Mazda CX-9 with 6 seats only!!!

[Tomek]

Hi,

I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's how they officially sell it in Europe! And that's where my problem is!

Up until now CX-9 has been available in Europe only as a direct import from States. This year however a small number of GT was officially imported by Mazda to Switzerland (100 cars), Germany (250) and some other countries.

We (2+1) live in Switzerland and since we are awaiting twins in summer we decided to trade our Saab 9.3 into something bigger and still a CAR. So when we found out that there was no more than 20 Mazdas CX-9 left we decided to buy it. Unfortunately we did not realize that the version sold here does not have a seat belt nor a headrest in in middle seat in the second row and therefore that it could be registered here as a six seater only. Too late, the papers are signed!!!

Now my questions:
1. Does anybody know about any (safety) problems with this middle seat in the second row (or the seat belt / headrest) which would make it difficult to get the car homologated in Europe?
2. Could you please check in your CX-9s how the headrest is mounted to the seat? It seems I could order the missing seatbelt and install it myself (I even found a Mazda garage in Nederland which could do it for me). With headrest however it might be more difficult (the same garage in Nederland told me it was impossible) as there seem to be no holes through which this headrest is supposed to be attached to the seat.

FIY: The middle row looks exactly the same as in the US. There is even the hole for the seat belt in the ceiling. So I wonder whether the lack of holes is just because they are covered with leather or there is really nothing underneath.

Thx,
Tomek

 

[Tomek]

The car is being transported to Switzerland from Mazda Europe's stock in Belgium and I should have it in a few days - I will make some photos then and post it here.

There is no lap belt there neither. It is like someone simply removed all the seat belts elements and the headrest from your CX9.

I even found the dealer in Nederland (http://www.jsteam.nl/ and then go to Mazda Occasions on the left and then select the right model from combo box) which sells all the models up to 2009 as seven seaters (I suppose this is direct import) and 2010 model as a six seater! This is actually the dealer I mentioned in my first post. They said it's not a problem to order and install the seat belt - they gave me a price including their work. But they said it was not possible to do the same with the headrest, which I find strange really. I saw an add on adding heating module to the driver seat, which on top of mechanical work required some wiring and adding buttons to the console, so why would adding the headrest be so technically challenging?

In the worst case I am even prepared to pay for the whole 60% part of the seat. How much would that be, any idea?

In the meantime I am trying to discuss it with the dealer and hoping they will solve the problem. But it is Switzerland!!! :-(

 

[Davicho]

One question....if you could easily adapt the center seat belt, why are you set on adding the headrest? It is really not needed at all, specially due to the fact that probably a small child will be sitting there unable to even use the headrest what so ever for what it is intended to do. The center seat of the second row is best left to a small child then an adult anyway, so why go through the hassle to retro fitting the center headrest?

 

[michał]

BTW, even if there will be middle seat belt and headrest added I don't think car will have registration papers modified, since they follow homologation documents and no one probably) will homologate this retrofitted car (which is moreover quite costly procedure).
As far as I know, this 6 seater version comes from Russia stocks, where CX9 is sold from years as 6 passenger

 

[Tomek]

Two reasons:

Practical: my wife might need to occupy this seat occassionaly at least in the first year after our twins are born. Later she will move to the front seat and my son will go from the third to the second row.

Legal: I am afraid it is not possible to register the car as a seven seater in Switzerland if it is not fully equiped seat. Plus insurance might be a problem.

But anyway, in the meantime I did a lot of reasearch and my Mazda dealer came out to be very helpful, so here is the story:

All these 2010 Mazda sold currently in Western Europe were originaly ordered by Russians. For some reasons (I am still curious to find them) they ordered these cars as six seaters and without things like Bluetooth and Navigation and a few other minor things. They ordered I believe 5K of them and then they decided to take only 4.5K, so Mazda distributed the rest to Western Europe. But they had to homologate these cars and since they were technicaly six seaters they could not homologate them for seven passengers. Apparently this middle seat in the second row is not "headrest ready".

But my dealer proposed a solution: importing the whole second row bench from Canada, which considering all the other options I have does not sound so bad to me. We are now discussing the cost of the whole operation.

 

[jirathcx9]

I was tried to get in website

so i found this

 

[Tomek]

Today is my birthday and... my CX-9 has arrived finally!

I went to my Mazda dealer in the morning inspected the seat in question and left my car there for the next two months or so...

Looking for a construction for the headrest in the middle back seat I was pressing the top of this seat really really hard and I did not find anything there. And anyway even if it was there, I am sure retrofitting the headrest wouldn't work well in Switzerland. First because of legal matters, second because of the labour cost here.

It was easier and probably cheaper to go for a solution proposed by my dealer: order the whole middle bench from Canada. They gave me a very good price for it and in the end I am very happy.

The only problem now is the time it will take, but considering I still have my Saab (difficult to say goodbye to it) and that my money will stay on my account for two more months it's not so bad. Twins are expected no earlier than July/August, so really perfect timing.

I have one concern - the lack of cargo cover in cars with power lift gate. People are usually concerned with it because they don't want others to see what's in their cargo. I frankly don't care, but security matters!!! I don't want suitcases or some sharp objects flying into passengers' space. But I am sure there are separate threads on this subject - see you there!

 

[Nuzy]

I assume you are referring to the chance you are in a bad wreck, because I don't think suitcases or anything are ever going to come flying over the second seat from normal driving You can buy a cargo net that connects either flat or upright to hold objects you are concerned about flying out of the back in a case like that. Check out www.mazdaparts.org. I purchased mine from them, along with other things, on the recommendation of this board. Their prices are very good, but of course, you are in Europe, so I'm sure how much good that does you.

 

[Davicho]

^^what Nuzy said X 2

CARGO NET.

 

[ceric]

I doubt that either cargo net or cover is strong enough to hold suitecases in place in an unlikely event of severe crash or rollover.

 

[danlbu]

CX-9 Parts

I'm not sure if I should bring my CX-9 to Europe (Greece) I'm looking to move and bring my CX-9 but is it hard to get parts for CX-9 that doesn't really exist there? Where do the come from or where is it cheaper to get them if needed in Europe? THanks.

 

[Sundis]

I will wake up this thread again in hopes to get in contact with Tomek. I have a european Mazda CX-9 to and would love to be able to haul 7 and not 6. Tomek, if you get some sort of notice for this post please send me a message so I can ask you some questions regarding you solution. Thanks in advance!