Holding the transmission in a gear (to have fun at the top of the rev range) is a prescription for lousy gas mileage. If you were doing that, you have little grounds for complaint about the mileage.
Bad gas mileage in the DC area is understandable (im a local). Heavy traffic and lots of red lights. It's hard in this area to have good mileage but I would expect better then 12.5! Good to see you on TFL Emme!
The mpg is not that bad and the touring model with the technology package is the best value, but it's about everyday driving and handling I love glad I brought one...2013 touring with tech package.
Dunno how it is in the rest of the world, but in Europe a car will NEVER has the fuel consumption the company says it has. What they do is make a car as light as possible by taking out the spare wheel, tools and every other loose part , then tape up every hole and opening, even remove mirrors. and then they send the car on a straight strip of road and calculate mileage from that. Never, ever have I met someone that got the mileage that's in the books, no matter what they drive. I never bothered with mileage numbers when buying a car, I just look at the kind of car, weight, engine size and horsepower and determine from there if it's gonna be ecominical or thirsty. Not that I care anyway...
I just test drove a Brand New one with 7 miles on it and did a short loop of about 12 miles , the way I normally drive, some city , some highway. The computer showed 17 mpg ...and that's not broken in yet ! Still not great, but I would hope that would increase after it's broken in.
Oh one other note... your complaint that replacing a hatch type center console versus the barn doors? Hate to say it but your passenger is ALWAYS screwed if you need access on the hatch type. And after a few weeks of use, unless you are shorter than the split barn door center console it is really simplistic to get to console items while your passenger remains comfortable.
Mazda is taking too long to skyactivate this model. They need direct injection and VVT on the exhaust valves to improve the dismal gas mileage. They need to ditch this old Ford v6 for a more modern V6
Of those mentioned, I say the Ford Explorer is the best looking. If you can spend 15k more, go for the sport version... 365HP and you still get better than 12mpg @ about18 or 22 depending on how you drive...
CalifLove Be careful with some sticker shock there. The tested CX-9 is just over $40k; the Explorer Sport with the 3.5L EcoBoost fully loaded can cross $50k.
Sunroof??? In the hot Texas sun, forget about the sunroof. Give us ventilated sats instead. What's with all that annoying music and background noise? Keep it simple, let's hear what the reviewer has to say and what type of noise can be heard inside the car. How did it drive on the highway and how was the ride?
Mazda is notorious for horrible road noise in most of their vehicles. I would be interested to see how this compares to the competition in that regard. Also, the new IIHS small overlap test result for this is really horrible. Plus, the 3/36 warranty is pathetic compared to others. Mazda really needs to step up their game all the way around...unless they enjoy their typically sluggish sales.
TFL should wash and vacuum the cars before they film them - it's kind of disgusting to look at shots of the dirty interior that looks like it's been used and abused for a week before shooting.
Well Emme, if my passenger thought he/she was inconvenienced by me using the centre arm rest, imagine how they’d feel after I’d left them by the roadside for moaning about it? :)
My neighbor has one this is a don't buy It's very obsolete. His wife loves it but this was an upgrade from her 1985 ford escort. The motor screams for its life in every gear. It has a rough, sporty ride, and I didn't even know the Mpg was that bad.
You all at TFL should spring for a lavalier mic so the reviewer doesn’t have to shout over ambient noise to be heard by the viewers... or give the person a handheld mic or something.
Been driving it in the city and have a really heavy foot, I am seeing 16.4 mph. No idea how much you have to punch it to get down to 12 but DAYUM. ALso the Ford comparisons are kind of bunk. I love the Explorers and the Flex but both had price points in the stratosphere compared to the 37K for the one I bought which was dropped down to 31 after incentives are applied that Ford doesn't offer. That and driving the Flex felt pretty sluggish by comparison and the Explorer just didnt seem as roomy.
She mentions how she only averaged around 12 in the city however nearly everytime she accelerates the vehicle I can hear the engine groan. Indicating that she is a lead foot driver. The vehicle is a six speed with plenty of power, if she simply eased of the gas a bit and kept it under 2,000 rpm she could have easily achieved the projected mpg
Emmy ...... thanks for another Kool real world review, seems all the manufacturers are having a hard time getting their claimed gas mileage. But you do have a heavy right foot to ...... ;-)
The front overhang looks awkward ever since they did the refresh, they really need to do a full redesign. The Santa Fe is a lot better looking inside and out in my opinion.
I have the same configuration and I average 17 mpg. I think I could do 19 or 20 steady highway. These numbers are consistent with what other SUV owners report with big V6's. The CX9 is so much a better driving vehicle than other SUV's you forget you are driving one and exceleration is good too. Add in a great price as equiped and I was sold on it. 8 months later it still puts a grin on my face. Build quality is very good as well. Updated styling now makes it a lot sleeker looking than before. I disagree with the touch screen issue, bigger isn't always better when it gets confusing. In my fifties, I appreciate the easy function buttons along the side that quickly let me jump from audio to navigation for example. I find my eyes spend less time hunting the screen which I feel is safer. The systems bluetooth is an easy set up and works flawlessly even displaying my text messages and gives me reply options. Don't overlook this one if you are in the market!
Despite the fact that this is a family hauler, this is also the last model to receive the sky active treatment in Mazdas lineup. I think they're letting reviewers take a crack at this because they want feedback on everything that needs improvement. The new cx9 sky active won't appear till early-mid next year. So reviewing this sucker against anything else that's running on a platform no older than 3yrs is a bit unfair. Regardless, like another commenter posted, only Emme can make me watch a soccer mom hauler. :-) I really like the blue highlights! Keep the reviews coming!
They are great cars for merging into traffic and closing in distances thet are the same throughout. Different nose great handling with Nitrogen filled tires. 2012 best year power to weight, and you keep their LED's👍
What the hell is a bowhemoth? Do you mean behemoth? Get it right if you are going to be on camera. Just so you are aware in the future, mashing on the big pedal on the right without shifting equals 12.5 mpg. Not the cars fault, it's yours! Who hired this person?
Thanks for the review. After watching this review you helped me cross this vehicle off my shopping list. It gets a worse avg MPG than the Dodge Durango RT. I wish you would have reviewed the Dodge Durango as I found your review much more helpful than the one that was done. Maybe they could have you review a v6 limited or citadel model with a v6 of the Durango for comparison ...? Still searching for the perfect 7 passenger CUV that has good gas mileage, but is still fun to drive.
