Hi everyone...I am new to this forum and wanted some advice...

[benjamin27]

I am looking into buying a Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring, probably FWD, but maybe AWD. I have not test driven it yet. To give a little background, I have been driving a 2003 Chev Suburban 1500 4WD Z71 for the past 8 years and love/loved it. Tons of room, power and I could go anywhere-over curbs, through sand, low water, rough terrain and loved not worrying about the undercarriage or any other damages. The time has come for me to start looking at new vehicles and so far I have test driven an Audi Q5 and a Buick Enclave. Both very different. I really liked the Audi, but it is a little small and a bit pricey and since there is a shortage, no negotiating and a long wait list. (I have a family of 5 with a 10,12,15 year old-so, I need space.) The Enclave was nice (I have to say-the word Buick brings up images of elderly folks cruising about 45mph in the left lane with their blinker on for miles...) The Enclave seemed too Cadillac smooth for me. The Audi was more my speed. A friend recommended the Mazda CX-9 (he does not own one or know anyone who does-just looked it up and said take a look). From what I have researched it looks like a good possibility for me. Roomy and sporty and better gas mileage than my Suburban (a military tank gets better gas mileage than my Suburban-lol). Now that I have bored you all with the preface...what I want to know is... Is the CX-9 tough? Being a CUV, has anyone who owns or owned an SUV notice a big difference? Is it soft? Is it carlike and overly smooth? Does it sway on turns? Is it powerful off a red light? I realize I will get an answer once I test drive, but test drives are not everyday driving and limited in time and conditions-so real owner advise is appreciated. Is the interior of the Grand Touring layed out user friendly and nice upscale leather or a plasticy leather feel? How does the leather wear? The MSRP of the vehicle that I am considering is $38,560...what type of discounting should I expect? Does Mazda deal easy? what should I expect to pay? Any comments or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

The CX-9 like most CUV's is designed for mostly on road use. It will go on dirt and gravel roads, but it doesn't have the ground clearance to traverse lakes or rocky terrain. I also wouldn't be jumping curves. Bottom line: it will not match the toughness of your body on frame Suburban. The tires and alloy wheels alone would not handle that sort of abuse and I doubt the suspension would fare much better. The CX-9 was not designed, nor will live very long if you treat it like an off-road vehicle. That's not to say the CX-9 isn't well-built- it is. It's just designed for a specific purpose, which is to transport 6 to 7 people in excellent confort.

The ride is more like a euro sports sedan- controlled, firm and confortable. I also own a 2010 Mazda6 sGT and the only real difference between the two is that the CX-9 feels a little bigger and doesn't feel AS nimble as the 6. But like the 6 and every other Mazda I've owned the CX-9 really comes alive when you flog it. It is a blast to drive fast around curves while using the manual mode of the auto.

The CX-9 interior is a very nice place to be, though it won't match the quality of many European cars. The leather since, I think, 2010 is of good quality (i.e. soft, luxurious feeling) but isn't "real" leather like you'd find on a Jag, high end BMW or Mercedes. Personally though I feel that the CX-9 interior will wear better with less maintenance.

If you really want something that will match your Chevy in off-roadability and toughness then I would buy another "SUV/Truck" that has a "real 4 wheel drive system."

IMO

Hope this helps.

 

[benjamin27]

Thank you, Antonio...I appreciate the info. I am not too familiar with the CUV, in general, yet. I realize it is car-like in that it is has a unibody frame vs SUV/Truck with a body on frame. I guess, I will have to drive a few CUV's to get a feel for them in general. The Mazda CX-9 has sparked my interest so far. I get the feel that it is a little more sporty than some CUV's out there and possibly a little more zoom-zoom. I guess my curb jumping days will be coming to an end-lol. I need a little more gas mileage than a large SUV/Truck has to offer. I still want a decent amount of room for passengers and cargo but need power. I want to make certain that the CX-9 is in no way a mini-van. I have a fear of buying it and feeling like I bought a mini van after a few weeks with it. Any comparisons are appreciated.

 

[drchuck]

Mine is a 2010, and I came here from a Ford Expedition that got me 10 MPG in town, 15 on the highway, if I was a good boy. Personally, I have never looked back. I will say, however, that there were places I would go without thinking in the Ford. Not so much the case in the CX-9. However, I bought it knowing I don't go off the road. Truthfully, I did hit a speed bump a tad hard when I first got it (like 8 MPH rather than 5) and got a resounding bump! My unit is a Sport, so that means FWD, but I don't see much difference in clearance in this case. In looking at your post, I believe your 10 year old is going to get tired of this pretty fast - the 3d seat will get outgrown soon. (I'm 6'6" and all my kids - long since gone- wound up well over 6' so my view of that department may be a little skewed) Another consideration, to me, is if you travel with 5, you'll need some outside storage pretty quickly. I solved that with a cargo carrier, and did a thread on it, which you can find if you want to see the photos of that solution. All that said, when I bought my Mazda, the short list was the Buick, the Toyota Venza and of course the one I bought. Buick was more than I wanted to pay for an American vehicle built (at the time) by a shaky manufacturer owned by the government - who was, and is still, shaky. The Toyota had a leg up, because our other vehicle is a Prius - so when I drove it, you can imagine how surprised I was when it reminded me of my first new car - a 1965 Chevy II!! Inspiration was deleted in the second prototype, I suppose. I mentioned all this stuff to make the point that the CX-9 is absolutely a drivers car; and that should answer some of your other questions.

Drivers cockpit, position, feel, vision - you name a category, this thing was made to fool you, and everyone in your rear-view mirror. It drives a lot smaller than it actually is, and it will haul! Years ago I had two Audi 5000's. Mine were 5 speed's and I absolutely loved them - when they were running. That was enough. From what I see and hear - you might be a little shocked that the CX-9 may not be as easy to get as you think - a great number of us have found them to be excellent, but I don't know of anyone personally, or in this group, that bought one to jump curbs.

If you need a truck, buy a truck. If you need a great riding crossover that was actually cross-bread with a hot rod - try one.

 

[benjamin27]

Thank you for the reply, DrChuck... Some very helpful info. I must clarify...I am not a curb-jumper, just use to being able to do just about anything in my Suburban. I realize, I will have to be more aware of my speed bump speeds and off road shoulder driving (which is not at all the majority of my driving-just nice to know I didn't have to think about it). So far, CX-9 sounds like a pretty tough, perky CUV. once again, I fear buying a mini-van. Any comments about FWD vs AWD would be appreciated too. I rarely used my 4WD and only put it in auto 4WD (which I think is similar to AWD) when it rained (which in South Texas is less than 5X per year-if we are lucky). So, I was thinking FWD, but is AWD better? Does it make the vehicle taller/lower, more capable other than wet traction? all comments appreciated,

 

[drchuck]

Thank you for the reply, DrChuck... Some very helpful info. I must clarify...I am not a curb-jumper, just use to being able to do just about anything in my Suburban. I realize, I will have to be more aware of my speed bump speeds and off road shoulder driving (which is not at all the majority of my driving-just nice to know I didn't have to think about it). So far, CX-9 sounds like a pretty tough, perky CUV. once again, I fear buying a mini-van. Any comments about FWD vs AWD would be appreciated too. I rarely used my 4WD and only put it in auto 4WD (which I think is similar to AWD) when it rained (which in South Texas is less than 5X per year-if we are lucky). So, I was thinking FWD, but is AWD better? Does it make the vehicle taller/lower, more capable other than wet traction? all comments appreciated,

Well, I live in San Antonio - so I can answer that too. I have never regretted having the FWD. I know the performance is about equal, but the repairs down the road won't be if something happens. I have a 5X8 cargo trailer, and if I carry what I guess to be about 1500 pounds on it, I have to start thinking about it. A 1500 pound load and the trailer gets me to 2000 pounds. The CX handles it fine, but I have to consider it constantly. I pulled the same trailer with my Expedition, and just yanked it wherever I wanted to go. In the CX, I plan a little more in advance - but I plan at 20MPG even with it. The CX9 pulls fine if you pay attention to the load rating. When we start trying to "out-engineer" the factory is where we get in trouble.

Again for most of my loads, I have found the Cargo Carrier to be more than sufficient. The way I rigged that up, I think it looks pretty cool, as they go. Find the thread "Cargo Carrier" and take a look. I would suggest if you are going to do anything you opt for a Class III hitch rather than the stock class I.

 

[benjamin27]

i will most likely never tow anything, so not too concerned with that. Any thoughts on what dealer might take off MSRP? drchuck-which dealer did you purchase from? We are both in SATX...do you recommend one over another? What about service....is anyone better than another? I really do thank you for all of your input...it helps quite a bit.

 

[drchuck]

Legend on I-35 was the best on sales. World Car service is good - but then mine has only been in the shop once, and that was for the free oil change. I added leather to my Sport after the purchase, and I got a little better quality than factory, as far as I can tell - and Legend does not put a plastic cover on the seats when you go in for service, and that was a show stopper for me - my interior is a very light grey, nearly white. The first thing World Car did was put in paper mats, and cover the drivers seat with a plastic cover, like a big laundry bag. I have 11,000+ miles on the clock, and it's been absolutely trouble-free, except for the pesky console padding which seems to be a general point of dissatisfaction among '10 and forward, owners. (it looses it's memory and lay's flat - you can't see it but you can feel it under your elbow). At 5000 miles I put the vehicle on Synthetic oil and a filter by the same manufacturer - I did that myself, so no shop needed.

We bought the Prius and the CX9 within about 18 months of each other, and I will say the correspondence, emails, surveys, and coupons from Mazda blow Toyota away. Mazda corporate (IMHO) really shows a genuine concern for the new customer. [Toyota's in our area don't really come from Toyota MC, but from Gulf States Toyota, the actual importer, so that may make a difference].

The CX9 was my first Mazda, and at the 18 month mark, I would buy the same vehicle again, color and all (blue). PM me, maybe we can get together and you can drive mine - you aren't gonna hurt it, and I won't be trying to sell it to you every 2 feet. I'm near 281 & 1604.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

You're welcome. I think DrChuck pretty much summed it up. The CX-9 is a CUV for those who don't necessarily want a CUV and drives more like a sportscar. I do have the AWD version but I also live in MA, which gets it's share of snow. With snows the CX-9 proves to be unstoppable, although my FWD Mazda 6 is also pretty unstoppable with snows. The AWD system in the CX-9 is designed with sportiness in mind, engaging the rear wheels to help take it around corners. The FWD version is available in all trim levels and like DrChuck says less mechnically complex and adds more weight to the CX-9.

You should definitely drive one. And when you do, try to drive one with some miles on it so you can flog it a bit. I've been a Mazda Loyalist for the last two decades and what keeps me coming back is the "wolf in sheeps clothing" that all Mazdas possess. I've lusted after many European cars but never pulled the trigger due to reported issues with reliability and long-term maintenance costs. So Mazda is where I always land. IMO there is simply no other manufacturer that has the same reliability and fun factor rolled into one attractive (IMO) and affordable package.

 

[drchuck]

i will most likely never tow anything, so not too concerned with that. Any thoughts on what dealer might take off MSRP? drchuck-which dealer did you purchase from? We are both in SATX...do you recommend one over another? What about service....is anyone better than another? I really do thank you for all of your input...it helps quite a bit.

Sorry, I missed the part on MSRP - when I got mine they were doing 60 months no interest - so who could tie his own money up? The down side was only about 1200 bucks off window - however, the Sport is not decked out like the other models, so the dealer has much less room to play, since the accessories, window etchings, 1000 year no wax finish and all that stuff wasn't on the car. Where I think I came out (who ever knows) was on the trade. I went to Car Max to see what they'd give me for it straight up. The Expedition was in great shape, and they really surprised me. Then when I went shopping I had that sheet with me - they gave me a stupid number, and I was going to walk. Bottom line was they matched the number, got the 0 interest, and they took about 1200 off the window. I walked away feeling like we at least tied on the deal!! I said all that to remind ya that there are things in addition to MSRP discounts.

 

[Antonio DiMarco]

We were lucky and got a dealer demo with 4500 miles fully loaded GT for 34K and zero percent financing for 60 months. I think ultimately it depends on the dealer. I've been loyal to the same dealer (service, car purchases, parts) for ten years. It's been a great partnership.

 

[benjamin27]

What a great forum...Both of you, Antonio and DrChuck, have given me some great information. You both have peaked my interest in the CX-9. It sounds like it has more performance than some of the other CUV's out there. Definitely going to test drive one.
DrChuck...I, too, live at 1604/281...off TPC....I appreciate the offer to test drive your vehicle, I will talk to my husband and see if he wants to take you up on your offer. BTW, my name is Christine and my husband is Ken. (Benjamin27-my user name, was an old cat of mine that I always use as an easy to remember user name-strange but true, lol). The Mazda would be for me. He drives a Dodge Ram 1500, another gas guzzler. We thought about getting rid of it, too and getting him a compact car (since he drives to work daily) but, we are always doing home projects and would miss the truck. For now we will trying getting rid of one gas guzzler.
Right now is the worst time ever to try to unload a 4WD Suburban, I may try to sell it on my own. I am the orig owner and it only has 49k miles on it....it is really nice and can't get taken by a dealer on it. I loked up nada and kelly and it averages for trade about 12-13k, I was at Gunn GMC-they offered $8500...I didn't even laugh..it was so bad I just walked. They proceeded to tell me about the black book and the auction they sell it at and then of course the gas prices. Keep in mind, they are selling a comparable 2011 GMC Yukon XL for 60k. NADA and Kelly show 14-16K as a retail price for mine..so even if I got 12-14K on my own..it beats Gunn's $8500. Gosh, I loathe Gunn and their "one simple price". I only went there to test drive the Enclave and see their prices, because then you know what you can, at the very least, get taken off at any respectable dealer.
Maybe with this weekend being Memorial Day, there will be some decent deals (end of month too)

 

[djc6]

AWD vs FWD was debated in this other thread, might help you decide:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123793879-AWD-or-FWD