I briefly considered it, but it is about $10,000 more (in Canada anyhow) similarity equipped. That being said, you could probably get a good discount on one.
Spied: 2017 Mazda CX-9
- Thread starter crikey
- Start date
RedHotFuzz
Member
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- '16 Durango R/T, '10 VW Sportwagen
The Explorer was at the top of my shopping list...until I drove one. It has very strange ergonomics. It feels very much like driving a minivan. The Durango was far more satisfying from the driver's seat, so that's what I bought. The fantastic exhaust rumble from the Hemi in the R/T is a great bonus.
Both the Pilot and the Highlander were cut from my list because both mandated captains chairs in the middle row for the top trim level. I have 3 kids and I need the middle bench, so goodbye Honda and Toyota. The new Pilot looks like a blob anyway.
I don't care for the Korean brands. The GM offerings didn't do it for me. Durango R/T won. I've been very happy with it.
The new CX-9 wasn't out yet and the wife had already waited a year and wasn't willing to wait any longer. I would probably choose the Durango anyway given the honest V8 power, despite the MPG penalty. To be honest I worry about these highly-complex turbo 4 engines powering these large vehicles. What will the long-term longevity be? I plan to drive the vehicle for a decade, just like I did my '04 Pilot. I also wanted tow capacity for boat and RV rentals (I own neither) and the Durango tows 7400 lbs.
The new CX-9 is a beautiful package but honestly seems to be targeting a different market than the standard 3-row SUV offerings. Seems much more a AWD wagon with a third row for cruising suburbia. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I love wagons) but some of us still want/need an actual SUV-type vehicle and the CX-9 ain't it.
I love Mazdas though.
CrazyBiker
Member
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- 14' Mazda6 GT Tech, 17' Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD V6, BMW S1000R/RR
I agree on most part. When you said Sorento styling came last for you, thats where beauty is in the eye of the beholder comes true. For me Sorento is on the top along with the CX9 in the looks department especially the fully loaded SXL trims with the SS trim, quad led fogs and led taillights. If you want a driver's SUV, CX9 it is. If you want a family SUV that gives you the most features, balanced ride quality and handling, luxury and bang for the buck especially when spending 45K+, Sorento is the winner! I had pretty much preordered the CX9 back in Jan, until I stumbled upon the Sorento.
I find it odd that there are no safety ratings out for the 2016 CX9 yet, despite it being on the roads. The 2017 MDX isn't even released yet and has a NHTSA rating assigned already. Are people really comfortable with carrying families in a family vehicle without the saftey ratings?
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CrazyBiker
Member
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- 14' Mazda6 GT Tech, 17' Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD V6, BMW S1000R/RR
Agreed there too. For people with 2+ kids, CX9 is impractical. I wouldn't mind it as a replacement for a 5 seater SUV.The Explorer was at the top of my shopping list...until I drove one. It has very strange ergonomics. It feels very much like driving a minivan. The Durango was far more satisfying from the driver's seat, so that's what I bought. The fantastic exhaust rumble from the Hemi in the R/T is a great bonus.
Both the Pilot and the Highlander were cut from my list because both mandated captains chairs in the middle row for the top trim level. I have 3 kids and I need the middle bench, so goodbye Honda and Toyota. The new Pilot looks like a blob anyway.
I don't care for the Korean brands. The GM offerings didn't do it for me. Durango R/T won. I've been very happy with it.
The new CX-9 wasn't out yet and the wife had already waited a year and wasn't willing to wait any longer. I would probably choose the Durango anyway given the honest V8 power, despite the MPG penalty. To be honest I worry about these highly-complex turbo 4 engines powering these large vehicles. What will the long-term longevity be? I plan to drive the vehicle for a decade, just like I did my '04 Pilot. I also wanted tow capacity for boat and RV rentals (I own neither) and the Durango tows 7400 lbs.
The new CX-9 is a beautiful package but honestly seems to be targeting a different market than the standard 3-row SUV offerings. Seems much more a AWD wagon with a third row for cruising suburbia. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I love wagons) but some of us still want/need an actual SUV-type vehicle and the CX-9 ain't it.
I love Mazdas though.
You have a good area for discussion. Mazda CX-9 has not been on the top performers on the NHTSA, have been sort of flat on the middle, while Sorento has been improving, and now is pretty much among the Top
Mazda:
- http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle+Shoppers/5-Star+Safety+Ratings/2011-Newer+Vehicles/Search-Results?searchtype=model&make=MAZDA&model=CX-9&year=
- http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/mazda/cx-9
Sorento:
Yeah, I've seen the historical ratings for the CX-9. But this being a new generation, I was expecting the changes to significantly affect the ratings. For example, the ratings for the Mazda 6 is noticeably different between generations:
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/mazda/6-4-door-sedan/2014 (top safety pick) vs http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/mazda/6-4-door-sedan/2013
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- 2001 Mazda MP3
True, but you can find 5-7K discounts all the time for the explorer, atleast where I live, DC Metro area.
I didn't think the '17 MDX was any different from the '16, other than cosmetic and feature changes. So maybe that means they can publish the NHTSA ratings from a prior year, since it's the same car?
redturboeclipse
Member
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- mazda rx7
The Explorer was at the top of my shopping list...until I drove one. It has very strange ergonomics. It feels very much like driving a minivan. The Durango was far more satisfying from the driver's seat, so that's what I bought. The fantastic exhaust rumble from the Hemi in the R/T is a great bonus.
Both the Pilot and the Highlander were cut from my list because both mandated captains chairs in the middle row for the top trim level. I have 3 kids and I need the middle bench, so goodbye Honda and Toyota. The new Pilot looks like a blob anyway.
I don't care for the Korean brands. The GM offerings didn't do it for me. Durango R/T won. I've been very happy with it.
The new CX-9 wasn't out yet and the wife had already waited a year and wasn't willing to wait any longer. I would probably choose the Durango anyway given the honest V8 power, despite the MPG penalty. To be honest I worry about these highly-complex turbo 4 engines powering these large vehicles. What will the long-term longevity be? I plan to drive the vehicle for a decade, just like I did my '04 Pilot. I also wanted tow capacity for boat and RV rentals (I own neither) and the Durango tows 7400 lbs.
The new CX-9 is a beautiful package but honestly seems to be targeting a different market than the standard 3-row SUV offerings. Seems much more a AWD wagon with a third row for cruising suburbia. Not that there's anything wrong with that (I love wagons) but some of us still want/need an actual SUV-type vehicle and the CX-9 ain't it.
I love Mazdas though.
did you absolutely need to have the top trim? you can get the pilot in the touring model and it has pretty much everything the elite does, minus the captain seats, and the other sunroof. that really may be it. has the biggest thing really on going to the upper level trims which is the 9-spd transmission. the pilot looks like it fit the bill for you. i also do think it looks tons better than the 04 generation you had. and the current pilot can tow
That's pretty good. TrueCar is showing about $3,500 off MSRP on Explorer Limited, Sport or Platinum in the Philly market--with incentives.
Yes, the Sorento is one of those vehicles that have a wide range of changing looks based on trim. That's what happens with a $20K range in price. The base LX looks cheap, while the SX/SX-L look quite premium.
I agree in top trim, it is one of the better looking offerings. If only they had given the taillights a little bit more character and originality.
If you're looking for a total value proposition, you have to consider the Highlander. That is a better value than Sorento. Platinum is actually less than the SX-L. It matches just about every available features give or take a few. It is bigger. Looks more dynamic. Best resale value of almost any vehicle period. Toyota longevity.
Do you mean 3+ kids? The CX-9 would be more than enough for a family of 4. Perhaps only in America is a 7 passenger CUV not enough for 4. Many families of 4 get along just fine with a compact or mid'size sedan never mind a vehicle like the CX-9. While I will be getting a mid-size CUV next year, my family of 4 has been fine with a Corolla and Yaris. We've even done road trips half way across the country in one a few times.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
I found it's odd a driver's vehicle only offers 6-way power seat adjustment for the driver. True driver's CUV such as Porsche Cayenne has up to 14-way power adjustment for the driver!
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- Plano, Texas, USA
No way Honda could use data from older 2016 MDX's NHTSA crash testing for 2017 MY! It has to be an exact 2017 MDX been tested even if there's no change between model years!
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- Plano, Texas, USA
You shouldn't assume any outcome from those crash tests. For example, although there're no design and structure changes, the face-lifted 2016 CX-5 suddenly got downgraded to 3-star rating from 5 stars for previous model year on passenger side during NHTSA frontal crash test!
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RedHotFuzz
Member
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- '16 Durango R/T, '10 VW Sportwagen
There are certain options I wanted that only came in the top trims by Honda and Toyota. Honda can't seem to figure out how to put seatbelt anchors in the seat backs rather than the ceiling, hence the captains chairs.
Honda is notoriously restrictive with its options. And I think the new Pilot looks like a fat blob. The refreshed 1st gen (that came later than my '04) is still my favorite Pilot design. The 2nd gen looked like a brick and the 3rd gen looks like a minivan with an extended nose.
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- Plano, Texas, USA
So more "demanding" frontal crash test by IIHS ended up couldn't find front passenger in 2016 CX-5 may suffer more severe injury than others in certain frontal crash situation like NHTSA crash test did?
Actually it doesn't matter whether you trust the crash test rating by the government or not. NHTSA has different way to perform the test, and people would like to see a vehicle performed well under all kind of test criteria so that more possibility of crash situation can be covered. A better crash-test rated vehicle under ANY test environmen has to be safer than a vehicle performed well ONLY under one test environment. After all, they're all testing frontal and side collisions. You can't simply pick-and-choose and dismiss the test result from NHTSA. Besides, NHTSA also conducts rollover test which IIHS doesn't do.
Remember, NHTSA which you don't trust also conducts many additional tests for car safety and initiates safety recall of your vehicles. For example, the recent fuel filler pipe safety recall on Mazda CX-5 was initiated by NHTSA who spotted the fuel leakage during a rear-end collision test. IIHS didn't and couldn't find such flaw during its crash tests on CX-5!
CrazyBiker
Member
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- 14' Mazda6 GT Tech, 17' Kia Sorento SXL V6 AWD V6, BMW S1000R/RR
