Bought a GT AWD
Whitesnake said:
Hello Everyone,
I am thinking of purchasing a CX-9. I was considering a Highlander or Pilot. I am currently driving a 2004 Acura TL, but I am expecting a 3rd child soon, so the TL won't do. I really was considering the 07 highlander, or waiting for the 08. I like the power in the 08, not for the speed, but for the pickup ect..
Well here are my questions...
1) For the people who purchased the CX-9, what are your thoughts reviews etc?...
2) How much did you pay.. So far in NJ a dealer is quoting a Touring 6-cd Bose w/ mooonroof & Nav for $36,400 and 34,500 W/O Navigation
3) What options did you guys get, and how much
4) Should I look at anything before purchasing it?...
5) Can someone one use the Navi while driving?
6) Who makes the navi?
This is an email I sent to my father-in-law who also happens to be a manager at a Ford dealership. I could have gotten the D-Plan at Ford on an Edge, but decided to pass...
I went to the auto show here in Chicago with three cars on my mind - the Edge, CX-9, and 4Runner. I also looked hard at the Nissan Murano, Acura MDX, and Lexus RX400 (hybrid). I ended up test driving the Edge (twice), CX-9 (twice), 4Runner and RX400. There was no reason to test drive anything else after I drove the CX-9 a second time. I really liked the MDX but it was about $10,000 to $15,000 more than the others (comparably equipped) and I never got around test-driving the Murano (that would have been my next test-drive but it didnt have a third-row seat).
The RX400 was nice but too small and looking kind of long in the tooth interior-wise. The salesman was extremely knowledgeable about the vehicle but failed to ask us any questions about what we were looking for in a car. Interestingly, the lack of questioning of our motivations for buying a vehicle was pervasive. Not one person attempted to explore our intent for purchase. For the most part, they were all nice and low-key, but surprisingly too low-key. The Lexus guy, for example, should have attempted to up-sell us on the 470 (a bigger SUV) since one of the reasons I was looking for a new car was additional space. In fact, I was looking at the 470 out of the corner of my eye, but he never bothered to ask and I just never felt the slightest push to check it out (which I would have had he said something). He assumed we had all of the answers. Angela and I think this type of liaise-fair sales might be reactive to past perceptions buyers have of car salesmen (pushy, just want to make a buck, etc.) but it goes too far. It would have been nice to have someone really care about our needs as much as we did (or at least fake it). I told Angela we might as well replace the salesman with an ATM type machine where I select the car we want to drive, put in my drivers license, get a key, drive the car, and either return the key to the machine or put in some money to buy the vehicle. There just wasnt any value added in my interactions with the salesmen.
But I ramble
The 4Runner was a disaster. I didnt care for the vehicle or the salesman. I like the rugged look of the 4Runner but once behind the wheel it was apparent the interior and driving experience refinement had been lost years ago. The truck is in its 5th year without a major redesign and it showed. Lots of wind-noise and the SUV just didnt feel substantial. I know they have great re-sale value and have a great reliability record but it just wasnt something I was willing purchase for as much money as they were asking. Also the salesman was a fool. All he did was tell me how great Toyota is, how reliable Toyotas are, and how horrible are domestic vehicles. I told him I was comparing the 4Runner to the CX-9 and the Edge and he slammed Ford. I even told him my father-in-law was a manager of a Ford dealership and that my wife had owned a Probe, Mustang, Taurus, Explorer, Expedition, and now a 500 without any problems what-so-ever. What did he do? He slammed Ford again. I kept wondering if he was ever going to figure out that his talking s*** on Ford (and all other domestics) was getting nowhere with me, and in fact, was turning me off completely. He never did. I regret never telling him the 4Runner was the worst vehicle I drove. I may send him a letter
To the Edge I really (REALLY) wanted to like the Edge. I was looking at the fully loaded AWD SEL+ with nav and panoramic sun-roof. The sun-roof is awesome on the Edge and reminded me of my Jeep CJ-7. I could definitely see myself tooling around town in the summertime with that roof pulled back. At the car show it was absolutely my favorite. I love the exterior styling and the black leather seats with the contrast stitching. Very nice. I found the center console to be nice, but nothing grand. Most of the instrumentation is lifted from the 500 (navigation, climate controls, etc.). However, that didnt bother me so much at that time. The biggest hesitation at that point (pre-test drive) was the lack of a third-row seat. It wasnt a deal-breaker but it was an item of consideration.
The real issue arose when I drove the Edge. I had read the articles about the new engine and transmission and I was interested to see how it would compare to Angelas 500 (she has the older V6 with a CVT). Surprisingly, there was no comparison. Angelas 500 feels much more powerful and refined. The Edge seemed stumbly (yes, stumbly) running through the gears, and the engine sounded taxed. The driving experience was a total snoozer. The tranny (co-developed with GMC as you probably know) felt hesitant and oddly geared. No oomph whatsoever. Once experienced, the center console and lack of third seat became bigger issues that added-up to a less than acceptable vehicle. Im sad to say the Edge dropped off my list completely. I think Ford has a great design in the Edge but the tranny and center console needs to be tweaked and a third-row should be introduced (regardless of the Freestyle and Explorer sales).
To my carthe CX-9.
I really love this ride! The engine is the exact same as that in the Ford, but the Aisin transmission Mazda has mated to it is leaps and bounds more refined than the Edges. Its ready to go at a moments notice and it makes the engine sound and feel well equipped to handle the load. The CX-9 also has a triptronic feature that allows manual transition through the six speeds (the good news here for Ford is that I believe the engine theyve produced is capable given the right drive-train). The CX-9 is 14 longer than the Edge and has a wonderfully accessible third-row seat that is actually comfortable for grown adults. I found the fit and finish completely up-scale. After driving the Lexus and sitting in the Acura, I had nothing but awe for the quality of appearance and feel of the interior for the CX-9 given the price. The bells and whistles are all there too. I have the Grand Touring CX-9 with navigation, sun-roof and auto-dimming mirror. It comes with Bluetooth for my phone (I can take calls via my steering wheel), voice responsive navigation, three zone individual climate controls, remote start, and advanced key system (to name a few). The advanced key system is actually a credit card sized fob that allows me to lock and unlock the doors, and start the engine without an actual key. The advanced key even remembers seating preference for the particular key. If my key is sensed as the one closest to the drivers seat upon entrance, the seat will move to my preferred position. Pretty cool. Also, it comes with a remote start that works from about 250 YARDS! Great for the winter. The navigation has a back-up camera when in reverse. The leather interior is very nice. The CX-9 gives me big vehicle convenience with a smaller, sportier car feel. Its REALLY fun to drive.
The second time I drove the car I knew I was finished. Done deal. Interestingly, the lease price was LESS than what I was given by the Ford dealer for the Edge with a D-Plan (given I was being offered $800 less for my Protg by Ford than by Mazda not that price would have swayed my decision). But still!?!?! Im pretty sure Mazda has some sort of introductory lease special going on the CX-9 that I was able to take advantage of - either that or I was given the run-around by the Ford dealer (much easier to follow the payments with a sale than a lease so Im not sure). The Ford dealer had me at a 39 month lease with 12,000 miles, and $4,500 on trade-in for $470 a month (Chicago has crazy lease taxes). The Mazda dealer had a $3000 more expensive car (same terms but with a $5300 trade-in) at $469 a month. Since the Mazda dealer had the exact car I wanted in the colors I wanted I pulled the trigger.
That's then end of the email I sent.
The price I paid for my CX-9 GT AWD with nav, sunroof, wheel locks, remote start, and autodim mirror was $36,800. I'm not sure who makes the nav system. Some aspects of the system are disabled (new address entry, etc.) when the vehicle is moving and then enabled when stopped.
Hope it helps...
