2011 Mazda CX-9 Review

Mazda CX-9

With the 2011 Mazda CX-9, the answer is resoundingly affirmative. Despite its larger dimensions, the CX-9 drives more like a midsize crossover. The Mazda CX-9 provides adult-size seating in all three rows, solid build quality and a respectable 101 cubic feet of maximum cargo capacity. Overall, though, the 2011 Mazda CX-9 certainly presents more positives than negatives. The 2011 CX-9 is a large seven-passenger crossover SUV that's available in three trim levels: Sport, Touring and Grand Touring.

Stepping up to the Touring version adds automatic headlights, heated mirrors, leather upholstery (for front- and second-row seats) and heated power front seats. The Grand Touring adds 20-inch wheels, xenon headlights, foglights, automatic wipers, keyless ignition/entry, driver-seat memory presets, a second-row armrest, interior accents of wood and metal, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a blind-spot warning system.

In Edmunds testing, a front-wheel-drive CX-9 accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, while an AWD model required 8.5 seconds. The all-wheel-drive CX-9 drops to 16/22/19 mpg.

Safety
Standard safety equipment for every 2011 Mazda CX-9 includes antilock disc brakes with brake assist, stability control with a rollover sensor, front-seat side airbags, full-length side curtain airbags and active head restraints. An optional rearview camera is available on Touring and Grand Touring models, while a blind-spot warning system is standard on the Grand Touring.

Driving Impressions
Like many large crossovers, the 2011 Mazda CX-9 provides a comfortable ride for long road trips. Surprisingly, the CX-9 also performs admirably around corners.

The CX-9 is available in three trim levels: Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. The "base" CX-9 comes well equipped with standard 18-inch wheels, power moon roof, heated mirrors, three-zone automatic climate control, 8-way power adjustable driver's seat, Bluetooth compatibility, and side-impact air bags, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Traction Control System (TCS) and Roll Stability Control (RSC).

Upgrading to the "Mazda CX-9 Touring "trim level yields available power opening and closing rear lift gate, advanced keyless entry, 4-way power adjustable front seats, Bose audio and a backup camera.

The premium trim level designated by the Grand Touring moniker delivers upgraded 20-inch wheels, Xenon headlamps, halogen fog lamps, and rain-sensing windshield wipers, driver's seat memory and available rear-entertainment system, DVD-based navigation and the Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) System.

FWD is standard and yields 16 city, 22 highway estimated MPG. Mazda claims that fuel economy has improved to 17/24 mpg city/highway for front-wheel drive and 16/22 mpg for all-wheel drive