Latest Car & Driver CX-9 comparison test (vs Ascent and Traverse)

Must be fake news. Must be. And they did not include the Kia - which is known as the Bentley of Asia. (cryhard)
 
Interesting, though totally predictable that they would choose the "most fun" vehicle of the three since it is C&D. Still they make a very good point..

"So what*s it doing in first place? Intangibles like driver engagement don*t matter in a family vehicle, you say? But if all that mattered were practicality, these would all be minivans. That they are not says buyers pick and choose their priorities. So do we. We choose to prioritize quality and engagement. We choose the Mazda."

I speak for nobody else, but my priorities were always quality and engagement. So far, I'm very happy with the choice I made. I do regret not considering a Soul Red, but the MGM was the only colour my wife and I both liked.
 
Interesting, though totally predictable that they would choose the "most fun" vehicle of the three since it is C&D. Still they make a very good point..

"So what*s it doing in first place? Intangibles like driver engagement don*t matter in a family vehicle, you say? But if all that mattered were practicality, these would all be minivans. That they are not says buyers pick and choose their priorities. So do we. We choose to prioritize quality and engagement. We choose the Mazda."

I speak for nobody else, but my priorities were always quality and engagement. So far, I'm very happy with the choice I made. I do regret not considering a Soul Red, but the MGM was the only colour my wife and I both liked.


I agree, if one was only looking at utility, then the minivans/ Tahoe XL/ Expeditions would be the prime path so reviews have to apply subjectivity and I am glad Mazda's is paying off three years after making the bet. My only regret is with not paying the extra $$ for a 2018 model.
 
Its true though. The logical extreme to utility is VAN. I've said it before here. Nothing against vans. I drive vans. I own a van. I love vans.

Where do you want your daily driver to fall on the sports car to box van spectrum? There is no wrong answer.

The long hood is the most glaring un-ulititarian design feature of the winner here, and its also the #1 thing that makes it look good.
 
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The wild card that permits this comparison line-up of entries to be assembled seems to be nothing more than the "3rd row seats". The ultimate end-users (buyers) of these vehicles likely have little meaningful overlap. As for Subaru, my wife and I drove Legacy GTs into the ground for 20+ years as day beaters, but we are NOT Outback people. GM is obviously another segment. Our plan for the new CX9 road trips means NEVER having those 3rd row seats ever in the UP position. (THAT is why I'd hate to pay for the Napa leather upgrade, but it is very nice.)
 
I think there are a lot of people out there that cross shop much more differentiated cars than these three. I know folks who see something neat on an ad and then go "hey I need A CAR. Lets go buy one of those" even though there are 6 other cars better suited for what they need if they really sat down and compared some notes. I think that is why ads work as well as they do. People don't do research.

Well, ok.. the type of *people who are not posting on internet car forums* do not do research. Which is 97% of all car buyers.
 
The long hood is the most glaring un-ulititarian design feature of the winner here, and its also the #1 thing that makes it look good.

Lol, this is so true! During the first couple of weeks of ownership, the front parking sensors sure came in handy! (rofl2)
 
We looked at the outback(ascent not on sale yet), santa fe, explorer, and even a Pacifica hybrid. Guess what we got? A GT AWD in red. No comparison. It is what my wife wanted. And I know she made the right decision.
 
I know folks who see something neat on an ad and then go "hey I need A CAR. Lets go buy one of those" even though there are 6 other cars better suited for what they need if they really sat down and compared some notes.

People don't do research.

Well, ok.. the type of *people who are not posting on internet car forums* do not do research. Which is 97% of all car buyers.
This is so so true. Couldn't have said it better myself.
We could probably start a new thread just on car buying habits.
I know lots of friends and relatives that bought new cars without doing one iota of research. Never looked at another car, other than the one they bought.
The reasons they gave when I asked them why they did what they did, were even dumber.
You only have to read the 150 page thread on the oil dilution problem over on the Honda CR-V forum to realize just how mindless people are.
Every second post starts with "I wish I'd known about this forum and the gas in oil problems before I bought my CR-V." sheep.
 
Interesting, though totally predictable that they would choose the "most fun" vehicle of the three since it is C&D. Still they make a very good point..

"So what*s it doing in first place? Intangibles like driver engagement don*t matter in a family vehicle, you say? But if all that mattered were practicality, these would all be minivans. That they are not says buyers pick and choose their priorities. So do we. We choose to prioritize quality and engagement. We choose the Mazda."

I speak for nobody else, but my priorities were always quality and engagement. So far, I'm very happy with the choice I made. I do regret not considering a Soul Red, but the MGM was the only colour my wife and I both liked.

That was also my favorite passage in the review. They hit the nail on the head.

This is what gets me about people who dismiss the CX-9 because it might have the least cargo space. Or that something else might not be the most utilitarian in class. Wouldn't all vehicles race to be the biggest and boxiest on the road if those were the only priorities?

It's true though, if you really could care less about cars and had no passion about them or no desire to be engaged, an AWD minivan would be the logical conclusion for most families.
 
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Its true though. The logical extreme to utility is VAN. I've said it before here. Nothing against vans. I drive vans. I own a van. I love vans.

Where do you want your daily driver to fall on the sports car to box van spectrum? There is no wrong answer.

The long hood is the most glaring un-ulititarian design feature of the winner here, and its also the #1 thing that makes it look good.

Read this article in today's NYT about why minivans make more sense than other vehicles if you're looking for space, convenience and economy. As with many others on this forum, I purchased a CX-9 for involvement (an amalgam of performance and ride quality), long-term value (quality) and a specific space utility.
 
Its true though. The logical extreme to utility is VAN. I've said it before here. Nothing against vans. I drive vans. I own a van. I love vans.

Where do you want your daily driver to fall on the sports car to box van spectrum? There is no wrong answer.

The long hood is the most glaring un-ulititarian design feature of the winner here, and its also the #1 thing that makes it look good.


I had my selection narrowed down to the CX-9 and Pacifica. I drove everything with 3 rows under $50k. I went with the 9 because it was fun to drive. I didn't really need the third row but it's nice to have in case we're driving the kids and grandparents. The vans are so much easier to get in and out of the third row and the hauling capacity is unmatched. People still have to use cargo boxes on the other 3 row SUVs. They're not THAT much bigger when it comes time to take a family on a week long vacation.
 
Pretty much same here, could have squeaked by with a five seater. Again. But all the babies, grandparents, and all the fur babies wouldn't fit inside as well in the various combinations.

I was leaning towards a minivan until I test drove the CX9. Just illustrates how odd the choices in crosshopping can be. I test drove some of the other SUV's.. but there was no sport to them. May as well get a minivan if you're getting an SUV with no sport. Basically its just an SUV shaped minivan at that point.
 
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