What else did you/are you considering?

There's so much competition in the crossover segment, I'd like to know your thoughts.

I've narrowed it down to the GM platforms (Acadia/Outlook/Enclave) but have all but ruled them out.

I may wait until the 2008 Toyota Highlander comes out. I've heard June/July for that.

Thanks!

I'm going to sound Mazda bias, but here I go. I think the CX-9 is the best bang for the buck large crossover out there. I looked at the Morano, Acadia, Forester, Tribeca 9, And the monster turd that Saturn makes. I ended up getting a CX-9 because of what it offered in the base form. I am the only income of my family of 4 and we thought we had another on the way. (miscarried at 4 months) I was willing to buy a similar vehicle, out side of my beloved Mazda, if the other choices came with more standard equipment for a greater value. After test driving the above mentioned vrhicles I decided that the CX-9 was the right choice because it......

1. was larger but drove as if it was smaller that the others
2. the seats were easier for my wife to manuver.
3. 2nd best cargo room it can hold a double seated stroller with the 3rd row up.
4. 3 zone a/c standard.
5. We thought it looked nicer
6. sticker gas milage was comparable considering the HP rating.
7. Mazda gave me more money for my '05 Mazda 5 on a trade. (holy upside down Batman)
8. Black Cherry is teh hotness
9. the cloth seats were much nicer and didn't look cheap compared to other makes.
10. I have had nothing but greatness from my other Mazdas so why switch now.

I started out looking at the 2007 Pilot because they were giving great deals to clear them out before the new 2008's arrived.

I then looked at the 2007 MDX to get an idea of what the 2008 Pilot might be, but decided that even if the MDX were $6000 cheaper (about the price difference to a Pilot), it still didn't compare favorably with the CX-9.

I looked at the GM's, but they were big on the outside, but not particularly bigger on the inside. They also drove like SUV's (as does the Pilot).

After a test drive in a CX-9, I was hooked. It drove more like a heavy luxury sport sedan than a truck, it had the room I needed (wife and four teens), and it looked the best of anything I've seen.

My Fiance and I looked at the new Hyundai Veracruz and the CX-9. We are going to be ordering a 2008 CX-9 though, as the drive is substantially better than the Veracruz. The Veracruz interior though is a lot nicer than the CX-9 in my opinion, especially in terms of engineering. For instance, you can get the Limited with Ultimate package including the REar DVD system AND a Moonroof, not available on the CX-9. Also, the 2nd and 3rd row Heating/Cooling vents, controls are much much better than the CX-9. I'm still a little worried about the small, console mounted vents for cooling the whole 2nd and 3rd rows. The Veracruz has B pillar vents for the 2nd row along with 2 sets of ceiling mounted vents, one for the 2nd row and one for the 3rd row. I like this feature a lot and I wish Mazda would make this one of the changes for 2008.

We also looked at the Acadia and Enclave, but you might as well buy a Tahoe as they are so big and the interior is still GM crappy.

We considered the Murano and Edge/MKX, but they are too small for what we want and the Murano will be replaced soon and the Edge way overpriced IMHO.

JP

We considered the Pilot. And the Pilot will not be redesigned until 2009 and that is confirmed with a Honda rep and the local dealer. Great vehicle and a great price, but an aging body style and features.

I also looked at the Outlook/Acadia, and liked them both but the history of the other SUV's by both were very weak (Onvoy and Vue). Also domestics drop too much in value even compared to Mazda.

The Mazda drove well, had a nice list of features and was priced within my budget.

I also did like the Tribecca but it was a little smaller and required premium fuel which was a huge NO.

We went to the Philadelphia car show to look at the MB GL 450 and the new BMW X5. The X5 was disappointing, the MB was nice but we aren't that pleased with the E320 we have now, so we were hoping for something else. So we walked around and really didn't like anything else. Was standing next to a CX7, thinking it was nice, but too small. There was a CX9 right next to it, but I was tired and couldn't tell the difference. Someone opened the rear and I said, wow, I didn't know a 3rd row was available in the CX7. I looked closer and saw it was a CX9, which I hadn't heard of at that time. My wife and I really liked it.

We test drove the GL 450, and then the CX9 back to back 2 weeks later. The CX9 was superior in almost every way. I ordered a FWD Grand Touring CX9 the following week. It should be here in a couple of weeks.

poof100 said:

My Fiance and I looked at the new Hyundai Veracruz and the CX-9. We are going to be ordering a 2008 CX-9 though, as the drive is substantially better than the Veracruz. The Veracruz interior though is a lot nicer than the CX-9 in my opinion, especially in terms of engineering. For instance, you can get the Limited with Ultimate package including the REar DVD system AND a Moonroof, not available on the CX-9. Also, the 2nd and 3rd row Heating/Cooling vents, controls are much much better than the CX-9. I'm still a little worried about the small, console mounted vents for cooling the whole 2nd and 3rd rows. The Veracruz has B pillar vents for the 2nd row along with 2 sets of ceiling mounted vents, one for the 2nd row and one for the 3rd row. I like this feature a lot and I wish Mazda would make this one of the changes for 2008.

We also looked at the Acadia and Enclave, but you might as well buy a Tahoe as they are so big and the interior is still GM crappy.

We considered the Murano and Edge/MKX, but they are too small for what we want and the Murano will be replaced soon and the Edge way overpriced IMHO.

JP

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We LOVE our CX-9 Sport! Drives terrific, with great pickup thats smooth and quiet.
as for the vents, we've already carted around 3 rows of people in PHOENIX with no problem keeping everyone cool. Also, the '9 does have 2nd AND 3rd row vents in the floor

If there were no CX-9 we may have gotten the Veracruz, but since there is, CX-9 wins.

After doing the usual "wide swath" search, I limited the finalists down to the MDX, CX-9, Tahoe, and SRX. Tahoe was eliminated because it "felt" too big, and to get it equipped decently, it ran well into the Caddy territory. MDX was eliminated because the middle seat in second row s**ked, the dealer basically ignored us, and the price was out of line. So, it came down to the SRX and the CX-9. What drove the decision was not the price, but instead that while the Caddy had a lot going for it -- "wow" factor, very nice appointments (they really did improve the interior for 2007), the best sunroof I've ever seen, and fantastic road handling and pickup, the CX-9 was close enough on those, and was far better set up for "practical" use -- better cargo, better second row, usable third row, and pretty darn good performance. The Caddy also lagged in no blue tooth integration, and an unusable third row. Hence, as much as the Caddy might have been a somewhat better vehicle for "fun," the Mazda was pretty close on that, and better for family use.

And, saving at least $5G didn't hurt.

FiveG

I checked out the Saab 9-7x, BMW X3 and X5 and found the CX-9 was the best value. The equivalent X5 3.0si was $24,500 CDN more!!!