SW17LS

I really like that! I will have to see it in person, but I might buy that before a 4RX...

pbm317

I agree! The new CX-9 is quite well done and their new special paint looks like liquid metal with an exceptionally smooth finish.

Interior materials with great wood and genuine aluminum trim was really well executed. Mazda is doing a great job of integrating their parts bin pieces across their lineup. And the torque on the new turbo sounds massive.

mordecai

The interior is best-in-class. It would be perfect if the belt line of the dashboard was a bit higher, so it was more balanced. Other than that, that's a stunning interior that wouldn't be out of place in a luxury car. I would have a hard time choosing between this, the RX, and the Q7 interior (purely in terms of design).

Fizzboy7

Very clean and favorable styling. Should go over well and age slowly.
Reminds me of the things that first drew me to Lexus. I wish they would dump the extroverted theme and go back to classy and timeless designs.

-J-P-L-

I will be buying a mid-size crossover next year and this is a great addition to my short shopping list.

It will be going up against the Highlander and Sorento so far. The Sorento is brilliant in $45K trim.

I never cared for the current CX-9 but this new one looks very nice. Excellent interior. I would've like to see larger headlights considering are huge the grill is. That's perhaps my biggest criticism.

Can't wait to see driving reviews.

EthanV

Does anyone know the CX9 reliability . Im consider to buy it. Thanks!

tex2670

It's going to be hard to tell. I have a '12 and have had no problems. But, transfer case failures are a known issue, and there's an outstanding recall for suspension components that can rust.

But the engine is all new, and there are no more shared Ford parts (ie, the transfer case), so it's going to be hard to predict reliability of the new model.

-J-P-L-

There's always concern with a brand new engine in terms of reliability. Few engines these days are released with much issues though. It's surprising that Mazda looks to be going with this one turbo 4 as the sole engine. No V6 option as you can get now. With Mazda's zoom zoom tag line, I would like to see a new 350 hp V6 option in a vehicle like this. Something to stand near an Exployer Sport.

My other reservations with this vehicle as it seems is that there is no panoramic roof option. This press release car is top of the line and just has a standard front moonroof. Almost every competitor offers one now and makes a huge atmospheric difference inside. It also seems to lack ventilated seats. I see heated seat buttons, no cooled. Also an important feature everyone else has. My one other criticism, is the lack of any cubby holes up front. Just cupholders and center console. Need a place to hold phones, etc..

pbm317

I don't think it's surprising that Mazda is only going with one turbo 4... they're a small company, they basically have one engine family to utilize and one set of other components as well (infotainment, etc.) A huge 350 hp V6 while nice on paper, doesn't fit within Mazda's current brand image. With Skyactiv (and this is beyond just engines and transmissions) Mazda has shown they've been able to do a lot with "less" in terms of paper specifications. I'm pretty happy that they seem very genuine to who they want to be as a brand, and it shows through in their products. The CX-9 has lost a lot of weight, and they've noted that the usable power in the curves will be just as good, if not better than the "more HP" V6 that this replaces.

With time, and sales success, I think they'll be able to push forward with content development such as a panoramic sunroof or cooled seats, but I'm pretty happy to see them focusing on a lot of the core fundamental aspects of who they are as a brand when it comes to the vehicle execution itself.

rxonmymind

^^^I equate building your own in house engine with developing an in house watch movement. Both take massive time, money & R&D Think scale. While your developing either you have to pay wages, materials, rent, marketing, and the list goes on while at the same time hoping what you have out there pays for what your making. You hope. This is why in both instances it's sometimes cheaper for companies to buy third party engines. Just to make tour own engine EXPENSIVE.