Mazda CX-9 2007 Review

Mazda Australia also claims the CX-9 is the first crossover with SUV capabilities available in Australia with passenger car dynamics and a flat floor. The CX-9 is also Mazda's first SUV with Roll Stability Control. Much is also made of the wide apertures for the rear doors in an attempt to overcome accessibility issues to the third row of seats.

CX-9 has been on sale in the US since January and was recently awarded Motor Trend magazine's SUV of the Year, 2008. Australian dealers are receiving their first shipments about now.

Both use the same 3.7-litre V6 and silky six-speed auto transmission and offer high levels of technology in terms of active and passive safety. Features like cruise control, alloy wheels and three-zone climate control are common across the range.

The Classic gets cloth seat surfaces, steering wheel controls. A 60:40 split-fold second row is standard as is the 50:50 split-fold third row. Electric windows and keyless entry are all part of the basic CX-9 kit.

Since the CX-9 was developed with the US market in mind, the remote central locking features a 'dual stage' system by which only the driver's door unlocks initially, reducing the chance of car-jacking.

Differentiating the Luxury over the Classic are the former's 20-inch wheels versus the 18s, a sunroof, heated exterior mirrors and heated leather seats -- four-way adjustable for the passenger, eight-way for the driver, with three position memories.

There's also an uprated 277W amp for the six-disc in-dash audio system (which is also MP3 compatible) and the Luxury model gets four more speakers than the Classic -- taking the count to 10 in all.

Beyond that, the two models are pretty much line-ball -- how many buyers opt for the better-equipped model remains to be seen. Mazda is hoping that more than half the expected 400 CX-9s it plans to sell each month will be the top-drawer model.

Rain-sensing wipers, a reversing camera hooked to the in-dash touch-screen and auto headlights are useful touches, but satellite navigation system is a hefty $3000 extra and not a factory fitted unit. Canny buyers will get a similar unit fitted in the aftermarket for a fraction of Mazda's usurious fee.

Local Mazda spokespeople have denied diesel or two-wheel-drive options are under consideration.

Under the CX-9's bonnet is a transverse-mounted (the press kit incorrectly states longitudinally-mounted) 3.7-litre DOHC fuel-injected petrol V6, delivering 204kW and 366Nm at 6250 and 4250rpm respectively. Mazda says 90 per cent of the engine's maximum torque is available from 2800-5800rpm.

The engine is a conventional, modern 60-degree V6 and features S-VT (Sequential Valve Timing) which adjusts the timing of the intake valves, depending upon engine revs and air-intake velocity. Two close-coupled exhaust catalysts are fitted and the CX-9 meets Euro Stage 4 emissions regulations.

The Aisin six-speed tiptonic-style auto transmission is the same as that used in the CX-7. Though the internal ratios are the same, Mazda has tweaked the final drive ratio to suit the CX-9's torquier V6 powerplant.

The CX-9 uses Mazda's Active Torque Split AWD. Already seen in the Mazda6 MPS and CX-7, it has been adapted for the CX-9. Normally the front wheels provide drive with traction being transmitted to the rear wheels on demand. The change from 2WD to AWD is seamless, without the driver having to select AWD.

Power is transmitted at between 100:0 and 50:50, front to rear, depending upon wheelslip. Drive to the rear wheels is reduced when cornering sharply (to avoid oversteer developing) and when the ABS braking system has been invoked -- to prevent undue influence on the ABS control system

The CX-9's front suspension uses McPherson struts with lateral force control springs, while the rear suspension borrows from the multi-link suspension systems used in several other Mazdas including the CX-7.

Mazda claims acceleration from 0-100km/h in 8.5sec and passing (kickdown) acceleration from 60-100km/h in just 4.8sec.

A major criticism of the turbocharged CX-7 was its prodigious thirst when its performance was exploited. Mazda claims the 9's fuel economy is a more abstemious 13.0L/100km. While the CX-7 requires 95 RON PULP, the 9 is fine with 91 RON.

At the wheels, the electronic aids sport plenty of acronyms but these boil down to traction control, skid control, roll-over stability control and ABS brakes which feature   Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Emergency Brake Assist (EBA).

The Classic model's kerb weight is 2041kg and the Luxury is 2080kg. Braked towing capacity is 2000kg

Despite the obvious assumption, Mazda is quick to point out that the CX-9 is not merely a stretched CX-7 -- for starters, the 9 has a flat floor, which the 7 lacks. The 9 is 5074mm long, 1728mm high and 1936mm wide. Compared to the CX-7, the 9 is 394mm longer, 83mm taller and 64mm wider.

Indeed, even compared to the new up-sized Toyota Kluger, the CX-9 is no shrinking violet. The Toyota's not tiny, but with a length of 'just' 4785mm, it's nearly 300mm shorter -- and that's substantial. Both CX-9 and the Kluger are similarly upright, with just 2mm separating them. For the record, the Kluger is higher, at 1730mm. There's an old fashioned inch worth of width between the Toyota and the CX-9, with the Kluger measuring 1910mm.

The tapered windows and kicked-up beltline are shared with the smaller crossover, part of Mazda's new SUV design DNA. For a family vehicle, this is less than ideal, as the high waist will mean small people in the back can't see outside and will quickly become royal rat-bags. Parents -- or parents-to-be -- be warned.

The exterior features a lot of "chromed" plastic and the lamp clusters are jewelled, but probably the most notable exterior features are the trapezoidal exhausts.

Although the CX-9 doesn't run to a full-sized spare, Mazda has heard the condemnation of skinny space-savers and compromised, providing a 195-section 17-inch spare which is speed-restricted to 80km/h.

Access to the third row of seats is almost always problematic. In the case of the CX-9 Mazda has engineered wide apertures for each side's rear door, and ensured the doors open uncommonly wide -- 72 degrees, in fact. Helping access to the twin rearmost seats, the middle row slides forward with a single action and vehicles sold in Australia have had the 60/40 split in the middle row reversed so that the larger "half" is now on the left side of the vehicle, making entry from the kerb-side easier.

With all three rows of seats in position, the CX-9 offers up to 267 litres of cargo space. The second row slides and reclines for more flexible accommodation. And the third row can be completely folded away into the floor, contributing to the flat load space.

With the second and third-row seats folded flat this rises to 928 litres.

When the vehicle is accelerating, the traction control system monitors and restricts engine torque to prevent wheelspin. While the vehicle is cornering, the dynamic stability system prevents sideways sliding and the roll stability system reduces the risk of roll-over. The vehicle's roll movement is measured by a sensor under the floor and in the exact centre of the vehicle. This detects roll angle, and wheel speed sensors which measure tyre rise. If the vehicle detects a potential roll-over situation, the brakes and engine power are invoked to effect a rolling moment in the opposite direction.

Passive safety features include front, side, and curtain airbags, and front seat belt pretensioners and load limiters. Unlike earlier curtain airbags, which required a sizeable side impact to be deployed, the CX-9's curtain bags are pre-deployed if the vehicle detects the risk of roll-over. In addition, the bags remain inflated for around six seconds to help prevent secondary injuries.

The CX-9 is fitted with three-point (lap-sash) seatbelts for all seven seats, a collapsible steering column and brake pedal, and anti-whiplash front seats.
A reversing camera is a long-overdue and very welcome standard fitment.

The US version of the CX-9 received five-star ratings in frontal and side impact crash tests from the U.S. government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

When asked about the third row of seats which are effectively in the vehicle's crumple zone, Mazda Australia officials pointed out that although not mandatory, the CX-9 was subjected to an 80 km/h rear impact crash-test at the factory.

In terms of equipment, the Mazda's Classic aligns with Territory TS and Kluger KX-R. The Luxury is a good match for Territory Ghia, Kluger KX-S and Tribeca Premium. Buyers with a more flexible budget might also consider Territory Turbo and the Kluger Grande.

Yet it isn't all radiance and perfection in the CX-9. On our introductory route through the Victorian High Country, some drivers felt that the steering was bland and featureless, wooden and lacking in feedback. And in terms of engine performance, the lack of meaningful punch below 3000rpm meant that accleration required patience, a flat right foot or diligent use of the admittedly delightful tiptronic-style gearshift.

The regular and obtrusive operation of the various electronic driver aids left many feeling that Mazda had got that department largely wrong. Certainly, even merely brisk driving on asphalt would see the systems slam the front inside brake violently into play -- indeed, often so violently that the system invoked the ABS and could cause occupants to slide about on the generous leather furniture!

The above was the roll-stability system deciding that we were in imminent danger of scratching the 9's burnished paintwork and taking control to prevent a tip-over.
In fact, we were in no such danger at all, and the aggressive nature of the system's engagement often put the vehicle off the driver's chosen line.

We'd venture that the RSC sensor was being overly pessimistic, that the car wasn't about to go belly-up, and that in reality, its activation threshold could be safely wound back a few notches.

On gravel roads, the Dynamic Stability Control (Mazda's ESP or stability control) was more benign in operation, but seemed to be less consistent. Sometimes it would squeeze a brake and steal away throttle control relatively early, yet on other occasions, the CX-9 could be slid a long way before the computer decided to step in and take the reins. Far enough for the driver to react and correct the slide, whereupon the computer was faced with correcting the correction, with the inevitable wiggles, negated throttle and confusion.

However, in reality it must be said that it's extremely unlikely that many CX-9s will ever be driven like this. Although Mazda Australia emphatically denies that the crossover SUV will become the sole domain of the archetypal Soccer Mom, past experience suggests that most drivers will get right to the end of their relationship with their big bus without even once waking up the life-preserving silicon chips. To our way of thinking, that's a good thing.