My impressions on the CX-9 (and competitors) from my visit to the auto show

J

JPL

:
2018 Mazda6, CX-9
Even better than I thought it would be after countless hours of video reviews and written reviews. I hadn't visited a dealer yet as I like the initial auto show experience better. Try everything out without a salesman breathing down your neck. Then after narrowing down models from research and the auto show, it's off to test drives. I will be buying this summer or fall.

I went in already knowing my top two considerations were the CX-9 and Highlander. I had gone to last years auto show and eliminated most other models but the CX-9 was new this year. Some of my findings conflict with what has been said online and that's what I'll share here. First, the drivers seat - adjustments and comfort. Easily one of the most comfortable seats in the segment and beyond. I, being 6'1" 250 lbs easily found a perfect position with no need of front tilt. My wife is barely 5' and also was very impressed and comfortable with her seating position. Better than the Highlander as she found the telescopic wheel went even closer to the dash for her short frame. In a heightened position, she said the bottom didn't tilt forward as some have said. I asked if she was sure about her comfort based on what I had read. The seating isn't as narrow as some have said either. Plenty of room and the center console doesn't intrude.

Middle row has been praised for comfort and I can attest. One of the best middle rows out there. It's the 3rd row that can't get any agreement on the internet. Like I said, I'm 6'1" and climbed into the 3rd row of about 10 3-row crossovers. The CX-9 has one of the better 3rd rows. Only the biggest and boxiest models beat it but not by much - Pilot, Explorer, Traverse, Pathfinder, and dying Durango. It is more comfortable than the Highlander, new Acadia, Santa Fe, Sorento, and more surprisingly the XC-90. So lot's of publications have mis-characterized the 3rd row. Unfortunate.

I'm also getting tired of hearing about the lift gate not being high enough to clear a tall persons head. At 6'1", I walked right under the lower edge of it. Half of all reviewers have no idea how to adjust it. I hear 5'11" guys complain about smacking their heads. Not the case.

So I'm happy to report that there's an even better chance that I buy the CX-9. It was 50/50 with the Highlander but now it's really looking like the CX-9 especially since I haven't even experienced the best part - the drive. The CX-9 has been praised for it's driving dynamics but even if you take that away, I have found the CX-9 the best one even just sitting on the auto show floor where supposed weaknesses would show. Just thought I'd share that.
 
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JPL, thanks for validating that I'm not crazy. I only 6ft and my wife is 5 ft and both of us agree on your personal findings whole heartedly. Seats, lift gate, 2nd and 3rd row.
 
SeCX-9 said:
JPL, thanks for validating that I'm not crazy. I only 6ft and my wife is 5 ft and both of us agree on your personal findings whole heartedly. Seats, lift gate, 2nd and 3rd row.
Click to expand...

Yeah, people need to go check it out for themselves and not believe everything said on the internet. I was just so surprised at how wrong some people are. BTW, several of the cars I mentioned had almost no room to slide my feet under the 2nd row while sitting in the 3rd row making it extremely uncomfortable. The CX-9 had plenty of foot space.
 
JPL said:
Even better than I thought it would be after countless hours of video reviews and written reviews. I hadn't visited a dealer yet as I like the initial auto show experience better. Try everything out without a salesman breathing down your neck. Then after narrowing down models from research and the auto show, it's off to test drives. I will be buying this summer or fall.

I went in already knowing my top two considerations were the CX-9 and Highlander. I had gone to last years auto show and eliminated most other models but the CX-9 was new this year. Some of my findings conflict with what has been said online and that's what I'll share here. First, the drivers seat - adjustments and comfort. Easily one of the most comfortable seats in the segment and beyond. I, being 6'1" 250 lbs easily found a perfect position with no need of front tilt. My wife is barely 5' and also was very impressed and comfortable with her seating position. Better than the Highlander as she found the telescopic wheel went even closer to the dash for her short frame. In a heightened position, she said the bottom didn't tilt forward as some have said. I asked if she was sure about her comfort based on what I had read. The seating isn't as narrow as some have said either. Plenty of room and the center console doesn't intrude.

Middle row has been praised for comfort and I can attest. One of the best middle rows out there. It's the 3rd row that can't get any agreement on the internet. Like I said, I'm 6'1" and climbed into the 3rd row of about 10 3-row crossovers. The CX-9 has one of the better 3rd rows. Only the biggest and boxiest models beat it but not by much - Pilot, Explorer, Traverse, Pathfinder, and dying Durango. It is more comfortable than the Highlander, new Acadia, Santa Fe, Sorento, and more surprisingly the XC-90. So lot's of publications have mis-characterized the 3rd row. Unfortunate.

I'm also getting tired of hearing about the lift gate not being high enough to clear a tall persons head. At 6'1", I walked right under the lower edge of it. Half of all reviewers have no idea how to adjust it. I hear 5'11" guys complain about smacking their heads. Not the case.

So I'm happy to report that there's an even better chance that I buy the CX-9. It was 50/50 with the Highlander but now it's really looking like the CX-9 especially since I haven't even experienced the best part - the drive. The CX-9 has been praised for it's driving dynamics but even if you take that away, I have found the CX-9 the best one even just sitting on the auto show floor where supposed weaknesses would show. Just thought I'd share that.
Click to expand...


Our shortlist just so you know before deciding came down between CX9 and 2017 Highlander and I test drove both extensively...my wife an I both agreed that the 9 was the vehicle for us when we weighed the pros and cons and there were more positives on the 9 vs Highlander (ltd trim). Aside from the fact that it would cost more due to the financing rate on the toyota, I also found despite the revised 295HP engine and their 8speed trans that it still felt a bit sluggish and trying to hunt down gears and the drive felt more like a truck vs a big sedan whereas the 9 had instant torque with a smoother shifting 6speed trans and felt/handled better in driving as well as it drove like smaller than its actual size. We ended up with the 2017 Sig trim...

By the way, the 9 has won car of the year in Australia, voted car of the year in Canada's Motoring TV auto review site, also voted as midsize SUV of the year in Canada's Auto123 site and in Car and Driver, and came in 2nd in the NAIAS that was held last week as well as 2nd in Motor Trend's annual auto awards for 2017. More accolades are coming down for the CX9 so these just further validates our (exisitng owners) purchase.

Goodluck on your final decision and test drive...
 
My wife and I were comparing the Highlander and CX-9 about a month ago. We currently own an Odyssey but are at the stage where we might not be needing a minivan in the not-to-distant future (4 teenagers that will hopefully be leaving at some point and honestly don't join us 90% of the time we go anywhere). The 3rd row in the Highlander is definitely no place for anyone other than small kids. My son, who is 5'8, was with me when we looked at the CX-9. He complained about a lack of space but he's used to the cavernous space of the Odyssey. An SUV will never compare to a minivan when it comes to space. I haven't personally sat in the 3rd row of the CX-9 (something I plan to do if we come to a point where we are thinking of getting one) but noticed that he was sitting with knees level back there, unlike what the current Pilot is like. I've never looked at the Explorer as I personally think it is ugly so I can't compare the space in that one. From everything I've seen though, the CX-9 may have less overall passenger space than the competition, but it uses it better to create a more comfortable seating position than any of its direct competitors. Even when the Mazda engineer talked about the hump in the middle being because they kept the floor lower instead of raising it, people were complaining that he was just feeding us a line. I've tested it out. You have a more natural sitting position than the Pilot, which has the flat floor. Thankfully I still have lots of time to decide when to trade in, which gives me lots of time to bother salespeople and go on many test drives.
 
JPL said:
I'm also getting tired of hearing about the lift gate not being high enough to clear a tall persons head. At 6'1", I walked right under the lower edge of it. Half of all reviewers have no idea how to adjust it. I hear 5'11" guys complain about smacking their heads. Not the case.
Click to expand...
Hi JPL -- I'm 5'11 barefoot and do hit my head on the lift gate. As you can see, the clearance is only about 5' 11.5". I have pushed the gate manually as far as possible and I still hit my head on the black molding. If you know a trick for getting the lift gate higher, please let me know.

2i7vj8o.jpg
 
Not sure if this is what you mean, but you can program the automatic opening height by manually pushing it to where you want it to stop and then holding down the close button for a few seconds. It should beep twice I think when it is set
 
The Highlander is very good, but it has different characteristics, different feel. Do drive both. In the backseat of a friends Highlander, the ride isn't as smooth on a bad road as the ride of a CX-9
 
TX_Driver said:
Hi JPL -- I'm 5'11 barefoot and do hit my head on the lift gate. As you can see, the clearance is only about 5' 11.5". I have pushed the gate manually as far as possible and I still hit my head on the black molding. If you know a trick for getting the lift gate higher, please let me know.

2i7vj8o.jpg
Click to expand...
+

Bend your knees :)
 
TX_Driver said:
Hi JPL -- I'm 5'11 barefoot and do hit my head on the lift gate. As you can see, the clearance is only about 5' 11.5". I have pushed the gate manually as far as possible and I still hit my head on the black molding. If you know a trick for getting the lift gate higher, please let me know.

2i7vj8o.jpg
Click to expand...

That's strange that you can't lift it any higher. Every time I play around with a cx9 at the dealer, I just push up on the tailgate, overriding the motors until it stops, then save the new height setting. At the height your gate is lifting to, you should be able to push it up even more. If you think it's truly topping out, maybe you're just not pushing hard enough? Try manually closing the hatch about half way, then manually open it as high as you can, the resistance should feel the same until it truly tops out.
 
I find the 2nd row of the cx9 very comfortable. Mainly because height of the seat bottom to the floor pan is higher than the competition. The cx9 may not have a flat load floor in the middle, but that's because they wanted to retain the leg room height.

I'm pretty avg height (5'11" with 30" inseam) and I have a hard time staying comfortable in my mother in law's '14 MDX's second row. The distance between the seat bottom and the floor pan is so low, my knees are up in the air, which takes away thigh support. Compared to the CX9, my knees are level and allows the seat bottom to provide some thigh support.

I also fit just fine in the 3rd row and don't have any head room issues, however if I were any taller, I can see it being a slight issue.
 
I'm 6ft exactly.
I can confirm that my Signature opens to 71.5". However, I can push it up another 1.5" to maximum at 73" in the middle. It stays there. When I set the gate height via the button (hold for a few seconds) at 73", then close and then re-open, it stops at 71.5". The maximum electronic open appears to be 71.5".
 
deepfriedsushi said:
At the height your gate is lifting to, you should be able to push it up even more.
Click to expand...
You are correct that I can push it about an inch more, but as SeCX-9 posted, if one tries to reset the gate height via the button (hold for a few seconds) it still reverts back to the 71.5" height. I thought there was a prior post about someone having the height reset at the dealership, but I cannot track down that post right now. It is not a big issue for me, but just wanted to know if there was some reset option (dealer or otherwise) that I was missing. I've found all of the posts on this forum to be very helpful in understanding the nuances of the CX-9.
 
TX_Driver said:
Hi JPL -- I'm 5'11 barefoot and do hit my head on the lift gate. As you can see, the clearance is only about 5' 11.5". I have pushed the gate manually as far as possible and I still hit my head on the black molding. If you know a trick for getting the lift gate higher, please let me know.

2i7vj8o.jpg
Click to expand...

At 6'1" I was walking back and forth under the lift gate purposely to compare with what I had read. I actually cleared the gate even on the lower corners rubbing my hair. Perhaps it was manually pushed and as someone mentioned, after reopening it only goes to 71.5".
 
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