CX-9 2016 Mazda CX-9

[Centurion]

Now this is a futuristic but resolved front bumper for an SUV. Lexus and Mercedes should take note.

 

[Monster]

Fantastic exterior and interior design, it puts the Mercedes GLE and Lexus RX to shame.

 

[Rolf]

Wow I am really impressed by this car, its in my opinion one of the nicest looking SUV's on the road. Mazda is really on a role lately, they bringing out fantastic looking cars with excellent looking interiors as well. By far and large the most exciting and best looking Japanese car brand.

 

[Gianclaudio]

Another winner from the best mainstream manufacturer right now

 

[marley71]

Now this is a futuristic but resolved front bumper for an SUV. Lexus and Mercedes should take note.

View attachment 355654

Agreed, I hope Mazda themselves take note and resolve the "fangs" in the Miata in an equally pleasant way.

 

[KiwiRob]

I really want them to make a full on luxury car with a turbo V6 or V8 and RWD with their current design language.

M

Nice idea but I doubt that will ever happen.

Will the CX-9 come to Europe, it's a handsome SUV, a fine complement to the CX-5.

I hope they can repeat the success of the CX-5, I see CX-5's everywhere, I think they are currently the most popular SUV in Norway.

 

[klier]

Another winner from the best mainstream manufacturer right now

lol wot?

The list of underdog companies that I like and pull for just grew by one more: Mazda. If all everyday/family transportation looked like that the morning commute and the world would be a much happier place. This is a winner inside and out. Suddenly Volvo and Mazda are relevant again, in a big way.

M

Volvo has always been relevant and this (though handsome) SUV is not going to change a damn thing for Mazda.
But maybe you are talking about the state of affairs in the U.S, I don't know what Mazda does over there. Nor do I care.

 

[Gianclaudio]

lol wot?

Mainstream = non premium, Arnoud.
And IMO, Mazda look just nicer than Fords, VW/Seat/Skoda, PSA, Renault, drive absolutely better and are much more reliable. The interior is also nicer than all japaneses, Korean and most euro cars, besides VW (and more visually interesting, anyway)

 

[KiwiRob]

Mainstream = non premium, Arnoud.
And IMO, Mazda look just nicer than Fords, VW/Seat/Skoda, PSA, Renault, drive absolutely better and are much more reliable. The interior is also nicer than all japaneses, Korean and most euro cars, besides VW (and more visually interesting, anyway)

If a company makes well over a million cars per year from cheap hatchbacks all the way up you're a mainstream manufacturer. BMW, Audi, Mercedes are all mainstream brands with some high end models.

 

[klier]

If a company makes well over a million cars per year from cheap hatchbacks all the way up you're a mainstream manufacturer. BMW, Audi, Mercedes are all mainstream brands with some high end models.

lol no.
When a reasonably full option 1er costs more than any Mazda, you're a premium brand. How many cars you sell is completely irrelevant.

Mainstream = non premium, Arnoud.

I know
I wasn't comparing Mazda to the premium brands.

 

[KiwiRob]

lol no.
When a reasonably full option 1er costs more than any Mazda, you're a premium brand. How many cars you sell is completely irrelevant.



I know
I wasn't comparing Mazda to the premium brands.

I disagree, the premium Germans are now the mainstream, plenty of other people agree with this, I'm not alone in my opinions.

I don't like this idea, I would prefer it if BMW, Audi & Mercedes didn't make cheaper cars, I want to drive something that's aspirational that the majority of people can't afford. When you look at the deals in Norway anyone can buy one, and in the US and UK leasing killer deals on them available to anyone with decent credit.

https://www.firstvehicleleasing.co.uk/car-leasing/bmw

You might also rightly wonder if Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are steadily working to becoming mainstream brands, abandoning exclusivity in favour of growth and profit. If a premium vehicle is also an exclusive one, what’s so special about a BMW or a Mercedes when both are nearly as common as Subarus in Canada (Subaru Canada’s sale hit 42,035 in 2014)? At what point does premium become everyday and ho-hum?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/news/industry-news/how-german-luxury-brands-are-turning-premium-into-mainstream/article24434022/

It is hard to recall a time where the gap between ‘premium’ and ‘mainstream’ vehicles has been slimmer. The divide between fancy European brands and an everyman approximation from Australia or Japan has been reduced to what seems at times a crack in the drywall.

As more humble brands increasingly seek to lift their wares into a new ‘premium’ stratosphere by fitting them with cutting-edge multimedia and active safety technology, not to mention premium materials, the so-called luxury brands are locked in a race to the bottom, or at least a scrabble to meet the mainstream halfway down the summit.

But this all does lead to a bigger question: in an age where luxury car-makers are coming down to the mainstream and the mainstream is striving to break a mould, what exactly is it that makes a ‘premium’ car premium?

http://www.caradvice.com.au/301073/the-blurred-lines-between-premium-and-mainstream/

As their expanding lineups battle it out, including in the critical California market — where BMW sells one of every four 3 Series cars sold in the United States — German brands are also dipping toward the mainstream.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/business/german-luxury-car-brands-dominate-and-look-to-extend-their-lead.html?_r=0

Look at the brandons on this website

http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/business_models/jeremiah_owyang/more_70_mainstream_brands_now_taking_part_collaborati

 

[klier]

I disagree, the premium Germans are now the mainstream, plenty of other people agree with this, I'm not alone in my opinions.

Mainstream can be premium. Just look at the iPhone. Premium yet everyone and his dog has one.

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Mainstream can be premium. Just look at the iPhone. Premium yet everyone and his dog has one.

My dog has an Android thank you! ... the cat on the hand.....pussy!

 

[KiwiRob]

Mainstream can be premium. Just look at the iPhone. Premium yet everyone and his dog has one.

As with your Apple example some brands are much better at commanding a premium price than others, the product isn't always premium, people just think it is due to the badge, the A class is a really good example of this.

 

[Merc1]

Volvo has always been relevant and this (though handsome) SUV is not going to change a damn thing for Mazda.
But maybe you are talking about the state of affairs in the U.S, I don't know what Mazda does over there. Nor do I care.

They why are you replying to me? NO one cares if you care or not, least of all me.

M

 

[Gianclaudio]

If a company makes well over a million cars per year from cheap hatchbacks all the way up you're a mainstream manufacturer. BMW, Audi, Mercedes are all mainstream brands with some high end models.

As usual, you're loosing focus and taking the branches rather than keeping on main track, by the use of semantics.
I'm not trying to define what makes or not a premium manufacturer, but I think for everyone in the forum, except those who like discussing for the sake of it -like you- got my opinion.

Once again, IMO: Mazda > VW/Seat, Ford, Chevy/Opel, Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, Citroën, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Suzuki.

Please, make yourself, myself and the forum a favour, and add me to your ignore list. I'll do the same and we'll save the fellow forum members from the usual rants.

I hope you're mature enough to get it.

Best regards.

 

[KiwiRob]

You don't appear to understand the changing dynamics in the auto industry, where premium is now mainstream.

 

[martinbo]

You don't appear to understand the changing dynamics in the auto industry, where premium is now mainstream.

I do agree - very much so, in fact - with KiwiRob's take on this. There is no question that the concept of "premium becoming mainstream" is a fundamental dynamic dictated by the planet's rampant and insatiable consumerism. As we move toward an ever-globalised consumer base, people will come to more uniformly recognise standards of quality, performance and workmanship.

It stands to reason, therefore, that the shift in premium is to reach more consumers (in order to meet these expectations) and thus the move towards "mainstream-premium". Of course, relativity is a fundamental consideration which is entirely dependent on the perspective of the observer. I might view a nicely specced 3 Series as a mainstream product offering a premium experience whereas someone wealthier would view the same car in the same way as I view a Kia Rio - nice & functional but ultimately cheap. And, y'know, they wouldn't be wrong because their perspective, their position of observation is different. The concept of what was once mainstream is hence significantly altered; a BMW 3 Series is now decidedly mainstream - about as mainstream as a Mazda 3 at the bottom end of the model range - relative to really expensive cars like luxury sedans and SUVs.

The amazing thing about marketers is their ability to create an impression of premium out of something which is fundamentally mainstream purely by virtue of association. A Mercedes Benz A-Class is a worthy case in point.

So, the point of this seemingly off-topic ramble is to advise folks not to get embroiled in an unnecessarily heated and acrimonious argument about premium vs mainstream in this Mazda CX-9 thread. Thanks.

 

[KiwiRob]

BTW I actually think the CX-9 looks like a premium product. I would love to have a look at one, but from everything I have read Mazda are not bringing it to Europe, or at least they are not bringing it to Europe with a diesel engine, which will kill it stone dead over here.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/11/24/2017-mazda-cx9-prototype-first-drive-review/

2017 Mazda CX-9 Prototype First Drive
An Early Test Of The Enthusiast's Three-Row Crossover

If you read our coverage from last week's Los Angeles Auto Show, you'll note that we wereextremely fond of the new Mazda CX-9. We like the look of the thing, inside and out, and it promises to be the best-driving entry in the three-row crossover class. We agree wholeheartedly with that claim. You see, we already drove it.

Full disclosure: Our test of the camouflaged CX-9 prototype you see here was short, and while we were able to get a good handle on the CX-9's basic driving dynamics, it'll take more than a 30-mile session around the outskirts of LA to uncover the finer details. What's more, these vehicles are not production ready. In fact, according to our handlers at Mazda, the CUV we tested was actually at the stage before pre-production – so basically, a pre-pre-production car. That said, all the details about the engine, transmission, suspension, and steering are "largely final."

As you can see in the gallery, the cars we tested were heavily camouflaged both inside and out. As for styling, we love it – see the undisguised pictures from the LA show for more views. And as for inside, we can say leather seats of our Grand Touring model were comfortable and supportive, and the smallish steering wheel felt natural in the hand. Even in pre-pre-production state, the CX-9 was impressively quiet. An extra 53 pounds of under-floor sound deadening, thicker windows, and active noise cancellation all contribute to what Mazda claims will be "among the quietest vehicles in its class." It's worth noting that the good sounds, like the throaty, whooshy noises of the turbocharged engine, found their way into the cabin just fine.

The 2.5-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine – Mazda's first force-induced Skyactiv engine – is an excellent piece. It uses a variable geometry turbocharger, which the company calls a Dynamic Pressure Turbo. Here's how Mazda explains it: Imagine a normal garden hose. Put your thumb over the nozzle, and the force of the water increases dramatically. That's the DPT at low rpms. It features three small exhaust ports to direct exhaust gases into the turbo, making for 17.4 quick-spooling PSI at low rpms. As the revs climb, a flow control valve opens up, redirecting the gases to a trio of larger ports – removing your thumb from the hose, if you will – and keeping the boost up.

Mazda also fit a four-three-one "pulse converter" exhaust manifold that takes advantage of something called the ejector effect. This setup means that the outer cylinders get their own exhaust ports, while the inner cylinders share a port. That means exhaust gases are always drawn from adjacent ports, allowing the ejector effect to kick in. To understand this effect, imagine an airbrush. Air spews out of the gun, creating a low-pressure effect at the tip, which then sucks paint out of a reservoir. The air and paint mix in the air, and voila, bad spray tans and old-school photo manipulation. In the case of the CX-9, though, the ejector effect helps keep turbocharged boost up by "scavenging" leftover exhaust gases from compressed cylinders.

These systems play well to Mazda's philosophy for the Skyactiv turbo, which aims to produce "real-world" power. That's why you get 310 pound-feet of torque at just 2,000 rpm, while the bulk of the twist remains available at engine speeds up to 4,000 rpm. While this means power does fall off rather precipitously at high rpm, Mazda says most CX-9 customers simply aren't going to be working their engines that hard. In its research, Mazda paced three-row CUV drivers as they ran about their daily errands, and they noticed that most drivers never exceeded 3,000 or 4,000 rpm.

The result of all this work is awesome. While we fancy ourselves as heavy-footed drivers, there simply wasn't a need in the CX-9. Power is abundant off the line. The 2.5-liter had no issue setting us back in our seat and making for breezy, effortless passes along southern California's freeways. On the twistier sections of Mulholland Drive, this low-end torque paired nicely with the lag-free turbo to fling the big CUV about. You notice the high-end power dropoff when you're really driving spiritedly, but given the CX-9's target customer, we don't see that being a problem in the real world.

Another neat part of the 2.5-liter engine is the cooled exhaust gas recirculation system, which helps with efficiency. As the name suggests, the cooled EGR chills the exhaust gases in the turbo, reduces the need for fuel enrichment, and contributes to a 10.5:1 compression ratio. That should help the Skyactiv turbo deliver a significant fuel economy improvement over the old 3.7-liter V6, which turned out a paltry 17 miles per gallon city and 24 mpg highway. Mazda wouldn't give us estimates, but we'd wager that 30 mpg highway is within reach.

Speaking of the V6, a few readers asked why Mazda didn't just go that route. Simply put, it's cheaper to add a turbocharger and an intercooler to the existing 2.5-liter four-cylinder than it is to add all the Skyactiv engine tech to a brand-new V6. Besides, even with the Skyactiv tech, Mazda said the V6 would've had a 13:1 compression ratio, more mechanical friction, and greater pumping losses than the 2.5T. As is the trend with many turbo engines these days, downsizing is a great solution – Mazda sees the 2.5-liter as a genuine V6 replacement.

Other readers pointed out that you only get the full 250 horsepower when running on 93-octane fuel; driving with 87-octane results in 227 hp. It's true, and honestly, most customers won't care. In fact, our drive took place on regular-octane fuel, and no one told us until we finished the test. At no point did we think, "You know, this thing could really use an extra 23 hp." Besides, the all-important 310 lb-ft of torque is there regardless of fuel choice.

Getting away from the engine, the CX-9 is an amalgamation of a bunch of well-received items. The six-speed automatic is from the Mazda6 (which uses the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter Skyactiv engine), and was a solid, trustworthy companion during our test. Left on its own, the six-speed executed snappy upshifts; downshifts arrive just as you need them. The CX-9 doesn't have paddle shifters, but it performed so flawlessly – especially in Sport mode – that we never missed them. The transmission held gears when charging hard and even when lifting off for a turn. During highway cruising and energetic runs, the transmission worked beautifully.

Because it rides on the same Skyactiv chassis architecture as the Mazda6 and CX-5, the CX-9 uses the same suspension arrangement, with MacPherson struts up front and a multilink setup in back. Even with the extra weight – Mazda hasn't published an official spec, but we estimate around 4,100 to 4,400 pounds – the CX-9 should be the standard of the segment in terms of handling. Our tester was genuinely fun to drive, far better than a Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, or similarly ponderous CUV. Turn-in was sharp and the roll progressive, though the steering did feel a bit isolated on center. Steering weight builds nicely, and overall feedback is fine, but again, we need more time behind the wheel of the finished product before we make a verdict.

The 2017 Mazda CX-9 does to the three-row CUV segment what the original model did way back in 2006 – it introduces a driver-focused element to a segment filled with staid, uninteresting models. More than that, though, it signals an extension of Mazda's increasingly impressive streak of offering competent driver's cars in mainstream segments. The new CX-9 hits dealers in the spring of 2016. You can look for a comprehensive first drive around then.

• Engine
  Turbo 2.5L I4
• Power
  250 HP / 310 LB-FT
• Transmission
  6-Speed Automatic
• 0-60 Time
  7.3 Seconds (est.)
• Drivetrain
  All-Wheel Drive
• Engine Placement
  Front
• Curb Weight
  4,400 LBS (est.)
• Seating
  2+3+2
• MPG
  23 City / 30 HWY (est.)