CX 7, CX9 or what?

[freeheeler1690]

We are looking for a new vehicle

Been leaning towards the Mazda's for a while now as they look great value for money

right now, there is just the two of us, but that may change in the future. i have and will be keeping my 8yr old 2dr accord V6

We are looking for something with more space for all our camping equipment and kayaks

CX 7 looks great value but maybe just not enough room. Have had some great deals for new CX 9 sport starting at 24,500 but i want leather seats which means I need to go to T or the GT

Looked at the Venza and Crosstour but neither get great reviews which for a Honda was disapointing. The Pilot looks horrible.

I like the Q5 but could prove very expensive in the long run.

Lexus, Acura and infiniti all look nice but a lot more expensive and not as much room as the 9

Any other big differences between the CX 7 and 9 apart from space that are worth considering?

My only turn off point about the 9 is the fuel consumption for long journeys

What turned you onto the CX 9more than any other make, I've never owned a Mazda before?

 

[qck]

I was sold on how much I loved the feel of driving my CX-9 and how well it handled. It has pleanty of power and loads of room as well. I test drove the CX-9 first and then next drove a Murano, and I was so dissapointed with the Murano as it just felt like a cheaper made vehicle. It paled in comparisson to how I felt driving the CX-9. IMHO I think you get a much higher quality vehicle for a much better price with the CX-9. I've had mine for 3 months, have over 8,000 miles on it and enjoy the heck out of drving it everyday. The CX-7 is nice but needed higher grade fuel for the turbo engine, and just did not have as great a feel to it as driving the CX-9.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

+1qck
We love our CX 9 for all the same reasons. Hands down it is the best value around. Has the styling and dynamics of a European car and the reliability of a Japanese car.

 

[SeCX-9]

We are looking for a new vehicle

Been leaning towards the Mazda's for a while now as they look great value for money

right now, there is just the two of us, but that may change in the future. i have and will be keeping my 8yr old 2dr accord V6

We are looking for something with more space for all our camping equipment and kayaks

CX 7 looks great value but maybe just not enough room. Have had some great deals for new CX 9 sport starting at 24,500 but i want leather seats which means I need to go to T or the GT

Looked at the Venza and Crosstour but neither get great reviews which for a Honda was disapointing. The Pilot looks horrible.

I like the Q5 but could prove very expensive in the long run.

Lexus, Acura and infiniti all look nice but a lot more expensive and not as much room as the 9

Any other big differences between the CX 7 and 9 apart from space that are worth considering?

My only turn off point about the 9 is the fuel consumption for long journeys

What turned you onto the CX 9more than any other make, I've never owned a Mazda before?

I've never owned a Mazda before 2008 but now now I own both a 2008 CX-9 GT and 2009 CX-7 GT. Both loaded with Nav etc. His and hers. I get the big boy and she drives hers around town and drives like a little old lady (even with her Turbo)

I know some things have changed on the CX-7, but her "loaded" lacks my CX-9's Blind Side alerting, auto washers, seat memory, auto tail lift open and close. Her CX-7 does have a cargo cover, easier phone controls on the steering wheel which I don't have and a turbo charger. Both run cheap gas.

But the big difference is the seat comfort and drive! The CX-9 is a SOLID car and quiet. The door on the CX-7 feels like a piece of tin foil opening and closing it after you've driven the CX-9 for a while. CX-9 drives like a luxury car, while the CX-7 is noisy, peppy, yet not refined.

 

[Rawyzf]

I think that is exactly it, the CX7 is more sports oriented (turbo option), where the CX9 is more luxery/family oriented. Don't get me wrong, they are both nice and Sporty for thier class.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

Actually the newer 2011 CX-7's use better sound insulation and also have BSM, Auto Windshield wipers, seat memory but no power liftgate.

 

[bolido]

I'm actually in the same position as you. Another car that you might want to consider is the Ford Flex. The only thing keeping me away is that reliability doesn't seem very good compared to the CX-9.

 

[table5511]

I drive a company car Ford Escape 2009 with 50k miles. It is falling apart completely. Anything Ford I have ever driven has fallen apart. Fortunately with the CX-9, Mazda only incorporated a few Ford leftovers, thankfully. I do not recommend Ford. CX-7 is like a more luxurious and sporty version of a Toyota Rav4, while CX-9 is more like a better or larger highlander. I hate to throw CX-9 in the same boat as Highlander as the CX-9 is completely better in every aspect.

CX-7's have had alot of complaints about road noise, engine noise etc... and Mazda claims to have subtled this recently, but still, it is basically a nicer Rav4 or Honda CR-V.

I come from a European car background, but when it comes to driving the family around, nothing European will cut it because that thing will be in the shop more than not, whether Audi, BMW, VW or Volvo especially. Go to your local Volvo dealer and see how many XC-90's are in back of the service department, then go to the Mazda dealer and see how many CX-9's are in back of the service dept... its a clear testament to the CX-9's reliability.

Go for the 9!
Got mine because: fast, 20" wheels, xenon, great handling, great seats, the look, has a 3rd row if needed.

 

[sbmrinaldi]

I went from a Honda Odyssey, then Audi Allroad, then to the CX9. I really wanted the Pilot, but it was between model years and I refused to buy the last year of the soon-to-be obsolete design. Anyway we have 50k on our 2007 CX9 (bought new) and for the money it was the best buy for us. It offered much more options for the money, was fun to drive, had the room we needed, etc. I had a Mazda before but not for long so I was hoping the dependability would be solid similar to my Accord. Although I was worried about fuel economy it really is decent for such a large vehicle. First it takes cheap fuel (87 octane) and I have never had an issue. Secondly we get 17 in the city and mixed driving around 20 and highway low 20's. It is on par and maybe a little better than our 03 Odyssey. And further comparison my Infiniti G35 gets about the same fuel economy for a car half the size of the 9.

Our only repairs on our CX9 to date is really just maintenance. We replaced the front pads and rotors and regular oil changes. She runs as good as day one and I plan on keeping it another 5 plus years.

 

[freeheeler1690]

Thanks for all the replies

Look forward to my test drive next week and then deciding on which model, either T or GT. Hopefully there will be some good deals come Xmas

 

[drchuck]

Which One?

My CX 9 is about a year and a half old, and as expected it has been in the shop one time, and that was for the first (complimentary) oil change. My total maintenance other than oil and filters has been one tire, which picked up a nail about 3 inches above road level, right through the side (at 4000 miles). Like you I wanted leather but didn't "want to afford" a package that included sun roof (I'm too tall) so I got a sport model and asked the dealer to send it out and install leather before I picked it up. It was a kit job, but perfect, and has a lifetime warranty on the leather. I can get 25.7 MPG consistently at 70MPH (San Antonio is 650 feet above sea level), and get between 16.9 and 20.9 around town, depending on how much "zoom - zoom" escapes from under the hood.

And that's what sold the car. It has power, and the ability to handle that power. If you drive one - be sure to keep the "zoom - zoom" in check, because if you don't you're going to be filling out paperwork. This vehicle is just plain great! I think they have 60 months no interest right now.

Chuck

PS: Did I mention that I like mine?

 

[freeheeler1690]

My CX 9 is about a year and a half old, and as expected it has been in the shop one time, and that was for the first (complimentary) oil change. My total maintenance other than oil and filters has been one tire, which picked up a nail about 3 inches above road level, right through the side (at 4000 miles). Like you I wanted leather but didn't "want to afford" a package that included sun roof (I'm too tall) so I got a sport model and asked the dealer to send it out and install leather before I picked it up. It was a kit job, but perfect, and has a lifetime warranty on the leather. I can get 25.7 MPG consistently at 70MPH (San Antonio is 650 feet above sea level), and get between 16.9 and 20.9 around town, depending on how much "zoom - zoom" escapes from under the hood.

And that's what sold the car. It has power, and the ability to handle that power. If you drive one - be sure to keep the "zoom - zoom" in check, because if you don't you're going to be filling out paperwork. This vehicle is just plain great! I think they have 60 months no interest right now.

Chuck

PS: Did I mention that I like mine?

Thanks for all that. how much dod your leather seat package cost you? That might be an interesting option

 

[drchuck]

Thanks for all that. how much dod your leather seat package cost you? That might be an interesting option

The package was 1500 bucks, and they did all three rows, and part of the inside of the doors. I can't remember, but I believe they also did the top of the armrest on both sides; the color match was perfect, so I'm not sure about that.

 

[sjg]

Depends on what you need

As far as 3 row crossovers go, the CX-9 is really at or near the top of everybody's list. But if you're OK with something smaller and 2 rows only you should probably expand your field a bit. There's nothing wrong with the CX-7 but it's not a standout the way the CX-9 is. The 2 row crossover field is deep and wide with many options that you might find to be as good or better than the CX-7.

 

[SupaDave03]

CX-9 if you need the extra space and its nice knowing that you can ride seven people comfortable if needed and still have room for a few things in the back.

 

[cvandenhaute]

I can vouch for both : we had a 2008 loaded CX7 GT that we absolutely loved. When our 3 years lease was over, we were looking to purchase or lease a new 2010 CX-7. At that time (last November) our Mazda dealership had a lot of 2010 CX-9 in inventory that they wanted to move since the 2011 CX-9 were hitting the lot, we ended up with a much better deal for a fully loaded CX-9 GT AWD than a CX-7 (basically a 40K car for less than a 33K car), so not a brainer.

We loved our CX-7 for its fun ride, still keeping enough versatility and room for a baby but generally speaking I like the CX-9 better. It is a bit less "connected" than the CX-7 but it is still a fun car to drive. I personally like the 3.7 V6 engine much better than the 2.3 DISI turbo (less coarse, nicer sound) and I have a much better gas mileage than with the CX7 (about 1-2 mpg more and with Regular, while the CX-7 was taking premium only) but the CX-7 feels (and I believe is) faster. I find the front seats more supportive for long rides and the overall comfort is better (although that had been seriously improved for the 2010 CX-7 that I had for a few days as a loaner). I also like the large screen of the sat-nav better than the small screen of the the recent CX-7.

Bottom line, if I did not have the great deal on a 2010 CX-9 I would have certainly stick with a CX-7 but for the same price (I had more than 7K down on mine) the CX-9 offers more... There are no other SUV I would have considered since no other drive as nicely (the only other contender I had back then was a Audi A4 Avant), except maybe for the Volvo XC60, which is way more pricey with similar equipment.

 

[Canadianx9]

Love my 07. Though I wished I had the 3.7. There is definitely a noticeable difference in power. Have 2 car seats in it so it makes the 3 rd row kind of useless. My son loves the DVD player. Mileage of course is terrible on this beast. I get 15 us Mpg on my 2011 chevy express when loaded with 10 people and driving at 79 mph. Only thing I had to replace is the faulty relay for the second row fan.

 

[table5511]

3.7 is even worse on gas

 

[RoadKing01]

If up front costs are a concern for you, you may want to look at a used CX-9. I bought my 08 GT with every possible option for $28k. It only had 11k miles on it and I got the dealer to add a 2 year bumper to bumper extended warranty too. The car is like brand new (other than some surface scratches that I plan to buff out in the spring).

The CX-9 is the way to go especially if you are considering having kids. I bought a brand new Altima in 08 and it was perfect until the 2nd little one came along. Then we could no longer take anyone with us if we went out. I always felt funny about "taking" our parents out to dinner and forcing them to drive themselves. I looked at the smaller SUVs out there but they had no more room than my Altima. Once I decided we needed the 3rd row, the CX-9 became the obvious choice.

The creature comforts of the CX-9 are just icing on the cake. Once you drive one, you will want it. MPG are not great, but not terrible either. I would gladly sacrifice a few MPGs for all of the other benefits. I have had mine for 4 months now and have put about 4k miles on it with zero problems. I would gladly recommend this car to anyone looking for one.

 

[mightymavkev]

One other thing to note. The CX-7 is done. Not making it anymore. Nor the RX-8. You'll noticed on their web site that the year for both is 2011 while everything else is 2012. Replacing next year with the CX-5. I went looking for a CX-7 because I didn't "need" the 3 row seating of the larger CX-9. I was a bit concerned with not having a V-6 option in the CX-7 so I wanted to drive one thoroughly to see how it was.

My dealer told me that it was not being made anymore after 11 and that there were none within a 500 mile radius at other dealerships that had the leather seating and upgraded options I wanted.

So I test drove the CX-9 instead and man I'm glad I did. I don't think there is really a comparison - not that there is supposed to be either.

But anyway, you might want to wait for the CX-5 if you're interested in the smaller cross over. They look sharp from what I can tell. I don't know when they come out though.