Overview:
This week we’re looking at the 2010 Mazda CX9 SUV. Zoom – Zoom – Zoom … That slogan make me think of many of the other memorable slogans that stick with us over the years. “See the USA in Your Chevrolet”; “Ugh, Pontiac heap good Car”; “Standard of Excellance” for the Cadillac and it is still used to explain that something is the best if it is the Cadillac of this or that.
Which others do you recall?
General Info:
Parts – 10% US / Canada, 85% Japan.
Assembly – Hiroshima, Japan
Class: – SUV
Cars: – CX9, CX7, Mazda 3,5,6 & Speed 3, MX5 Miata, RX8, Tribute, Tribute Hybrid & Truck.
Opinion:
At the current rate of decline in jobs those fortunate enough to have a job and who commute to those jobs on our freeways, must surely feel they won’t be missed. So for every bad thing that happens, something good often results.
Now if the rest of us would only employ cruise control to maintain a steady speed we can all get to our destinations with less stress and more safely. To me it should be a required feature on all cars. Some roadway signs already exist to show the time required to go from one point to another. If in California Cal Trans would post average speed to and from those points and drivers would be able to set their speed at that average everyone would get to their destinations at precisely the same time but with far less stress and danger of crashes. Get Cruise Control on your next car and if you have it now, use it.
Handling & Performance:
The CX9 provides a solid ride and is very comfortable to boot. It won’t however do that cheaply since the fuel consumption numbers are not real good. 273 hp buys you responsive power but the price is relatively high in fuel consumption.
Styling:
Well, you be the judge, but did the designers mean to make the front on view of the CX9 resemble a “comical caricature of a face” as friend and auto designer Merkel says of it?
Overall, in my view, it has clean uncomplicated lines and is rather innocuous. How can it possibly offend anyone except Merkel, of course, who tends to be super critical of any styling not of his liking. I don’t often agree with his view because it is more picky than mine. I like much of the styling of today’s Chrysler cars, for example, but Merkel’s past life as a design engineer for them during the days when Chrysler products looked pretty hokey (again – my view), relative to the more popular brands. But there was limited competition since back then there were only 3 brands.
Fit and Finish:
Quite good. These guys have this assembly stuff down as never before. In fact I think they really have to be asleep on the line to do a bad job in this area. CAD systems are so sophisticated these days it eliminates the need for a lot of muscle and hammers to make things fit well.
Cost:
A little more than I expected, but it is competitive being at the lower end of pricing in class.
Conveniences and comfort:
The navigation option reminds me that manufacturers could provide a much less expensive system but it is apparent people are willing to pay nearly $2,000 for this feature. Granted it is on the top of my list of “Must Have” features but as voice control is improved, turn by turn instructions are more valuable than looking at a colorful map. Voice commands and instructions make their use safer since there is less distraction. GM has that in their On Star Turn by Turn Navigation.
Recognized Competition:
Mazda CX9 $29-34,000, Acura MDX $42-54,000, BMW X5 $48-86,000, Buick Enclave $36-44,000, Chevrolet Traverse $29-40,000, Dodge Journey $20-30,000, Ford Flex $29-39,000, GMC Acadia $32-42,000, Honda Pilot $28-40,000, Hyundai Veracruz $28-36,000, Jeep Grand Cherokee $31-43,000, Kia Borego $26-40,000, Lexus RX 350 $38-39,000, Lincoln MKX $39-41,000, Mitsubishi Endeavor $28-31,000, Nissan Murano $28-38,000, Subaru Tribeca $30-36,000, Toyota Highlander $26-35,000.
Good News:
Nice styling, comfortable solid ride, all wheel drive and other safety features and priced well.
Bad News:
Only average fuel economy.
Standard Equipment:
3.7 liter 273 hp V6 engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, 4-wheel vented ABS disc brakes, 20” aluminum alloy wheels, auto Xenon headlights, fog lights, heated power mirrors, 7-passenger leather trimmed seating, leather wrapped shift knob and tilt and telescoping steering wheel, front side and side curtain airbags, roll over protection with roll stability control, active torque split all wheel drive system, rain sensing wipers, audio with CD, Bluetooth, power windows, 3-12 volt outlets, climate control in 3-zones, keyless entry and start system, LATCH child safety seat anchors, tire pressure monitoring, anti theft engine immobilizer and perimeter alarm and dynamic stability and traction control.
Gas Stats:
$2.99/ Gal avg. April 3 ‘10
for more information.
15 City and 21 Highway MPG
Pricing:
MSRP $34,045.
