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- CX-9 AWD GT Titanium/Sand
First of, I don't want it to sound like I'm here only to complain. We just bought a new GT AWD last week, and there are definitely a lot of things I love about this car, like handling, powertrain, navigation system, infotainment control (center knob under your hand). These are definitely things that raise it out of the crowd, and I'm sure some more features I haven't paid much attention to, yet.
But at the same time, there are some things that really stand out as inferior, very frustrating, or just simply poorly designed. These issues are compared against many other cars I've driven, and they're definitely inferior. I wish Mazda would step up on those, so perhaps creating this thread will help them get the right feedback from customers. Here's a list of things I've found very problematic:
1) Driver's seat adjustments - really frustrating limitations. I'm 5'8", which I tend to think is an average height in US. Yet I cannot adjust the seat and steering wheel to a comfortable position. Front of the seat does not go up tilting enough to support knees, so my legs can only rest supported on the floor. When I extend the seat for proper leg extension for accel and brake pedals, even though the telescoping steering wheel is all the way out, my arms are almost straight, and get tired very quickly. If I move the seat forward to get a proper arm extension on the steering wheel, then my legs seemed crammed up. Not only they're still not supported in elevation, but now they're uncomfortably bent in, which get really tiring after a short drive...
2) Lane assist steering correction. I've already covered this in another thread, but the lane assist doesn't really correct lane departure. Warnings work fine, but the car can get very dangerously close to edge of the lane before any steering auto-correction kicks in. And even then, I don't think it's sufficient to fully correct to center of the lane. This is really disappointing for a 45K car.
3) No TPMS display for pressure/temp in each tire - what ?!! Come on! It's 2019 already! You already have all the TPMS sensors in tires, why can't you add a readout for driver to know exactly each wheel status? We can now buy amazing solar displays with sensors from ebay for $40. Why isn't this included in the 45K car in 2019?!!
The only reason I see for that is, if people drive with underinflated tires, they wear them quicker, so Mazda can sell more tires this way... a really bad way make more money...
4) Center console storage compartment - this is the smallest I've seen among any competitors. Come on, for a huge console like this, I can't believe you can't manage a little more storage space. Perhaps deeper storage, or perhaps more storage on sides of console... I'm sure there's plenty of free space under that plastic. It should be utilized.
5) Lack of more advanced tech info display in instrument cluster panel. Some more features would be really useful, like graphical representation of AWD power to wheels, or turbocharger working condition. Cheaper and smaller cars have more features than the CX-9. Again, really disappointing...
6) Charging power adapter missing from typical spot location on center console under fan controls. Yes, there are USB adapters inside the storage console (do I really need to open it every time I want to connect disconnect cable just to charge, or do I need the cable dangling under my arm all the time?). And there's the charging port on the right side of the center console, leg height - really awkward position, and only good for passengers to charge something. Then you have to either get some kind of power cord holder or let passengers walk over the cable on the floor.
These are the biggest issues I've found so far, that I wish I had found out about before buying the car. It's very possible I would've gone a different direction then.
But at the same time, there are some things that really stand out as inferior, very frustrating, or just simply poorly designed. These issues are compared against many other cars I've driven, and they're definitely inferior. I wish Mazda would step up on those, so perhaps creating this thread will help them get the right feedback from customers. Here's a list of things I've found very problematic:
1) Driver's seat adjustments - really frustrating limitations. I'm 5'8", which I tend to think is an average height in US. Yet I cannot adjust the seat and steering wheel to a comfortable position. Front of the seat does not go up tilting enough to support knees, so my legs can only rest supported on the floor. When I extend the seat for proper leg extension for accel and brake pedals, even though the telescoping steering wheel is all the way out, my arms are almost straight, and get tired very quickly. If I move the seat forward to get a proper arm extension on the steering wheel, then my legs seemed crammed up. Not only they're still not supported in elevation, but now they're uncomfortably bent in, which get really tiring after a short drive...
2) Lane assist steering correction. I've already covered this in another thread, but the lane assist doesn't really correct lane departure. Warnings work fine, but the car can get very dangerously close to edge of the lane before any steering auto-correction kicks in. And even then, I don't think it's sufficient to fully correct to center of the lane. This is really disappointing for a 45K car.
3) No TPMS display for pressure/temp in each tire - what ?!! Come on! It's 2019 already! You already have all the TPMS sensors in tires, why can't you add a readout for driver to know exactly each wheel status? We can now buy amazing solar displays with sensors from ebay for $40. Why isn't this included in the 45K car in 2019?!!
The only reason I see for that is, if people drive with underinflated tires, they wear them quicker, so Mazda can sell more tires this way... a really bad way make more money...
4) Center console storage compartment - this is the smallest I've seen among any competitors. Come on, for a huge console like this, I can't believe you can't manage a little more storage space. Perhaps deeper storage, or perhaps more storage on sides of console... I'm sure there's plenty of free space under that plastic. It should be utilized.
5) Lack of more advanced tech info display in instrument cluster panel. Some more features would be really useful, like graphical representation of AWD power to wheels, or turbocharger working condition. Cheaper and smaller cars have more features than the CX-9. Again, really disappointing...
6) Charging power adapter missing from typical spot location on center console under fan controls. Yes, there are USB adapters inside the storage console (do I really need to open it every time I want to connect disconnect cable just to charge, or do I need the cable dangling under my arm all the time?). And there's the charging port on the right side of the center console, leg height - really awkward position, and only good for passengers to charge something. Then you have to either get some kind of power cord holder or let passengers walk over the cable on the floor.
These are the biggest issues I've found so far, that I wish I had found out about before buying the car. It's very possible I would've gone a different direction then.
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