Considering going back to a CX-9

P

pdxa4

Member
:
2011 CX-9 Grand Touring AWD
Hi guys,

We had a 2011 GT AWD CX-9 which was a nice vehicle, great for road trips.
The tech (Nav) was getting pretty outdated, and we eventually traded it in for a 2015 GT AWD 2.5 CX-5.

Wife likes driving the CX-5 daily to work, but it is our main family vehicle.
Obviously the CX-5 is smaller inside, but it handles good.
Biggest problem I have is that the engine is pretty weak on interstates or mountains, being just a four cylinder naturally aspirated engine will do that.
Space inside is pretty tight also.

Anyway we were exploring the possibility of getting back into the new CX-9 as our main family vehicle and wanted to get your opinion, especially if any of you made a similar change.
How do you guys find the engine and transmission ? The previous gen CX-9 had the ford 6 cylinder in it, wasn't the most sophisticated engine but it did pretty good for the size of the car - fuel economy was not great.
Is there a "sport" mode for the transmission to hold the gear a bit longer when one wants to drive a bit more spirited ?

Another question I have is, has the bluetooth connection time been improved for when you first start the car up ? On the CX-5 it can take 2 mins before we can use streaming from our phone - as it's downloading the phonebook etc every time ?

We would possible be considering the GT or Signature model with AWD.

Thanks
 
I have the GT FWD and have no complains on driving or power. I live in SoCal so I drive in hills all the time. MPG is 20.
 
pdxa4 said:
Hi guys,

We had a 2011 GT AWD CX-9 which was a nice vehicle, great for road trips.
The tech (Nav) was getting pretty outdated, and we eventually traded it in for a 2015 GT AWD 2.5 CX-5.

Wife likes driving the CX-5 daily to work, but it is our main family vehicle.
Obviously the CX-5 is smaller inside, but it handles good.
Biggest problem I have is that the engine is pretty weak on interstates or mountains, being just a four cylinder naturally aspirated engine will do that.
Space inside is pretty tight also.

Anyway we were exploring the possibility of getting back into the new CX-9 as our main family vehicle and wanted to get your opinion, especially if any of you made a similar change.
How do you guys find the engine and transmission ? The previous gen CX-9 had the ford 6 cylinder in it, wasn't the most sophisticated engine but it did pretty good for the size of the car - fuel economy was not great.
Is there a "sport" mode for the transmission to hold the gear a bit longer when one wants to drive a bit more spirited ?

Another question I have is, has the bluetooth connection time been improved for when you first start the car up ? On the CX-5 it can take 2 mins before we can use streaming from our phone - as it's downloading the phonebook etc every time ?

We would possible be considering the GT or Signature model with AWD.

Thanks
Click to expand...

We have the 2017 Signature trim and no issues with the turbo 4 and has better gas mileage than previous model years...it feels lighter in driving it than our volvo xc60

Yes there's a sport button to hold gears longer but I don't find it necessary to use in daily commuting..maybe on the highways but the low-end torque plus the smooth shifting 6 speed is adequate enough that the transmission doesn't need to downshift or hunt gears that much.

In terms of the infotainment system it does take a bit before it boots up after starting the vehicle but not too long by our standards...it all depends on the buyer so if you need the bluetooth/nav to boot up immediately then you might find it a pain to deal with...I suggest you test drive the 2016/2017 model
 
pdxa4 said:
Hi guys,

We had a 2011 GT AWD CX-9 which was a nice vehicle, great for road trips.
The tech (Nav) was getting pretty outdated, and we eventually traded it in for a 2015 GT AWD 2.5 CX-5.

Wife likes driving the CX-5 daily to work, but it is our main family vehicle.
Obviously the CX-5 is smaller inside, but it handles good.
Biggest problem I have is that the engine is pretty weak on interstates or mountains, being just a four cylinder naturally aspirated engine will do that.
Space inside is pretty tight also.

Anyway we were exploring the possibility of getting back into the new CX-9 as our main family vehicle and wanted to get your opinion, especially if any of you made a similar change.
How do you guys find the engine and transmission ? The previous gen CX-9 had the ford 6 cylinder in it, wasn't the most sophisticated engine but it did pretty good for the size of the car - fuel economy was not great.
Is there a "sport" mode for the transmission to hold the gear a bit longer when one wants to drive a bit more spirited ?

Another question I have is, has the bluetooth connection time been improved for when you first start the car up ? On the CX-5 it can take 2 mins before we can use streaming from our phone - as it's downloading the phonebook etc every time ?

We would possible be considering the GT or Signature model with AWD.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I bought a GT AWD about a month ago and love it. This was a huge change for me as my last car was a Mercedes C300. Like you, I had to get a larger car for our growing family. I shopped around for months and after exhausting all options, I decided the CX-9 was the best fit for what I was looking for. It's large enough for what we need now and we could even grow into as it has 3 rows. The Bluetooth does take a bit to start up but nowhere near two minutes. I would say probably 15-20 seconds. The power that the engine produces was actually the main deciding factor for me. It's got great low-end torque, which is when you'll want it most of the time. And it's super responsive. The Sport mode just takes that up another notch. Hit the gas while you're cruising down the road at 40 mph and you'll take off! The overall driving dynamics are so much better than anything else in it's class. The responsive engine paired with the fantastic steering adds up to a car that's surprisingly fun to drive. Going from a small sports sedan to a 3 row SUV was a tough pill to swallow initially, but I will go so far as to say the CX-9 is even more fun to drive than my Benz was!
 
The 2.5T works great in this application, as others have said. After driving the 9 for a few weeks, I hopped into my wife's Mazda 3...on to the highway on ramp....floored it...waited, waited, oh crap: Where's the torque?!

You get used to the effortless punch the turbo has...I have to really adjust my driving, when getting into the 3.
 
Good to hear guys thanks for the feedback.

We are going to our dealer on Sat to compare the Signature and GT trim, and I plan on bringing out out for a decent test drive also. No plans to buy this weekend. Will wait for the end of the month at least.
sales guy knows me pretty well anyway.
 
pdxa4 said:
Good to hear guys thanks for the feedback.

We are going to our dealer on Sat to compare the Signature and GT trim, and I plan on bringing out out for a decent test drive also. No plans to buy this weekend. Will wait for the end of the month at least.
sales guy knows me pretty well anyway.
Click to expand...

If I may suggest, ask for an extended test drive so you can really have lots of time to drive it and have a good feel for the vehicle, observe MPG as well as play around with the infotainment system...that's what I did so it made my decision easier. Good thing my dealer allowed an overnight test drive so I can also observe the nightime visibility, parking in garage, connect bluetooth, etc. I initially just wanted the GT with tech (added safety features) but actually ended up with Signature due to the better Nappa leather and brown colour...but at end of the day it's your choice.
 
I've just put 1k miles on the CX9, including a couple long trips over the Sierra's with 6 passengers. The engine has no problems pulling through steep incline in high altitude.

The transmission is also great, one of the reasons why I chose the CX9 over a 2017 Highlander SE. The shifts are so smooth I feel like I'm driving a manual car. Sport mode does raise shifts to higher RPMs and holds it longer, but it's annoying especially coasting downhill. I rather keep the car in default mode even with spirited driving.

This is the first automatic in my family between my wife and I, and we still currently drive a G37, 335i and WRX. My wife actually wants to get rid of the F30 335i msport because the CX9 pretty much covers everything she enjoyed in the bmw.

The infosystem in the CX9 is easier and more user friendly then the BMW, interior is more comfortable. The bluetooth works just fine. I can easily select Pandora from the list and it launches it from my phone. If I decide to watch something else on my phone, the sound seamlessly flips to the video.

good luck on your purchase.
 
Bought a Signature CX-9 for my Wife back in August. We've got about 6K miles on and I can tell you the engine and transmission were two big factors in buying it...that along with damn good looks, enough space for our family of 4, and the 3rd row in a pinch(my wife excluded every two row). The engine, while a little grainy(about the only minor demerit), has so much pull where you want it you simply forget its a 4 banger and its so easy to forget you're driving a 3 row SUV that weights 4400 pounds(roughly). We live in an area where there lots of hills on our main highway.(we have a small mountain in the area to just give you an idea), driving up hill fully loaded you don't loose speed anywhere near as much as you would in the NA V6's in competing vehicles. Cruising on the highway in the 2 - 2.5k rpm range you are already at peak torque so this thing laughs at hills and inclines. Transmission is better than any other vehicle we test drove(and we drove a MDX, Pilot, Highlander and Explorer..and looked at an XC90 as well)..actually is the best automatic in anything I've ever been in. After 6K miles I have never felt a harsh shift, not under any condition. The transmission is calibrated perfect. It's just a great SUV if you value utility, style, and driving dynamics in equal measure. I'm glad it exists because if it didn't I probably would have spend an extra 10-15K on the Volvo XC90 Inscription or possibly the Explorer Platinum.
 
We test drove one yesterday and the car has certainly improved a lot.

Road noise was significantly less, the car road well over bumps. The engine really is a huge improvement, lots of power and the transmission was very smooth, sport mode worked perfect for my needs.

The cruise control radar is also a nice feature, it worked very well.

Rear view camera really has a fisheye view, but the rear traffic detection worked very well.

Nav wasn't enabled yet on the car we drove, and I did not connect my phone with bluetooth, but the menu system seemed nice, gearstick controls worked good, and the screen is still a touchscreen also which was a nice touch. Much better than the system we have in our CX-5.

Heads up display was a bit weird at first, but again is nice to have.

Overall trim is nice, I really spend time looking at different models at the dealer, even between the GT and Signature the extra additions on the signature model are worth it to me.


I guess the car comes with safety braking also for city and highway, not something I want to have to experience, anyone on this forum had it activate ?

I forgot to ask, but are there front parking sensors on this car ?


Will spend a few weeks thinking about it. Nice car for sure.
 
pdxa4 said:
We test drove one yesterday and the car has certainly improved a lot.

Road noise was significantly less, the car road well over bumps. The engine really is a huge improvement, lots of power and the transmission was very smooth, sport mode worked perfect for my needs.

The cruise control radar is also a nice feature, it worked very well.

Rear view camera really has a fisheye view, but the rear traffic detection worked very well.

Nav wasn't enabled yet on the car we drove, and I did not connect my phone with bluetooth, but the menu system seemed nice, gearstick controls worked good, and the screen is still a touchscreen also which was a nice touch. Much better than the system we have in our CX-5.

Heads up display was a bit weird at first, but again is nice to have.

Overall trim is nice, I really spend time looking at different models at the dealer, even between the GT and Signature the extra additions on the signature model are worth it to me.


I guess the car comes with safety braking also for city and highway, not something I want to have to experience, anyone on this forum had it activate ?

I forgot to ask, but are there front parking sensors on this car ?


Will spend a few weeks thinking about it. Nice car for sure.
Click to expand...

I drive conservatively (by my standards) so no the auto braking hasn't activated yet on me. You can customize the sensitivity on it (near or far) in the safety settings same as with all the other safety aids such as LKA/LDW, etc.

Unfortunately no front parking assist only rear...would have loved that feature in front though...
 
I've brought my CX-9 to Lake Tahoe a couple times this past few weeks and I have no complaints about the engine and transmission. I find both more than adequate.

31549314583_50837b1069_c.jpg
 
That is a great photo, so nice in the snow.



As an update I gave feedback to my sales guy on the car and our test drive, but I mentioned how not having a model year 17 right now is a disadvantage for the current pricing, and also for when he gets more flexibility on pricing for the 16 model year then he can get back to me.

Will patiently wait for a while.
 
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