First Mazda (previous had a 04 Santa Fe). I have a 2017 Signature and a few of my annoyances since getting it in Aug 17 are:
-Can't open the hatch while in park unless I unlock the doors first
-Doors don't auto unlock when in park
-Proximity sensor to unlock doors (since you auto lock when you walk away) when you approach would be nice vs. having to press the key fob or the little black rubber button each time
-The glitches of Mazda Connect (still need to update firmware but have had the random crashes)
-Little design things like the low powered USB ports in the armrest and the power port way in the passenger foot well
-The power hatch motors are noisier than some competitors
-Perhaps sky view sunroof? Although I know that would hinder rear headroom
-Heated steering wheel on the 18 is a nice touch and something I wish I had
Check to the piano black plastic trim!
I bash the dealerships that I've dealt with in the past who are anti-customer and foolish. They deserved it. However, I've always spoken my mind about Mazda Corporate, where thus far I have had nothing but high praise after dealing with them twice already. And, I have routinely spoken positively about both of my CX-9 Signatures. But, you do raise some interesting points:
- The lift gate issue should be called Liftgate. Much like Watergate or Nannygate or any other blundergate. I agree with you here. The logic on the lift gate should be changed. I instinctively hit the button while puling in to park at home and boom nothing - it just beeps at me. Now, understanding that Mazda is also a safety conscious nearly boutique automobile manufacturer as far as output in the US is concerned, they probably waxed towards making certain the lift gate could not be opened while the vehicle was either being driven, in gear or in a state close to being driven as Mazda defines it.
- The doors will auto unlock when you want them too. You'll have to walk through the menu options under vehicle settings through the CMU. Not hard to do and the manual helps in this regard as well. It has a pretty broad list of Lock/Unlock options available.
- Proximity sensor to unlock on approach more than likely fits into Mazda's security conscious framework again. I'm speaking about these things from the standpoint of having been a design engineer. There are certain philosophical approaches to designing things were potential safety risks are involved. So, you approach your vehicle and the door unlocks - somebody intercepts your approach and now has access to your vehicle. It is not perfect, but at least you physically have to make contact with the vehicle, placing you in position first and making the intercept more difficult for the intruder. I'm not with Mazda. I don't know for certain this is their philosophy. I'm just given one example of how some of these decisions might be made at design time. However, Mazda does provide an option that unlocks all doors when the driver's side door is unlocked. So, one could argue that to be an equally trimmed safety concern as the intruder could intercept from the opposite side! Anyway, you get my point.
- The Head Unit issue is something that I think most manufacturers have or will have with brand new designs. One of the worst is Cadillac's CUE. That CMU has been reported as not just logically flawed but extremely slow by many Caddy owners and some have even reported that it was so bad, that it negatively impacted their desire to own a Cadillac. That's pretty bad. Expect more CMU issues as a matter of fact. Automobile Companies are not Enterprise Technology Companies. They don't have the same resources (intellectual) or the same hard core focus as a dedicated Software Company or Tech Company. So, they are outsourcing and buying wholesale components while hoping for good integration in the final analysis and that's just a recipe for problems and bug fixes along the way. Even dedicated software companies get it wrong and have to issue new releases to fix bugs. So, we can expect the same from non-tech companies integrating software and hardware into their product as well.
Having said that, I've seen definite improvements going from the 2017 Sig to the 2018 Sig. I've had zero issues thus far - fingers cross, though.
- I think the USB ports could be upgraded. I sort of like the cigarette style output port where it is. However, I would have liked to have seen an electrical outlet (standard 110/120) somewhere in the rear behind the third-row - maybe with some kind of built-in inverter design. Would have been nice - especially when I'm at the range and need to power some light equipment for a few minutes. They can make some improvements in the On-Board Power Outlets category of features for sure. After all, its an SUV, right.
- A Full Pano Roof sounds nice and it even looks awesome. However, keep in mind that this will add a very significant weight penalty to an already heavy vehicle for its class. That will impact fuel econ and road handling performance as it will surely lift the CG envelope. That change in CG will need to be compensated for in several different areas of the design and that will impact overall cost - not because of the Pano necessary (though that will increase cost) - but because of all the work that will need to be done in tuning the vehicle around new CG limits. These are the joys (or the woes) of design engineering. Make a significant change in "A" and now you must change B, C, D, et-al in return for a compensating balance in the overall design. At least, this is what any good engineer would do.
- Yes. We really like the heated steering wheel now that we've started actually using it! It's a small thing, but it does add a layer of luxurious texture to the CX-9 experience - not to mention warming your hands up on a cold start.
Oh, I 100% agree. That Black Piano Plastic idea... Uh, no Mazda. Just say no next time around. Replace that with several Carbon Fiber color options and suddenly the interior becomes unmistakably head and shoulders above the rest in category (though its pretty darn head and shoulders above right now!). Carbon Fiber replacing all Piano Black Plastic would just cap off an already outstanding interior design.