Motor Trend Comparison: Three-Row Crossover SUVs

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crikey

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2019 Mazda CX-9 Signature, Machine Grey Metallic
Motor Trend Comparison: Three-Row Crossover SUVs

1st Place: 2011 Mazda CX-9 - Mazda CX-9 AWD The best driver here, no questions asked. Mazda keeps the sport in sport/utility vehicle, and it's the best truck here.

2nd Place: 2011 Dodge Durango AWD - It's time for an eight-speed. The Durango would have claimed a victory but for an old five-speed slusher.

3rd Place: Toyota Highlander 4WD - It's small, but roomy. It has the smallest motor, but was fastest here. A wobbly ride means third place.

4th Place: Chevrolet Traverse LTZ AWD - If the rest of the Traverse had been as good as the ride, it could have taken home first place.

5th Place: Honda Pilot 4WD - Touring Noisy and harsh are not good family-hauler traits. However, it offered great storage solutions.

6th Place: Ford Explorer - The marshmallow of this soft-roading group, the Explorer had too many quality issues to really be a contender.
 
The only one in that group I considered was the Pilot but the styling left me sick.

Almost one year in with our 2010 CX9 and I know we made the right choice. Style, fit/finish, ride/handling, amenities all add up to a top finish.
 
Wisconsin Proud said:
Did I really read that the Durango is many times better looking than the CX9? Did Helen Keller write the review?
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Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. Some folks like the butch, really masculine, schoolyard bully look of the Durango, while others like the modern crossover look of the CX-9.

Note that the Durango would have won if it had a better transmission than the 5-speed that it currently has. An 8-speed tranny is months away.

Still, it says a lot that the CX-9 still stands out in its 4th year of production. Once the next-generation CX-9 comes out, I'm certain it will continue to shine.
 
Dodge is really making a comeback, within recent months. The problem is, they are just now starting to make vehicles like the one's from the other manufacturers that have been out for 10 years now, so when everyone else does complete re-designs and uses new technology, Dodge will once again be left in the dust. I don't know if they can catch up to everyone else or not.
 
Wisconsin Proud said:
..and if the Mazda had a Porsche turbo motor.......
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Well, it will be a CERTAINTY that the Durango will have the 8-speed tranny BUT it will be IMPOSSIBLE for the Mazda CX-9 to have a Porsche turbo motor. Apples VS Oranges. I'm all for a good discussion, but keep it plausible.

I would not buy a Durango over the CX-9 since it's a Chrysler product, but I acknowledge that it has progressed significantly from its previous iteration, and would have probably won if not for the unavailability of a forthcoming feature.
 
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The Durango is now on our 'short list'. And I agree with the others....I'm not particularly fond of Chrysler products, but unfortunately, the available vehicles with decent towing ability are dwindling - at least without going to a much larger SUV or truck. When it comes time to replace our '07 Explorer, we'll be looking at the Durango since the new Explorer doesn't come with a V-8. Thankfully, we have a couple of years to wait and see how the Durango reliability and long-term testing is working out before we have to buy.
 
4wardmotion said:
The Durango is now on our 'short list'. And I agree with the others....I'm not particularly fond of Chrysler products, but unfortunately, the available vehicles with decent towing ability are dwindling - at least without going to a much larger SUV or truck. When it comes time to replace our '07 Explorer, we'll be looking at the Durango since the new Explorer doesn't come with a V-8. Thankfully, we have a couple of years to wait and see how the Durango reliability and long-term testing is working out before we have to buy.
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Chrysler products once again have the worst reliability and resale in the industry. Too much other better product around.
 
Wisconsin Proud said:
Chrysler products once again have the worst reliability and resale in the industry. Too much other better product around.
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Agree, but with our towing needs, the available vehicles in that size (mid-size SUV) that can tow our boat are few. Like I said, I have a couple of years before I have to worry about it, but my choices are very limited. I'm hoping that Chrysler has really turned the corner on reliability (doubtful) but I'll wait and see.
 
Golden Age of 3 Row Crossovers

This is really a golden age for 3 row crossovers. I agree with the article and was happiest with the CX-9. It works for me more than the others in this group. The new Explorer and Durango weren't around when I was shopping but I did prefer the CX-9 over the Veracruz and MDX which are not on this list. In any case, this list includes a number of cars in a new segment that each have their own character. It's a good time to be a shopper in this segment. In a few years I'm afraid the cars will start to converge and all end up fairly similar like minivans or mid-size sedans.
 
The third row seat in the cx9 is a lot better than the ones in the pilot and traverse. I was surprised at the third row seat in the traverse though i figured it would be as good or maybe better than the cx9 since it is 5 inches longer. I chose the cx9 over the honda because their third row looks like a board with some foam and a leather covering.
 
kornholio said:
I chose the cx9 over the honda because their third row looks like a board with some foam and a leather covering.
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Have you ever tried the Highlanders' 3rd row? It is as bad as Pilot's if not worse....
thin foam and single piece (splittable since 2011).
 
And the highlander is very short too. 11 inches shorter than the cx9. The only toyota that is comparable in length is the sequoia. That car however starts at 10 thousand more than a cx9. The new explorer i haven't seen the third row seat yet so i really cannot judge. The traverse however dissapointed me due to the fact that it is longer than the cx9 by 5 inches. You would figure that their third row would be about the same or a little better than the mazda. Also on the traverse to fold the second row and slide it is harder than the 9.
 
At the time we bought ours, the only real competitors (in Australia) were the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Kluger (highlander), Holden Captiva, Subaru Tribeca and Ford Territory. Absolutely NONE of these cars could measure up to the CX9's interior quality. The CX9 just felt right in every way. The third rows in all the others i mentioned were literally planks with foam and leather, and the head rest was right up against the glass of the tailgate. The one thing i will give to the Kluger tho is that although the 3rd row sucked to sit in, it seemed to have much more foot room than the CX9.

3 years down the track, and we still feel we made the right decision. I guess we bought with our hearts rather than our heads, but thats why even when there are newer options out there, we still love our CX9 so much more.
 
blink_me192 said:
The one thing i will give to the Kluger tho is that although the 3rd row sucked to sit in, it seemed to have much more foot room than the CX9.
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However, the 2nd row of CX9 has too much knee room if you push the seat all the way back. With this, the 3rd knee room is very limited.
You should adjust the 2nd row knee room comparable to Highlander, than compare the 3rd knee room. Then, you will see that CX9
actually have more knee room at 3rd row.
 
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