New Mazda CX-9 arrives

The first examples of Mazda's new CX-9 have arrived Down Under to unprecedented pre-launch demand.

Fresh off the boat from Hiroshima, Japan, the first 60 CX-9s docked in Melbourne last night ahead of the national media and dealer launches in early July.

Mazda says pre-launch interest in its new seven-seat SUV is at an all-time high with almost 55,000 potential customers registering their interest in the vehicle, of which 13,000 want to be contacted directly by a Mazda representative.

Those figures already surpass the pre-launch record set last year by Mazda's new MX-5, which attracted 34,000 leads and 9700 priority call requests prior to its showroom debut last August.

"We had record interest in Mazda MX-5, but the response to [the] brand-new Mazda CX-9 has been remarkable," said Mazda Australia marketing director Alastair Doak.

"Never have we experienced such pre-launch interest in a Mazda nameplate.

"This gives our sales team a fantastic starting platform, with the goal being to turn as many of these potential buyers into CX-9 owners."

Pricing is yet to be announced, but Mazda last month confirmed the second-generation CX-9 – which swaps its forebear's 3.7-litre petrol V6 for a downsized turbocharged four-cylinder engine – will be available in eight variants, doubling its predecessor's model line-up.

Model grades will include the entry-level Sport, mid-grade Touring, high-spec GT and 'high plus' grade Azami, all powered by a new SKYACTIV-G 2.5-litre direct-injection turbocharged petrol engine.

Although there will be no diesel engine, it will be matched as standard to a six-speed automatic transmission and fuel-saving i-stop and i-ELOOP technology, reducing fuel consumption to as little as 8.4L/100km – down almost 25 per cent from 11L/100km.

All-wheel drive variants will consume 8.8L/100km and the new engine delivers more torque but less power than the V6 it replaces at 170kW/420Nm, versus 204kW/366Nm for the old CX-9.

As we reported from our first drive of a pre-production model earlier this year, the new CX-9 is based on Mazda's latest SKYACTIV chassis and all four model grades will be available in both front-wheel drive (2WD) and i-ACTIV AWD configurations.

The MkII CX-9 is already on sale in the US, where 80 per cent of global production will end up. Mazda has forecast 50,000 sales per annum worldwide.

Mazda's nine-year-old original CX-9, which is currently priced between $43,770 and $61,680, found just 3384 customers Down Under last year – well down on cheaper seven-seat large SUV rivals like the Toyota Kluger, Holden Captiva 7 and Ford Territory.