Consumer Guide Says Goodbye to the Extended-Use Mazda CX-9
by Dave Hall
Editors' Notes
2007 Mazda CX-9
Jennifer Geiger: CX-9 can get a bit pricey but overall it's a classy, comfortable, versatile alternative to a minivan. Chuck Giametta: The
CX-9's suave good looks and attractive, comfortable cabin speak to a
more-refined sensibility than mustered by crossovers that are
intentionally more "trucky." And yet, the CX-7 is clearly not a
minivan, though it functions like one and drives like one. This,
indeed, may be the best of both worlds. David Hogan: CX-9 is a
refined, capable, handsome SUV that does just about everything well.
It's not a steal, as tested, at over $30K, but does give above-average
value for the class. Ed Piotrowski:
Dynamically, it's hard to fault the CX-9. It's sufficiently powerful
and quite nimble given its size and weight. One might actually call it
fun to drive. Consumer Guide's fuel economy figures for this
extended-use vehicle give me pause, though. At the time of this
writing, our particular test vehicle has more than 7,000 miles on the
clock, which is more than enough time for it to "loosen up." Yet our
average with a slight bias towards highway driving is barely treading
above 17 miles per gallon. CX-9 is still one of the best crossovers of
any stripe--just make sure to have an adequate fuel budget.
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