The latest Kia Sorento took out the inaugural Best Family SUV award in 2015, edging out rivals in the Ford Territory and Subaru Outback.
Kia's flagship has form as a Drive favourite - both in the current generation and its predecessor.
Tested here in mid-range SLi form with a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine, the Sorento offers a solid 147kW of power and 441Nm of torque, using just 7.8L/100km of fuel to do so. Kia's diesel option is our preference as it features all-wheel-drive traction, unlike the front-wheel-drive Sorento V6.
Pleasant in presentation both inside and out, the Sorento features plenty of thoughtful touches including air conditioning vents for all three rows, and a separate fan controller for the rearmost seats.
While cargo space is a little tight with the third row in place, the Sorento offers a full-size spare tyre - a welcome feature on any vehicle with off-road intentions - and a powered tailgate to make access more convenient.
Judges were impressed by the model's versatility, saying "it does the job of a family bus very well", and that "it's a genuine seven-seater, the back seat isn't just for kids".
The Sorento also offers well-behaved dynamics on the road, though emergency manoeuvres on our test track revealed less grip than you might expect, and that its stability control system can become flustered in trying circumstances.
Shortcomings for the model include a lack of active safety features such as autonomous emergency braking, along with the slightly gruff voice of its diesel engine.
But that's unlikely to be a deal-breaker for families wooed by excellent practicality and the best consumer guarantee on the road: Kia's seven years of warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assistance.
Mazda can't match Kia's warranty.
But what the CX-9 Touring can offer is a more modern alternative to the Sorento, one with intelligent details including full air conditioning controls for the back seat, and a drop-down rear armrest that hides a smartphone storage space with twin USB chargers perfect for tech-savvy kids.
It also scores points for its updated infotainment system with a BMW-style rotary controller that allows you to whip through menus without stretching for a touchscreen, and for having a significantly larger boot than the Sorento (even if the spare tyre is a compact space-saver unit).
The big news for Mazda's newest model lies under the bonnet, where the brand heralds a return to turbocharging in the form of a quiet and efficient 2.5-litre petrol engine. While its 8.6L/100km fuel economy is a little thirstier than its rival, the Mazda's 170kW and 420Nm outputs make it feel much more energetic on the road, allowing it to reach 100km/h a full second sooner than the Kia.
Better still, the new engine is impressively quiet and refined. Mazda has addressed one of the brand's key shortcomings by tackling noise, vibration and harshness in the CX-9, which could be the most refined vehicle in its class.
It's been a long time since we could say that about a Mazda.
The CX-9 earned praise from our panel, with one judge suggesting "This is the most convincing Mazda I've ever driven", with others citing its predictability, presentation and outstanding braking as superior to the Kia.
Though it's a little dearer than the Kia, the CX-9 features autonomous emergency braking as standard across the range, a factor that may prove decisive for safety-conscious buyers.
We also like the way the second row slides forward to allow excellent access to the sixth and seventh seats, though Mazda blots its copybook by declining to offer air vents for rearmost occupants.
The CX-9's "Kodo" school of design also proved divisive, with more than one tester put off by its looks.
It's easy to argue the current-generation Kia Sorento is the best car built by the brand, and you could form a similar position for the CX-9.
Both are brilliant cars worthy of recommendation, and both received first-place votes from our judging team.
But the Kia couldn't quite match the backing earned by Mazda, which took a category win on the back of its superior refinement, excellent engine, active safety tech and thoughtful cabin.
It's enough to make the Mazda CX-9 Touring the Best Family SUV in the 2016 Drive Car of the Year awards.
Judges' votes
Mazda - 7
Kia - 11
(The Drive Car of the Year judging process awards points to every car in the category according to the position they were ranked by all six judges. The car with the lowest score therefore wins the category. If this vehicle defeats the existing category champion it is then eligible for the overall 2016 Drive Car of the Year award.)
2016 Mazda CX-9 Touring AWD pricing and specifications
Price: From $52,890 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 170kW at 5000rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 2000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Fuel use: 8.8L/100km
2016 Kia Sorento SLi diesel pricing and specifications
Price: $49,490 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel
Power: 147kW at 3800rpm
Torque: 441Nm at 1750-2750rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, AWD
Fuel use 7.8L/100km
11 Comments
Pale Ale | 2016-11-16 01:29:07
So let me get this right. The CX-9 (whilst a very good car), is $3k more expensive than the Kia, requires more frequent servicing (10,000kms vs 15,000kms), has less than half the warranty, has no third row air vents, has no proper spare tyre (it should lose on this point alone), uses a shed-load more fuel, but somehow is deemed to be the better vehicle? And it has superior refinement' (you are joking, right?)
TMRfan | 2016-11-16 05:11:53
+1
DJM61 | 2016-11-16 10:32:43
The CX-9's Kodo school of design also proved divisive. Is the correct spelling Dodo?
Mitch | 2016-11-16 12:22:07
Family SUV? Ok which one would be best to drive Brisbane to Sydney with two adults and three teenage boys 17yo and twin 15yo all above 175cm? Plus luggage for 5 for a week?
Mitch | 2016-11-16 12:22:09
Family SUV? Ok which one would be best to drive Brisbane to Sydney with two adults and three teenage boys 17yo and twin 15yo all above 175cm? Plus luggage for 5 for a week?
DJM61 Mitch | 2016-11-21 21:51:52
Which one would be best to drive Brisbane to Sydney with two adults and three teenage boys 17yo and twin 15yo all above 175cm? Plus luggage for 5 for a week? Kia Carnival Platinum or Hyundai iMax CRDi (don't scoff if you haven't driven one).
Mike J | 2016-11-17 06:21:03
I test drove both of these SUVs, and studied them both in quite a bit of detail. Both are very good cars, but the Sorento is superior to the CX9. The Sorento is quieter on the road, has a more efficient diesel engine that Mazda doesn't even offer in the CX9. My timw with the CX9 saw it consume 12.5L/100kms compared to 8.8L/100kms in the Sorento. Anyone expecting good economy in the CX9 will be disapoointed. The Sorento has levels of refinement and attention to detail which the CX9 can't match. Don't get me wrong, as I said these are both great cars. I ended up buying an Audi Q7 so I'm not biased either way with either of these cars.
Mike J | 2016-11-17 06:21:53
I test drove both of these SUVs, and studied them both in quite a bit of detail. Both are very good cars, but the Sorento is superior to the CX9. The Sorento is quieter on the road, has a more efficient diesel engine that Mazda doesn't even offer in the CX9. My timw with the CX9 saw it consume 12.5L/100kms compared to 8.8L/100kms in the Sorento. Anyone expecting good economy in the CX9 will be disapoointed. The Sorento has levels of refinement and attention to detail which the CX9 can't match. Don't get me wrong, as I said these are both great cars. I ended up buying an Audi Q7 so I'm not biased either way with either of these cars.
Pale Ale | 2016-11-18 02:36:47
@ Mike J The CX -9 is designed for the US market, not Australia. Mazda don't offer a diesel in the CX-9 because, unlike Kia, they can't design one that meets US emission regulations. You should look up the issues Mazda had with their 'skyactiv' diesel and rising sump oil levels.
stevelees | 2016-11-28 05:07:43
We bought this car after deciding the back seat of our Infiniti FX37S was getting a bit cramped for our three growing kids. On the principle of divide and conquer we figured the two girls on the back seat with a large arm rest in between and our boy in the third row by himself, happy days. We loved the interior of the CX9, fought like cats and dogs to get anything other than the boring all black/grey interior and chose the Stone Leather option on our top of the line CX9. On a positive note, interior room and creature comforts are great of the first two rows of seats. But as has already been mentioned, no air vents in the third row is a major oversight, as it gets hot and uncomfortable. Worse however is the claimed fuel economy compared to actual real world results. Combined city/country for us is an appalling 13.8L per 100kMs. If we hang around the city it is over 14L/100! Yes the car is rather new, and I have been told too many times to give the car time to 'bed in', but I see no dramatic change ever getting anywhere near Mazda's claims. Worse however is the very dangerous, AUTO BRAKING feature. We have now turned it off completely as the car ignores the fact your foot is on the brake and that you are gradually slowing down with plenty of room, and instead slams the brakes on fully, ABS and all. Apart from removing a few more years off my life each time it does this, we are more than likely going to have some one plow the rear end of the car. We have already had the infotainment system replaced because that was crashing constantly, could it be the radar system is also faulty? As for the advertisement saying Buy it for the family, drive it for yourself.....I find it un-involving to drive to be honest, and I dearly miss the Infiiniti which was a fantastic car to drive. And one final thought....Mazda have chosen to offer 4 trim/spec levels on the CX9, we chose the top of the line expecting it to have everything you can get in this new model, such as the 'real wood interior trim' and 'real aluminium interior trim on the doors' that were mentioned in just about every single pre-release review of the car. But, no, the top of the line in Australia has none of those things. At $70K, it would have been nice to have those extra niceties in the car, might have made me think less about the unexciting drive and the wallet emptying fuel consumption. Car of the Year? Ridiculous.
stevelees | 2016-12-02 23:47:55
One final MAJOR problem that they do not tell you when you buy a CX9....if you order the roof racks, they are mounted forward on the roof, right over the sunroof, which renders the sunroof unusable because of the massive amount of wind noise they create. Remove them until you need them you say? No, can not do that as it leaves 2 screws protruding out of the roof. So, once you have roof racks, you are stuck with them, and the $2K sunroof you paid for can not be used anymore, genius!