Spied: 2017 Mazda CX-9

You are barking up the wrong tree. Twins in boosters + New born = Minivan.

Exactly.
The Honda should do fine.
Our "mini-van" - we just had one child - was an '06 Highlander.
Add a Thule cargo box we we were always good to go.
But with all those kids you should definitely be shopping mini vans, not SUVs, IMO.
 
I agree with you all, a minivan is the practical way to go, that's why we just bought a 2014 Honda Odyssey in February. But since we both work full time jobs, sometimes the parent that drops the kids off isn't necessarily the parent that picks them up, so we need another vehicle with the capability to haul those 3 child seats when the need arises. And I think we all agree that getting two minivans is akin to throwing out your entire wardrobe and replacing it with sweatpants. So we at least want a vehicle to retain a bit of dignity on our date nights, haha.
 
With two kids and one on-the-way you might want to consider a used SUV for that secondary transport instead of spending over $40K on a new one.
More $$ for the college funds.
 
Well my kids are going to have a choice when they reach college age, they can go to the finest public schools in Indiana for free (tuition) or they can take out loans like everyone else. Indiana has a great veterans benefit that if you served on active duty, were a resident here for at least 3 years, and have at least 0% service connected disability, your children get free tuition from any Indiana state college (Butler, Purdue, IU, etc) from ages 18-26. My parents didn't give me a handout for my schooling, but instead I got my schooling for "free" through Army ROTC. My kids are going to learn that they better not look a gift horse in the mouth, or else their future's are going to be filled with crippling college loan debt. Tough love?
 
Well my kids are going to have a choice when they reach college age, they can go to the finest public schools in Indiana for free (tuition) or they can take out loans like everyone else. Indiana has a great veterans benefit that if you served on active duty, were a resident here for at least 3 years, and have at least 0% service connected disability, your children get free tuition from any Indiana state college (Butler, Purdue, IU, etc) from ages 18-26. My parents didn't give me a handout for my schooling, but instead I got my schooling for "free" through Army ROTC. My kids are going to learn that they better not look a gift horse in the mouth, or else their future's are going to be filled with crippling college loan debt. Tough love?

I espouse the same values. My parents did help me out in my freshman year, but after that, I put myself through university with whatever money I saved doing part-time jobs and full-time summer jobs. I believe my children should work hard to earn a scholarship or take out student loans if they feel they need to go away for college. I know that folks do save up for their children's college education, and there's nothing wrong with that if one can afford it. I know of relatives who set aside a college fund for their children only to have their children not go to university. And since these college funds were set up before the rules stated that the funds be returned to the parents if unused, they lost out on all that money, all the while scraping by and letting their retirement savings languish. Since I was able put myself through college, I feel that my children should be able to do the same. I just don't feel that I should compromise my retirement savings.

In the state that we currently live in, the state provides a full scholarship to deserving students if they achieve a certain GPA and attend a state university/college. So, I feel that my children should try to attain those academic goals if they want free higher education paid for by the state. So far, it seems that they're listening. They're also free to attend whatever Ivy League or prestigious institution that they please, as long as they pay for it.

But...we digress. When are we gonna see actual test drives of the CX-9? :)
 
But...we digress. When are we gonna see actual test drives of the CX-9? :)

If it follows like the other Mazda releases, I think in the next couple weeks we will see an official video from Mazda, of them driving a stream of them onto the boat for shipping to US ports...

My best guesstimate is 2nd week of June when we start seeing some published test drives of the production ones... The countdown begins!
 
If it follows like the other Mazda releases, I think in the next couple weeks we will see an official video from Mazda, of them driving a stream of them onto the boat for shipping to US ports...

My best guesstimate is 2nd week of June when we start seeing some published test drives of the production ones... The countdown begins!

can't happen soon enough....my wife is hankerin' for a new car!
 
anyone disappointed with the missing features?

  • no apple carplay/android auto
  • no panoramic sunroof
  • no parking sensors in the front
  • no surround camera
 
For me:
no apple carplay/android auto Yes - a little disappointed although there are rumors that the current infotainment system is already capable of having at least AndroidAuto installed. whether true or not, it is the reason i am planning on leasing and only buying a future model that does have it
no panoramic sunroof No - don't care for such a feature. i don't even use my "normal" moonroof on my last 3 cars/SUVs even though i've had it.
no parking sensors in the front No - i just use my eyes to not run into things while i park.(wink)
no surround camera No - i think unless you've had a such a feature (like in the Pathfinder or luxury models?), and became dependent on such a feature, you won't miss it much.
 
  • no apple carplay/android auto - Yes, very much. I will likely pass on the 1st model year and see what the 2nd model year has. Although, I haven't seen any of the Mazda products with Apple Carplay or Android Auto support. So, no telling when it will actually arrive.
  • no panoramic sunroof - Not a deal breaker. Both my vehicles right now do not have a sunroof. Two previous vehicles had a sunroof, but everytime I used it, I almost always close it right back when the inevitable passenger complaint comes.
  • no parking sensors in the front - Not really, although it would be nice to have. IMO, A camera in the front would be more useful for precision parking. :)
  • no surround camera - Another nice to have, but not a deal breaker.
 
You are barking up the wrong tree. Twins in boosters + New born = Minivan.

Regardless, I'd make sure to bring your boosters and baby seat to the dealer for the test drive of each car to make sure that all 3 can fit in the spots you intend them--and leave room for your toddlers to buckle and unbuckle the seatbelt themselves.
Only in America it's hard to fit 5 people into 7 passenger car.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
I had a chance to drive the 2016 CX-9 this past weekend... any questions? I can try to answer to the best of my ability.
 
anyone disappointed with the missing features?

  • no apple carplay/android auto
  • no panoramic sunroof
  • no parking sensors in the front
  • no surround camera

Yes
Yes
Yes and
Yes

And no vented front seats or heated rear seats, which all competitors now offer at the top level trim.
 
The power is sufficient and instantaneous. Having all that torque at low RPM is noticeable when passing on the freeway.

I drove the Signature trim and it was my first experience with Lane Departure Warning and Head-up display. I thought both are amazing additions to vehicle technology. In particular, the LDWS does a good job of informing when the vehicle begins to stray. Also, the sound insulation has dramatically improved -- this has to be the quietest car Mazda has ever made.
 
  • no apple carplay/android auto - Yes, very much. I will likely pass on the 1st model year and see what the 2nd model year has. Although, I haven't seen any of the Mazda products with Apple Carplay or Android Auto support. So, no telling when it will actually arrive.
  • no panoramic sunroof - Not a deal breaker. Both my vehicles right now do not have a sunroof. Two previous vehicles had a sunroof, but everytime I used it, I almost always close it right back when the inevitable passenger complaint comes.
  • no parking sensors in the front - Not really, although it would be nice to have. IMO, A camera in the front would be more useful for precision parking. :)
  • no surround camera - Another nice to have, but not a deal breaker.

To me, it's not about deal breakers, or nice to have features. Especially in this competitive class, when you are the newest kid on the block, you should be quickly setting the standards for others to follow. You should at least match what others offer, if you are not going beyond what they offer.
 
To me, it's not about deal breakers, or nice to have features. Especially in this competitive class, when you are the newest kid on the block, you should be quickly setting the standards for others to follow. You should at least match what others offer, if you are not going beyond what they offer.

While I agree that I mostly never open the sunroof, in a car with low headroom having a panoramic sunroof makes a big difference for livability especially for rear passengers.
 
While I agree that I mostly never open the sunroof, in a car with low headroom having a panoramic sunroof makes a big difference for livability especially for rear passengers.

Actually with a pano, it's less headroom and alot hotter in the summer, my friend has a pano and says it looks nice but not worth the extra cost and hassle......heat, clogged drains, wind noise, useless if adding a roof cargo, also makes the car top heavy and expensive to repair....


See link

http://www.motoringbox.com/cars/your-car/6-reasons-to-avoid-a-panoramic-roof/
 
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The power is sufficient and instantaneous. Having all that torque at low RPM is noticeable when passing on the freeway.

I drove the Signature trim and it was my first experience with Lane Departure Warning and Head-up display. I thought both are amazing additions to vehicle technology. In particular, the LDWS does a good job of informing when the vehicle begins to stray. Also, the sound insulation has dramatically improved -- this has to be the quietest car Mazda has ever made.

How did you drive the signature trim? It's not even available yet for test drives.
 
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