Just finished a 4500+ mile roundtrip in our 2-month old 2010 CX9 GT AWD. Based on some posts here, I bought a
Thule 665c hitch-mounted "combi carrier" and used that for extra cargo space. I have a family of 5 so the third-row seat was in use for most of the trip and the extra cargo room came in VERY handy, plus I didn't have any of that whistling or drag associated with roof-mounted cargo carriers. But more on that in a different post....I will say to anyone interested in getting one, the design offers a "tilt down" feature that is supposed to allow you to open your trunk lid without taking the whole thing off the hitch. On my CX9, its not necessary....the trunk opens fine, just clearing the unit in its normal 'towing' position.
Things I really liked about the vehicle:
-It handled GREAT in all types of terrain. We were on the windy plains during major thunderstorms with wind gusts of 70MPH and it stayed rock solid on track. I felt quite safe driving the vehicle as it cut through wind and rain like butter and the tires gripped the surface just fine. No slippage, not once. Wipers kept up with the rain (and it was torrential at times) and kept my visibility as clear as possible. I felt very much in control of the vehicle at all times and never had that top-heavy mini-van feel or "Land Yacht" feeling like I get with my Suburban. I felt nimble, had oodles of acceleration when I needed it and could zip in and out of lanes with ease as required/desired.
-We did some mountains in the Black Hills of SD, the Rockies from Yellowstone down to Durango and into the badlands of New Mexico and SW Texas. I hit up to 95MPH in some long, sparsely populated strips of road (yeah I know...but I only did it a few times), maintained speed limits without any issues up winding steep mountain grades, braked just enough to slow down when needed and let the marvelous handling of the vehicle take the turns like it owned them. I often would switch into manual shifting when in the mountains and LOVED how it handled things in 3rd and 4th gear. Really, really great handling, acceleration and braking overall. Couldn't be happier. For those who do naughty things like I did every once in awhile...the vehicle is like riding on glass when you get it up there. Amazing.
-No matter what the temps outside, and we hit everything from 40's to almost 100, we stayed very comfortable in the cabin. Even my 3rd row passenger (17 year old teenager) was happy and comfortable the whole time. Wind/road noise inside was minimal, even when being surrounded by a friendly group of Harley enthusiasts for an extended stretch of highway.
-For the most part, I was comfortable in the drivers seat. I could get in place easily and sit comfortably, see the Nav display just fine, etc....but with one caveat. I personally feel the right armrest (console armrest) is set too high. As a result, with 8 hour driving days, I'd often end the day with a sore shoulder/neck due to having my right arm sitting up too high most of the day. I fiddled with this a lot and maybe its just my personal ergonomics, but I couldn't really find a comfortable spot to put my right arm. As a result, I moved it constantly to try and minimize the discomfort....YMMV on this. I sat in the passenger seat for several hours napping or just enjoying the view while my wife and/or teenager drove, as well as one 2-hour stint in the second row passenger side. Very comfortable ride in both places as well. I did find the lack of cubby holes in the front area somewhat disconcerting...other than a cupholder and the door pocket, no real place to stash anything. But overall, I give this vehicle very high points for creature comforts. No rattles, no annoying sounds, ride was outstandingly smooth, engine noise was just a throaty hum, just you and the road and whatever tunes you want on the stereo.
-I know the Nav unit gets lamblasted on here, but I have to say that for us, it worked flawlessly. It took us straight to our destinations each time and when visiting family members we've not seen in decades, some of these addresses were in rural areas far off the beaten path. I had no issues with the Nav unit at all. Its not my Garmin Nuvi, but it was totally adequate. The remainder of the integrated components...Sirius, iPod integration, etc...all performed marvelously as well. I WOULD like to find a hack or some way to allow the front PASSENGER to adjust the destination points or otherwise tinker with the settings of the Nav unit. That whole locking-while-in-drive thing was an annoyance but not a deal breaker.
-The side-mirror 'sonar' feature was an absolute godsend. I don't know how I've lived without it up to this point. Yes I still do shoulder checks but this time since I had an extra 3 feet hanging off the back just having the warning signal gave me some extra peace of mind. Somewhat humorous, however, was that the things would be staying on one side of the vehicle most of the time I was navigating narrow mountain roads....reminding me "HEY THERES A FREAKING CLIFF FACE OVER HERE!!!!" LOL
-One downside to consider: The adjustable-aim headlights needed to be adjusted down all the way most of the time. Otherwise, I'd get a lot of 'brights flashing' from other motorists, even truckers, complaining that my headlights were too bright. On the lowest setting, no issues, but anything higher and I'd start getting that angry signal from other motorists.
I could write more but you get the picture....very, VERY happy with the vehicle. More than once I found myself patting myself on my back for making a great purchasing decision. So many of the things that annoyed me with my other vehicles were absent in this road trip.
2 months and 7K miles later....LOVE this car.
