Seriously this guy needs to be the chief commander of all car reviews! He needs to train the world in how to do a proper unbiased review covering all aspects of the vehicle. Well done Tom 👏🏽👏🏽
Great review as always, Tom.👍 In the 80s and 90s, Honda was the brand to go to for anyone who wanted a premium Japanese car that could hope to rival the Europeans. Not anymore, it’s now Mazda’s turn. Mazda now has some of the best cars on the market, i.e. Mazda3, Cx5 and of course one you have just reviewed, CX9.
Very nice and well balanced review. I my research for a '21 vehicle, I test drove all of the 3 row SUVs brands multiple times here in the US. I recommend to buyers to take a look at the SUV forums. All major brands have them. The forum members post the good, the bad and the ugly about their personal experiences. It was there that gave me a pretty good indication of a SUVs long term reliability. For me, I gave up a little interior space (didn't like the minivan feel of some of the SUVs) for better driving dynamics and reliability.
Agreed..the gains out weigh the few losses (no pana sunroof, tight third row and space). I too drive the others, much preferred the CX 9 bought the Kuro here in Canada (the carbon in the US).
Made the decision to buy one of these, only used SUV in this price range to give you rear brake autonomous stopping, it just took priority over its fuel consumption, but I enjoy driving and its definitely the funnest car to drive in its class
Another great review! No BS, and strait to the point. Would you consider giving your subjective opinion at the end of each video, by telling us what 2-3 cars would be the closest competition, and how you'd rank them all? I'm currently looking at either a CX-9 or a SEAT Tarraco 2.0 4Drive here in NZ. Any pointers? I want something that feels good to drive on the open road. Hope you enjoyed the NZ Alps. Great part of the country.
Great review mate, I get my 21 CX9 touring in about 3 months time. Is the larger screen coming in the Touring do you know? Also, you said there was no lane keep assist, the one I test drove had one.... am I missing something??
Another great review Tom. I think my CX-5 was the best deal for me at the time, but if it weren’t for resale value, I probably would have bought a Skoda Kodiaq. Because this is half a size bigger and now my daughter is expecting she would love to see a comparison (strangely of the 2.5 Turbo CX-5, top spec CX-8, the GT SP CX-9:and the Skoda Kodiaq. They are strange to compare, but this is what she and her friends are cross shopping these days. Keep up the great work. Lloyd
Mazda = Headache Check the ACCC vs Mazda, you will get more real cases. The ACCC has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Mazda Australia Pty Ltd (Mazda) alleging that Mazda engaged in unconscionable conduct and made false or misleading representations in its dealings with consumers Mazda has bad engines!!! bad service!!! I got a brand new mazda 5 months ago in Brisbane, it has been towed back to dealership twice due to engine issues. and mazda never told you any detail about your car's issue. Never trust Mazda.
I'm sure Mazda is grateful for the popularity of the CX-9 in the Australian market. In the US the CX-9 is not only the worst selling mainstream "midsize" SUV by a substantial margin, it's outsold by a variety of luxury SUVs. In fact, among all mainstream and luxury midsize SUVs, the CX-9 ranked 28th in sales in the US. (27,683 units sold in 2020.) The problems? They begin with the fact that it's the oldest design in the category. Introduced in 2016 with few (very few) updates since. Secondly, it's huge even by American standards. At 199" in length only the Dodge Durango and Chevy Traverse are longer in the midsize category. Good driving "feel" is a Mazda trademark but physics is physics and in the jungle of urban/suburban traffic driving "feel" doesn't translate into ease of parking, fitting into a crowded garage or changing lanes. Finally, contrast the overall size with the interior space where the CX-9 ranks at the bottom of the category. In fact, the 71 cubic ft of total cargo space is less than that of a Honda CR-V! As noted, Australians may have different tastes than North Americans in terms of their vehicles. But in the US and Canada the combination of an aging engine and drivetrain, a very large footprint, and a severely cramped interior is hardly compelling.
Who care what it does in US, you did know the CX-9 won North American truck of the year when first launched. Mazda NAO has no interest in competing with top sales leaders as 1, they cant supply those number and 2 they no longer give their product away just for sales numbers, they are learning from Australia, funny how Mazda US is number 1 for CR customer satisfaction in 2020. Perhaps if you guys laid off the sugar and soda you might fit in a CX-9 :)
OH yeah, wait until the all brand new Alabama MTM (Mazda Toyota Manufacturing) plant opens this year, then you will see the all new Mazda CX-90 with an inline 6 engine and RWD as standard and it will be larger just for you.
@@AshGrantASH8 Suffice to say that if Mazda's objective was to produce the worst selling mainstream midsize SUV in the US market, the worst selling midsize sedan (Mazda6) by a huge amount, and a compact sedan/hatchback (Mazda3) whose sales have dropped almost 50% in the last three years they've achieved their goals. As for fitting in a CX-9, although passenger space trails that of virtually all its rivals, it's the cargo space in one of the largest midsize SUVs that trails that of a Honda CR-V that gives it the award for the worst packaging efficiency in the entire market segment. As it happens I've been a fan of Mazdas for years having owned four of their vehicles over that time. But there's no escaping the fact that Mazda has been forced to seek massive loans from Japanese banks (almost $3 billion USD) just to survive the pandemic.
Excellent review. Thankfully my family is beyond needing a car like this. As far as spine jolts and rough rides, as the owner of a classic Mini - hold my beer.... 2 car trends I wish would go away: 1) Small and medium crossover SUVs 2) Matt paint and black packs. Looks like the car is primed and not finished. Guess I am going to be dissapointed :-). Those trends are here to stay sadly.
Here in Canada, this is the Kuro edition, which does have wireless Apple car play and a 360 camera, although still has the previous generation info screen....all cx9 are AWD....I bought one for 47000 CAD (plus tax), so considerably cheaper than than the 71000 AUD.
I just sold my 2018 cx9 and only complain I had was the glossy plastic parts around the gear shifter and power window switchs got scratches very easily, otherwise it was an awesome car to drive always, great review mate 👍
@@chasingcars I got a Tesla model X , can't compare them both LoL, but if I had to choose a replacement with an ICE car I would have considered eiter the new 2021 Kia sorento GT or the Santa fe
@@AshGrantASH8 that's why don't compare them they are two different poles apart,but once you drive an electric you will forget about all those small nic nacks which Tesla did attend and fix them
Great review. We were so close to buying this 2021 CX-9 in the US but the only thing that prevented us from pulling the trigger was the sound of the engine. That sound when driving especially in high revs was something I could not get over. It takes away from the premium feel of the rest of the car in my opinion.
People often mention how Mazda's 2.5 is on the louder side. Then you watch an electric car review and the biggest complaint is no engine noise. It's remarkable. I have a CX-9 and barely hear the engine. Great sound deadening in the body and if you have music on at a normal volume I just don't notice it.
@@Josh-179 Great that you don't notice. I actually love the sound of a great engine but this 2.5 turbo was just not pleasant for me. But my experiences have been with inline turbo 4s, Inline 6, V6 and V8 growl so my opinions will differ from yours. I do agree that CX-9 is a great car for this class but think that Mazda needs to improve/refine their engine if they want to capture the premium/luxury market customers.
@@doyuneeable , good news is that the next gen Mazda's will have the new inline 6 Mazda has been developing. At least in the next CX-9 and Mazda6 to start. The smaller models will likely stick with the 4 banger.
Did you experience any low speed jerk (traffic crawl) with the drivetrain? mazda current drivetrain isnt the smoothest at low speed and even the new cx30 and mazda 3 users are experiencing this issue.
It is the UI (firmware/software/hardware) he is referring to which is basically from current 3 and CX-30, as I said above the 2021 CX-5 also gets this new Mazda Connect, so only the Mazda6, Mazda2 and MX-5 which still use the old 2014 MZD Connect, but the 2021 Mazda 6 and MX-5 get wireless Carplay, with Android Auto is still wired.
As an 2019 Azami LE owner I much prefer my front Grill compared to this and only getting a 6 seater on the top grade is a bit of a let down. Still an excellent car all around I love mine. a Good Review Tom agree with everything else you say on the car
Do you personally prefer the Mazda CX-9 Touring or Sorento Sport+? The Mazda feels nicer insider but not having a digital Speedo makes me annoyed, and I like the Kia exterior but feeling a bit cheap inside. So feeling a bit indecisive...
@@desainishu I ended up buying the Mazda! I don’t regret it at all! Sorento might be nice in the outside but Mazda is just amazing!! The smoothest drive, much nicer leather and just amazing overall. Oh and I was wrong about the speedometer, it displays the speed digitally in your windshield (I don’t know the proper name for it lol) so basically you never need to look to your dashboard anymore. It’s so roomy and just perfect!
@@desainishu Everything inside the Sorento just felt very platicky. I most say that Santa Fe was rather surprising! Shame I wasn’t mad in the looks, I definitely recommend driving them both first. Good luck! :)
I know car makers make tweaks to names and features for the same vehicles in different markets, but I wonder why this version, which is the same as the Carbon Edition here in the US, doesn't have the full LED light treatment. That seems like such a major thing to leave out when most other major markets have them standard.
Still no Air vents for 3rd row seats is the biggest drawback of this car not ideal for large families specially in warm summer days bought a new one in 2020 regretting now
Not bad car, the Kia Carnival 2021 looks better imo. The Mazda interior isn't as great as it looks. Try knocking on the door panels, hollow paper thin door.
The front of all Mazda's that share the same design is starting to looked dated in my opinion. I would buy a sorento hybrid over a Mazda 9 when it goes on sale in Australia
While true, that's one of the deciding factors for buying mine. I like the fact that the CX9 has a consistant look ... probably the same reason I brought a Corvette.
Hi, Mazda is my favorit brand from Japan and CX9 looks great but I would not compare it with the Audi, Bmw or MB. Not the same category at all. Maybe with Peugeot 5008? If we in Eu need a "bus car", we buy Mercedes Benz V class.
The embarrassing thing (for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi) is that the CX-9 is better to drive than their large SUVs, except if you option the best engines and best suspension packages on those cars. And even then, it's close.
@@chasingcars My comment was directed at your proclamation that the Q7’s dashboard set up was “gaudy”. I like the CX-9 and I like the look of the top models captains chairs but it’d remain to be seen how that’d impact practicality aside from the lost seat and finally they’ve updated the entertainment system.
@@NZsarge1 i think the new q7 interior tho was a bad move, they did away with alot of buttons for dual screen system and put the screen below where you have to look down from the road to operate the screen most people didnt like the dual screen setup in the mx30 either i think but to each his own.
@@reenachauriya4931 Yeah fair enough and to an extent I agree but saying it’s gaudy was a bit harsh of a criticism of it was all I was referring too, I think it looks great even though functionality has taken a step backwards.
Good thing it's all optional Matt - more elegant colour combinations are available. You would have seen the Azami LE in Machine Grey/white leather in the B-roll. That's what I would go for!
