 2010 Mazda CX-9 GT. Click image to enlarge |
Visors receive backlit vanity mirrors with protective sliders. Speaking of sliders, both visors use separate sunblocker panels. The interior rear-view mirror is an auto-dimmer, and still finds enough real estate to house the Homelink transmitter switches. The sunglasses holder is of respectable sizing. The sunroof deflector seems robust, at first glance. Closer inspection reveals a meagre spring tension system, usually seen on Cousin Ford products. Topside, provisions exist for future racking systems. Even with a satellite radio roof nub that can be seen from space, the CX-9 did a stellar job of dropping the signal.
GT has its privileges, such as three-driver memory, plus power lumbar for the driver. Even the front passenger seat is a power glide/recline. Front seats get two-step heat, with a switch that actually understands that turning the key off does not always have to involve the cancellation of the heat function.
As for the second and third rows, let’s start with row three. The Mazda system for engaging and folding the seats into the floor enjoys the simplicity of one fabric pull tether: seamless, quick, and downright trick. While the access to the third row looks respectable, the overall operation is downright binding. Serious oomph is required to move the reclining second row into any position, so much so that Mazda should consider a power sliding system for the GT trim. The second row middle seat position uses a removable shoulder belt, with an overhead stowage.
    2010 Mazda CX-9 GT. Click image to enlarge |
There’s a quality flatness that arrives from the fold of both second and third row seating. Cargo fans, both stuff and people, will appreciate the ample space provided, even when the third row is in use. Tie down points are located throughout. A power hatch closure accompanies the manual pull. Flip-out bag hooks are found on both cargo area walls. Note the third 12-volt DC powerpoint on the passenger side. A shallow storage well is found beneath the cargo area floor, still accessible with the third row in place. Note the jacking tool stowage.
Tools up top, plus a handy storage well. That can only mean one thing; the spare will be an underbelly dirt doughnut. Mazda will change that tire for you, during the first three years of ownership, with no mileage restrictions.
The 273-horsepower 3.7-litre DOHC V6 is the expected shoehorn fit; note the netherworld depths of the alternator’s location. At least the brake master cylinder reservoir is purpose-built for this cram-fest. Best-scenario fuel figures for the CX-9 AWD are 14.0 L/100 km city, and 9.6 highway. In an urban-heavy cycle, the CX-9 returned a figure of 16.2 L/100 km. Burp.
You have arrived. That’s the tag line for the Mazda Canada web site summary, though pinning the expectations of a luxury halo vehicle onto this beast falls into what we at Inside Story call “a stretch”. At 50 large, kissing Cousins Flex and MKT get feature rich, and with MKT, actually start to live up to this wonderful arrival feeling; a downright pity, considering the well-thought-out design elements of the CX-9 that more vehicles in any price bracket desperately need. Was the MPV really so bad? Perhaps it’s time that Mazda considers a return to the sedans that previously carried the designations of 9, with some EcoBoost savvy from the Blue Oval. There’s a 50-grand Zoom-Zoom we can get behind.
Next week: Lexus HS 250h
