Best Used Large SUV for 2023

The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Azami has chalked up a win in the large SUV category of carsales Best Used Cars for 2023, proudly presented by Bingle.

It’s a case of history repeating itself for the Mazda CX-9, which won carsales’ Car of the Year when launched in 2016.

Now, seven years later, the CX-9 has hit the jackpot again. And it locks up three wins for Mazda SUVs in Best Used Cars for 2023.

Unlike its medium SUV stablemate, the CX-5, the big Mazda SUV is a newcomer to the winner’s circle, in a category won by a different contender every year since 2018. Last year the accolade went to the Subaru Outback 2.5i.

The advent of the second-generation CX-9 was a step change for Mazda’s large SUV, as the constant praise from carsales reviewers indicated.

In no particular order, the CX-9 demolished the Kia Sorento and Holden Captiva in a three-car comparison, and took out the award for both Best SUV under $50,000 and, not least of all, carsales Car of the Year 2016.

Since then, it has gone on to claim a slew of circa 80-point results in various reviews and was a runner-up to the Skoda Kodiaq in carsales’ Best Family SUV for 2020.

So what makes the Mazda CX-9 such a strong contender in its class? How about a sensational active safety package on its debut? Or unexpectedly good driving dynamics?

It’s a practical seven-seater as well, and the CX-9 turned the tables on that old perception that Mazdas were inherently noisy on the road. Factor in the improved build quality over the previous generation also, and the CX-9 is everything promised on the wrapper.

RedBook’s analysis of the CX-9 resulted in a score of 32.8 points, with the judges’ scores of 45 combined for a total of 77.8 out of 100 points.

In 2016, buyers could purchase the flagship Mazda CX-9 Azami for $63,390 plus on-road costs. As a used car in 2023, the CX-9 in this level of trim still fetches $38,950, according to RedBook.

carsales staff journalist Tim Britten compared the CX-9 favourably with prestige rivals in his 2016 review, summarising the big Mazda’s virtues thus: “In a brand-defining way, the CX-9 visits new places for Mazda. On top of the introduction of a turbo-petrol engine, it also brings further upgrades to safety, quality and integrity – all in a fractionally shorter and lighter package.

“And, significantly, it is the first Mazda that could be described as truly quiet to travel in.”

You can read more about the CX-9 in our local launch review here.

Contributing journalist Andrea Matthews also said at the time: “It feels like there’s an incredible level of focus that’s gone into delivering the detail of the CX-9. Some vehicles can feel like the coming together of several parts – display screens are mismatched, controls are not where you expect them to be or you get features on some that feel premium while others lack details you expect to see. But in the CX-9, everything feels like it works together.”

Former carsales technical editor Ken Gratton adds: “Mazda is not aiming to be explicitly a prestige brand, but the fit and finish, plus other acknowledged traits of its larger models – the CX-9 included – place the company’s product range in striking distance of models that cost more and arguably boast a more illustrious brand name.”

Ultimately, the CX-9 is a soft-roader in a market sector where buyers might expect a little more bush-bashing ability, but the refined Mazda’s space efficiency and its affordable running costs mean that the seven-seat SUV can straddle that line between a prestige off-roader on one hand, and a dedicated people-mover on the other.

That’s yet one more reason why the Mazda CX-9 Azami is a deserving winner in the large SUV category of carsales Best Used Cars for 2023, proudly presented by Bingle.

Honourable mentions:

The upmarket Kia Sorento GT-Line scored 34.6 points from RedBook and 37 points from the judges for a total of 71.6
RedBook value: $36,200

“Facelift for an ageing beauty, providing a good ownership experience” – Ross Booth, RedBook data services director

“Flagship large SUV combines award-winning quality and class-leading ergonomics” – Marton Pettendy, carsales managing editor

The Subaru Outback 3.6R scored 37.5 points from RedBook and 34 points from the judges for a total of 71.5
RedBook value: $33,600

“So many old Outbacks still around you wonder what it takes to kill these resilient cars” – Cliff Chambers, carsales used-car buying expert

“Offers an appealing combo of light-duty off-road smarts, manageable size and good packaging. Goes hard and sucks fuel as a boxer six” – Bruce Newton, carsales senior journalist

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for 2014)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale value
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• 5 per cent for service intervals
• 5 per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell