First off this is a review of what Mazda calls the "cargo tray" - part number 0000-8D-N03. It seems more like a liner to me, or a cover, or a mat. I apologize as I may use the term liner, mat, cover and tray interchangeably.
We recently bought a 2014 CX-9 GT and one of the reasons we did so is that we needed the cargo and seating configuration options. Our kids play a lot of sports and we attend a lot of sports and are big tailgaters. We are always hauling items in and out and out and in, clean and dirty, heavy and light. Coolers, pop up tent, wagon, equipment bags with dirt all over them, chairs, etc. We are always putting third row up and down, or half up and half down, as our cargo and people hauling needs vary from event to event. I knew that the carpet in the rear would be destroyed in the first 20 minutes we owned it so I begin looking for options the night before picking it up from the dealer.
I bought the weathertech digital liners for the first, second and third rows and absolutely love them. However the weathertech options for the cargo area were not practical for our needs. They have two options #1 is a tray for only the area behind the third row. I'm sure it would work fine if you kept the third row up all the time, but that's not us. When the third row is down the lip on the weathertech liner sticks up and does not allow for flat storage as you always have that lip to deal with. If you put something heavy on it, the lip becomes deformed and will struggle to ever attain its original shape. Option #2 is a cover for the entire rear with third row down. Once the liner is in you can't raise the third row without removing the liner. Again, not for us. I didn't see a whole lot of options for protecting the rear carpet and seat backs, and still being able to configure the third row any way you want other than the Mazda option.
So there I was, in the dealership waiting for them to finish washing my new purchase when I was browsing through the accessories display and just decided to to go for it on the spot. They had one there and let me look at it before buying. No point in spending hours more on the internet trying to find something else. So without further ado, this my list of the Mazda genuine cargo tray pros and cons
Pros:
- Seems very well built - thicker than the weathertech mats. It's rubber that feels like it will last. Mazda says it is plastic but it feels much more like a car tire than the plastic like Weathertech liners I have.
- Non skid surface - this is awesome, as I can put just about anything that isn't a ball back there and it will not be flung around making thud sounds at every turn.
- Ability to access that storage compartment under the rear area - at first I was afraid I would lose easy access to this area but it's fairly simple to get to
- Excellent fit - designed for this car after all
- Price - it cost me ~$130 after tax. You can find it cheaper online, I didn't want the hassle and I was there at the dealership so I paid the extra $20-$30 for that convenience. The weathertech options were $109 for the small one, $119 for the big one - plus shipping - and they don't have the ability be used in any configuration. The Mazda one combines these two for the price of one.
- Stays in place with heavy duty velcro. We have not had any issues with it moving around on us or falling off the back of the third row. I am only using the velcro (more on that later)
- releases for third row easy to get to - this was designed for this vehicle obviously so the straps are right there.
Cons:
- marks easily. You can see the skid marks from constantly moving things in and out. I don't care about this but I know some OCD people do so let me warn you now.
- Installation calls for holes to be drilled in the back of the third row seats to attach plastic tabs to keep the liner from falling off. I have NOT done this yet, as the velcro seems to work just fine. I saved the tabs in case I need to do this in the future. I'm guessing not at this point as this velcro is really heavy duty, but time will tell. I also didn't want to permanently attach it so I can remove it for washing as it will definitely see its fair share of grime.
- seams between third row split and where the third row folds - not a fair "con" as this is a design feature that allows it to be used in multiple configurations, but bits of dirt and maybe water will get between the crack and be on the seat surface if you are putting dirty or wet items over the seam. Not a big deal for us, but some OCD people might go insane.
- Straps for third row release not protected - got some dirt on them already but it wiped off easily with a wet rag, that's the price of having easy access to them.
I hope some will find this useful as the CX-9 is more than just a people hauler for us. Spring sports are about to start in full force (first tournament is 15 days away!) and this thing will get a workout over the next 6 months. I plan to remove and wash it when needed just like I do with the Weathertech floor mats. I don't plan on treating it with anything or using anything special except a soft brush, soap, and water.
Have a few pictures that I will post when I figure out how...
We recently bought a 2014 CX-9 GT and one of the reasons we did so is that we needed the cargo and seating configuration options. Our kids play a lot of sports and we attend a lot of sports and are big tailgaters. We are always hauling items in and out and out and in, clean and dirty, heavy and light. Coolers, pop up tent, wagon, equipment bags with dirt all over them, chairs, etc. We are always putting third row up and down, or half up and half down, as our cargo and people hauling needs vary from event to event. I knew that the carpet in the rear would be destroyed in the first 20 minutes we owned it so I begin looking for options the night before picking it up from the dealer.
I bought the weathertech digital liners for the first, second and third rows and absolutely love them. However the weathertech options for the cargo area were not practical for our needs. They have two options #1 is a tray for only the area behind the third row. I'm sure it would work fine if you kept the third row up all the time, but that's not us. When the third row is down the lip on the weathertech liner sticks up and does not allow for flat storage as you always have that lip to deal with. If you put something heavy on it, the lip becomes deformed and will struggle to ever attain its original shape. Option #2 is a cover for the entire rear with third row down. Once the liner is in you can't raise the third row without removing the liner. Again, not for us. I didn't see a whole lot of options for protecting the rear carpet and seat backs, and still being able to configure the third row any way you want other than the Mazda option.
So there I was, in the dealership waiting for them to finish washing my new purchase when I was browsing through the accessories display and just decided to to go for it on the spot. They had one there and let me look at it before buying. No point in spending hours more on the internet trying to find something else. So without further ado, this my list of the Mazda genuine cargo tray pros and cons
Pros:
- Seems very well built - thicker than the weathertech mats. It's rubber that feels like it will last. Mazda says it is plastic but it feels much more like a car tire than the plastic like Weathertech liners I have.
- Non skid surface - this is awesome, as I can put just about anything that isn't a ball back there and it will not be flung around making thud sounds at every turn.
- Ability to access that storage compartment under the rear area - at first I was afraid I would lose easy access to this area but it's fairly simple to get to
- Excellent fit - designed for this car after all
- Price - it cost me ~$130 after tax. You can find it cheaper online, I didn't want the hassle and I was there at the dealership so I paid the extra $20-$30 for that convenience. The weathertech options were $109 for the small one, $119 for the big one - plus shipping - and they don't have the ability be used in any configuration. The Mazda one combines these two for the price of one.
- Stays in place with heavy duty velcro. We have not had any issues with it moving around on us or falling off the back of the third row. I am only using the velcro (more on that later)
- releases for third row easy to get to - this was designed for this vehicle obviously so the straps are right there.
Cons:
- marks easily. You can see the skid marks from constantly moving things in and out. I don't care about this but I know some OCD people do so let me warn you now.
- Installation calls for holes to be drilled in the back of the third row seats to attach plastic tabs to keep the liner from falling off. I have NOT done this yet, as the velcro seems to work just fine. I saved the tabs in case I need to do this in the future. I'm guessing not at this point as this velcro is really heavy duty, but time will tell. I also didn't want to permanently attach it so I can remove it for washing as it will definitely see its fair share of grime.
- seams between third row split and where the third row folds - not a fair "con" as this is a design feature that allows it to be used in multiple configurations, but bits of dirt and maybe water will get between the crack and be on the seat surface if you are putting dirty or wet items over the seam. Not a big deal for us, but some OCD people might go insane.
- Straps for third row release not protected - got some dirt on them already but it wiped off easily with a wet rag, that's the price of having easy access to them.
I hope some will find this useful as the CX-9 is more than just a people hauler for us. Spring sports are about to start in full force (first tournament is 15 days away!) and this thing will get a workout over the next 6 months. I plan to remove and wash it when needed just like I do with the Weathertech floor mats. I don't plan on treating it with anything or using anything special except a soft brush, soap, and water.
Have a few pictures that I will post when I figure out how...
