I just recently purchased a 2014 CX-9 GT FWD w/ tech package and tow prep for my wife. We bought it used with about 700 miles on it, came CPO so get an additional 12mo / 12k mile bumper-to-bumper and additional 2yr / 40k mile power train vs if we bought new. That gives me 4yr / 48mo bumper-to-bumper and 7yr / 100k power train. Paid a little less than $32k plus the usual tax/tag/title etc. I was fine with it, could probably have squeezed them for a bit more but at the end of the day it was the exact car she wanted - the color and options (sunroof was #1 on her list) and FWD as we already have a 4wd, and they do have to make some profit. I had no intentions to buy new. I was looking CPO, thinking I could get a 2013 or 2014 with about 15k-20k on it for about $30K or so. When I saw this car come up for sale it was hard to pass up at it was basically new with a better than new warranty so the rest is history.
This is my fifth Mazda. Previously I had a '94 Protege, '98 626 and currently have a '96 Miata (fun car I share with my brother, kinda like a joint custody deal), '12 Mazda6 (driven by high schooler) and now the CX-9. We needed something that could hold 6 people when necessary, though most of the time it will be 3-4. We also needed something that could hold luggage and gear for 3-4 people for frequent weekend trips we take. The CX-9 was at the top of the list when we started shopping and, obviously, came out on top. The other contenders were:
-Suburban/Yukon XL - we have a Suburban already (my car) and would have loved to add a newer 2012 model year or newer. Mine is 10+ years old, 175k miles. Wife likes it, and wouldn't have minded one of her own, but in the end we just didn't need the size for towing as we already have one. And for the $32k we paid for the CX-9 we would have had to get a 2011-2012 model, with 35k+ miles, no sunroof or nav.
-Acura MDX - this was hard to pass up. We drove a few of these, both the base and the tech package. Very very very nice vehicle. It drove great, the interior was very nice, seats felt awesome. Can't think of anything negative to say about the MDX other than the nav models seemed to suffer from button overload as there were dozens and dozens of buttons on the console. It was a little overwhelming during the test drive and the salesman who was obviously familiar with the system seemed to act like it was no biggie, but it seemed very distracting to us. Maybe after owning it for a bit you get used to it, but it just seemed a little bit too much. Also some of the things the Cx-9 came with were only offered on the higher priced MDX's - blind spot monitoring was only on highest package, and the base MDX had the rearview camera in the rearview mirror which seemed a little distracting. I did not care for that setup, but again, maybe over time you get used to it. Bottom line was for $32K we could get a 2012 MDX with nav and about 30K miles on it. It was CPO, warranty seemed good and Honda/Acura rep speaks for itself. Oh, and MPG seemed a bit low for the MDX, in the Suburban range if I remember. Also, the room behind the 3rd row seemed quite a bit smaller in the MDX.
-Chevy Traverse - one test drive and no thanks. Just not a comfortable car. To steal a phrase from a website I saw when researching it - "I didn't sit in the seat, I sat on it." It just didn't feel right. When I mentioned this to the salesman he said, "well, you need to try this one (LTZ model that was priced $12K higher)." Sure it was nicer on the inside but not worth the $37k for a 2013 with 20k miles.
-Honda Pilot - one look at the interior, specifically the shifter/radio/console setup and it was a quick "no"
-We also flirted a little with the Nissan Pathfinder but the CVT scared the bejeezus out of me, reading all the issues with them so we didn't even look at one in person. Maybe that was unfair of me but oh well.
Ultimately we are happy - more specifically she is happy. The second row in the CX-9 is awesome. Seat moves back and reclines. Cupholder/armrest folds down in the middle. Dedicated heat/air vent and controls. I would not hesitate to spend a few hours drive sitting back there. It was was best second row of the bunch, even better than the suburban bench second row (but nothing I've ever owned or considered owning compares to the suburban second row with bucket seats - now those are comfortable!). Handles great, power seems just right. It came with the tow prep package (minus the hitch). I don't plan on towing much if at all but did put a hitch on this week to use with a bike rack and one of those hitch carrier things for some trips we have planned.
Looking forward to many many many miles. Zoom zoom!
This is my fifth Mazda. Previously I had a '94 Protege, '98 626 and currently have a '96 Miata (fun car I share with my brother, kinda like a joint custody deal), '12 Mazda6 (driven by high schooler) and now the CX-9. We needed something that could hold 6 people when necessary, though most of the time it will be 3-4. We also needed something that could hold luggage and gear for 3-4 people for frequent weekend trips we take. The CX-9 was at the top of the list when we started shopping and, obviously, came out on top. The other contenders were:
-Suburban/Yukon XL - we have a Suburban already (my car) and would have loved to add a newer 2012 model year or newer. Mine is 10+ years old, 175k miles. Wife likes it, and wouldn't have minded one of her own, but in the end we just didn't need the size for towing as we already have one. And for the $32k we paid for the CX-9 we would have had to get a 2011-2012 model, with 35k+ miles, no sunroof or nav.
-Acura MDX - this was hard to pass up. We drove a few of these, both the base and the tech package. Very very very nice vehicle. It drove great, the interior was very nice, seats felt awesome. Can't think of anything negative to say about the MDX other than the nav models seemed to suffer from button overload as there were dozens and dozens of buttons on the console. It was a little overwhelming during the test drive and the salesman who was obviously familiar with the system seemed to act like it was no biggie, but it seemed very distracting to us. Maybe after owning it for a bit you get used to it, but it just seemed a little bit too much. Also some of the things the Cx-9 came with were only offered on the higher priced MDX's - blind spot monitoring was only on highest package, and the base MDX had the rearview camera in the rearview mirror which seemed a little distracting. I did not care for that setup, but again, maybe over time you get used to it. Bottom line was for $32K we could get a 2012 MDX with nav and about 30K miles on it. It was CPO, warranty seemed good and Honda/Acura rep speaks for itself. Oh, and MPG seemed a bit low for the MDX, in the Suburban range if I remember. Also, the room behind the 3rd row seemed quite a bit smaller in the MDX.
-Chevy Traverse - one test drive and no thanks. Just not a comfortable car. To steal a phrase from a website I saw when researching it - "I didn't sit in the seat, I sat on it." It just didn't feel right. When I mentioned this to the salesman he said, "well, you need to try this one (LTZ model that was priced $12K higher)." Sure it was nicer on the inside but not worth the $37k for a 2013 with 20k miles.
-Honda Pilot - one look at the interior, specifically the shifter/radio/console setup and it was a quick "no"
-We also flirted a little with the Nissan Pathfinder but the CVT scared the bejeezus out of me, reading all the issues with them so we didn't even look at one in person. Maybe that was unfair of me but oh well.
Ultimately we are happy - more specifically she is happy. The second row in the CX-9 is awesome. Seat moves back and reclines. Cupholder/armrest folds down in the middle. Dedicated heat/air vent and controls. I would not hesitate to spend a few hours drive sitting back there. It was was best second row of the bunch, even better than the suburban bench second row (but nothing I've ever owned or considered owning compares to the suburban second row with bucket seats - now those are comfortable!). Handles great, power seems just right. It came with the tow prep package (minus the hitch). I don't plan on towing much if at all but did put a hitch on this week to use with a bike rack and one of those hitch carrier things for some trips we have planned.
Looking forward to many many many miles. Zoom zoom!
That makes all 3 of us as Mazda6 owners that have posted. Haha. I also own a 97 626 currently, and have owned two other 626's in the past including the first FE3 swapped one in the country. So if your a Mazda fan, Your in good company.
