Hey all,
After countless hours of research, I purchased a 2017 CX-9 GT AWD in Machine Grey this past Saturday. I really love the car, it's luxurious and has so many features. One question I have right now is about the gas mileage.
Mike
Hello Mike,
You are my first post!
The new Kodo CX-9 is deceptive in several different and appealing ways. You get a level of performance in a legit seven passenger "Cross-Over" that seats like a mid-size luxury SUV, yet that has "sports car-like" agility to a certain degree. It is deceptive that way for sure. No doubt, it is an SUV. It just doesn't feel like one when you decide to driving like a low end sports car. It has several different personalities depending on what you do with the accelerator pedal.
Regarding the fuel Econ. You would have to take note of the fact that his vehicle is in the
4,000+lb curb weight category. Yet, at times I am almost reminded of my old 1986 RX-7 GSL-SE (not quite, but not far away either).
I just purchased mine (2017 Signature) one month ago after comparing it to the top end Pilot, MDX, Highlander, QX60, QX70 and XC90. That's some pretty stiff competition inside a fairly wide/deep price range all the way up to the XC90. I was more than willing to pay for either.
At the end of the day, I kept coming back to the Signature. Not because it was the absolute best SUV in any one category among the competition, but because it scored better in all categories within my system of scoring among the competition and MPG was one of those areas. I had a very wide range of qualifications and the Signature had the most well rounded score. That was pretty impressive to me, so I bought it.
At over 4,000lbs, having a turbo charger and purpose built engine/transmission design that intentionally places most of the torque and power down low on the RPM band, you will by definition burn a bit more fuel in normal driving -if- as you say, you put your foot in it as a normal habit. It is a 4-cylinder engine and it has to get that mass of the vehicle moving down range somehow and it will require energy production to accomplish that even in normal driving. I suspect this is where the fuel economy of the new Kodo CX-9 might suffer a bit.
However, the other well thought out benefits of the power delivery design, I thought out weigh the slight loss of MPG under normal driving conditions - if you have a normally heavy foot. Namely, the output realized lower on the RPM band and the usability of that power in normal driving and during those "special moments" when you simply want to get out from behind slower traffic with a little quickness. In order to get that level of responsiveness out of the 4-banger, a little fuel Econ had to be sacrificed. I'm sure that realization was not lost on Mazda design engineers and I think they kept things within an envelope of "acceptable sacrifice" that makes sense.
Having said all of that, I'm easily seeing 20-21 MPG with normal mixed driving and that comes from a guy who purchased the new C5 Corvette (MN6 coupe with blue removable top) and drove it like I stole it nearly every day. So, my foot is naturally heavy. I believe I could get as much as 22-23 MPG out of my Signature, but then I'd end up driving like my Wife, very slow out of the gate and that's just not my style. (headbang)
I could have easily gone with the XC-90 Inscription and almost did exactly that. However, according to my analysis, by purchasing the CX-9 Signature, I got 80% of the XC-90 Inscription for about 50% of the total cost! I just did not see paying upwards of $80K (the way I wanted the XC-90) for 20% more SUV.
Now, I'm not saying the Volvo XC-90 Inscription is somehow not superior (in almost every way) to the Mazda CX-9 Signature. Indeed, it is. I'm simply saying that I did not see the value of paying nearly $30K-$40K extra for just 20% more vehicle at the end of the day. The very first qualifier was IIHS Safe Rating. In that very first qualifier round, the XC-90 and the CX-9 were at the top of their class.
The other vehicle that finished in the final three was the Acura MDX Advanced. However, I just felt that as a daily driver that its SH-AWD was a bit too intrusive and in the foreground for me personally - whereas Mazda's i-ACTIV AWD system has the feeling of sitting more in the background of the overall driving experience.
Your MPG numbers seem a bit off to me, even for someone with a slightly heavy foot. I'd take it back to the dealer's maintenance department while still under power-train warranty and have them focus on specific fuel consumption.