I can get as high as 27-28mpg with my 2019 T AWD, if I go really easy on the loud pedal. That is amazing with a 4300 lbs SUV. What was also surprising is that the dash trip computer MPG estimate is very close to actual calculated MPG when I gas up. Last fill-up of 15.01 gal went 407 miles, which calculates to 27.1 mpg. Dash showed 26.9 mpg for the same duration. This is the only vehicle I have driven EVER that showed a displayed MPG lower than actual. Most other vehicles are typically overly optimistic by 1-2 MPG, sometimes 3.
I've been driving V6 SUVs and minivans of similar size for the past 15yrs and was a bit apprehensive about "downsizing" to a 4cyl. I test drove a Buick Enclave 3.6L V6 and Infiniti QX60 3.5L V6 and the Mazda had by far the best powertrain. Buick's 310HP looked impressive on paper, but was disappointing in actual driving. I'd step on the accelerator, and the tranny would immediately downshift to shoot RPM right up to 5-6k RPM, jerked the chassis, made a lot of noise, but didn't produce a really strong push to speed up the vehicle. Mazda OTOH stayed low in the RPM and just let the 310 lb-ft of torque pull the car steadily in a very composed manner. Even my wife sitting in the passenger seat commented on the stark difference.
The QX60's powertrain felt more refined than the Buick, but I did not like that they made the CVT imitate the stepped RPM characteristics of a conventional geared tranny. It would've been a lot better if they had let the CVT do what it does best - varying the ratio continuously to keep the engine RPM at the optimum point, for either best performance, or best efficiency. But I guess enough uninformed drivers complained about the "odd" feel of a CVT, that Infiniti felt they had to fake the CVT into behaving more like a geared tranny. Going by the EPA ratings, I doubt QX60 AWD can match CX9's mpg in similar driving.
Overall, I'm really pleased with the CX-9's drivetrain. It felt every bit as smooth as the V6's I've driven previously and is more efficient to boot. Exactly what I had hoped.