No surprise: fuel consumption
Ah, nobody's perfect. The CX-9 is a big vehicle, and we must expect one of the trade-offs to be fuel economy. The CX-9's overall average of 14.3 L/100 km during its stay with Auto123.com is nothing to cheer about. It's actually not that bad on the highway, as those who went on longer trips obviously recorded a better figure that those who were just strolling around town.

The CX-9 offers poor rearward visibility, which complicates things when backing up.

Of course, some testers probably dug deeper in the engine's power than others; blasting off at stoplights instead of leisurely taking off hurts fuel economy a lot.

The biggest complaint that was mentioned in tester's notes was also no surprise: the CX-9 offers poor rearward visibility, which complicates things when backing up. You can get a rear view camera when you add the navigation system, which our test vehicle didn't have. It did have the blind-spot monitor which was added for 2008, but most people didn't even notice it.

Changes for 2009
The 2009 CX-9 has arrived, and the GS model gets more standard equipment: auto-dimming rear view mirror with Homelink, a trip computer, heated front seats and MP3 file compatibility for the CD player. On the GT, keyless entry and start is now standard and Bluetooth technology is now part of the Navigation Package. The icing on the cake is that the CX-9 gets price drops between $2,400 and $3,200.

Wrap-up
When we finished reading everyone's notes and comments, we weren't shocked at how much positive criticism the CX-9 drew. People liked the way it drived and its nicely-finished interior, and of course, the way it handles for such a big vehicle.

The $48,720 as-tested price raised a couple of eyebrows, but in general, most people though it was a reasonable deal for what you get. Fuel consumption also could be better. To conclude, here's a unanimous recommendation, Mazda: equip the CX-9 with a rear park distance sensor.


Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux