2016~2023 Snow and ice performance of AWD CX-9

[zoomzoom12]

I am heavily considering purchasing a '19 GT. How does the AWD handle snowy/icy roads? Living in Wisconsin I need something that doesn't slide around.
My current 2005 Explorer Sport is fantastic. My husband's 2003 Envoy was garbage and his 2016 Equinox isn't much better.
Thanks everyone!

 

[norsairius]

The CX-9 itself is good in the winter and on snowy roads. However, the tires on the car can make a big difference. It's no secret that I despise the Bridgestone Ecopia tires that came on my 2018 CX-9 GT, so if Mazda is still putting those on the CX-9, be aware that those are not good tires in snow and ice. Reviews at Tire Rack agree: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire... AWD&autoModClar=Grand Touring#RatingsReviews

Others here have had better luck with them and I believe they should chime in to provide a more balanced view, but I felt that they made driving in the snow and ice a chore and even unsafe. I've driven through several Wisconsin and Minnesota winters with other cars and other all season tires and the Bridgestone Ecopias were by far the worst.

That said, the CX-9 itself is a wonderful vehicle and definitely a good driver's pick for a 3-row SUV. I've since replaced the tires on mine and I believe I'll have a much better winter this year. Default tire choice notwithstanding, I'd highly recommend the CX-9.

 

[azuzu]

I'm from Wisconsin, too. We bought ours this past February so we got to test it out in snow and ice, we even drove it to Minnesota through a storm.

The stock tires on my 2019 are Falken Ziex. Not the best tires, but it performed decently this past winter. Once these wear out I will be switching them to other brands.

 

[sm1ke]

The CX-9 itself is good in the winter and on snowy roads. However, the tires on the car can make a big difference. It's no secret that I despise the Bridgestone Ecopia tires that came on my 2018 CX-9 GT, so if Mazda is still putting those on the CX-9, be aware that those are not good tires in snow and ice. Reviews at Tire Rack agree: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire... AWD&autoModClar=Grand Touring#RatingsReviews

Others here have had better luck with them and I believe they should chime in to provide a more balanced view, but I felt that they made driving in the snow and ice a chore and even unsafe. I've driven through several Wisconsin and Minnesota winters with other cars and other all season tires and the Bridgestone Ecopias were by far the worst.

That said, the CX-9 itself is a wonderful vehicle and definitely a good driver's pick for a 3-row SUV. I've since replaced the tires on mine and I believe I'll have a much better winter this year. Default tire choice notwithstanding, I'd highly recommend the CX-9.

Agree with norsairus. I had Ecopias on my 2018, and after adjusting them to the correct psi, they were ok for the Calgary winter at the beginning of 2018. That said, they were indeed the worst tires I've used in the snow, so I wouldn't recommend them unless you absolutely can't afford to change tires. I had no issues getting around, and never got stuck once, but it was highly dependent on me, as a driver, being aware of the tires' limitations at all times.

I now have Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2s, and they're much better in the winter. Driving to work this morning was a breeze.

 

[danmm7]

The AWD system on the CX-9 is very basic and very much FWD based. It gets the job done, but it's nothing impressive. If you do not have good snow tires, you will not be happy.
My 2017 CX-9 with the OEM Falken A/S tires, first winter in the snow, was a joke. Audi Q5s and RAV4s were climbing steep hills and i was spinning my wheels at the bottom....unless i was very very careful. Barely made it up the icy hills. It felt like i was driving a FWD car with bad tires. Yes, that bad. Maybe because my last car was Audi S4 Quattro with Blizzaks....the contrast with the CX-9 was huge. I was ready to sell the Mazda after few months of ownership.

The following year, i put a set of nice Nokian Hakkapeliitta snow tires and the CX-9 is doing perfectly fine in snow or ice. No drama. No issues. No slipping or wheel spinning.
It's not a Land Cruiser for sure, but 98% of the people don't need the capability of a Land Cruiser. I am keeping the CX-9 with the Nokians!

 

[tekbiz]

The AWD system on the CX-9 is very basic and very much FWD based. It gets the job done, but it's nothing impressive. If you do not have good snow tires, you will not be happy.
My 2017 CX-9 with the OEM Falken A/S tires, first winter in the snow, was a joke. Audi Q5s and RAV4s were climbing steep hills and i was spinning my wheels at the bottom....unless i was very very careful. Barely made it up the icy hills. It felt like i was driving a FWD car with bad tires. Yes, that bad. Maybe because my last car was Audi S4 Quattro with Blizzaks....the contrast with the CX-9 was huge. I was ready to sell the Mazda after few months of ownership.

The following year, i put a set of nice Nokian Hakkapeliitta snow tires and the CX-9 is doing perfectly fine in snow or ice. No drama. No issues. No slipping or wheel spinning.
It's not a Land Cruiser for sure, but 98% of the people don't need the capability of a Land Cruiser. I am keeping the CX-9 with the Nokians!

Agree...Falken OEMs were a joke on snow/ice as within 8mos of ownership I changed over to Nokian WRG3 all weather tires! While not dedicated winter tires at least they performed better than the all seasons and would blow past vehicles from stop lights (with all seasons) due to the AWD and better grip. So far 2 yrs now on my Nokian WRG3 SUV tires and still with good treads (treadwear is good so far). Only reason I went with all weathers was I did not want the tire switchover, added cost and storage issue every 6 months.

 

[PTguy]

My current 2005 Explorer Sport is fantastic. My husband's 2003 Envoy was garbage and his 2016 Equinox isn't much better.

Was that with so-called All Season tires? As noted above the different brands and models snow & ice performance varies widely. Don't blame the car if the shoes are slippery.

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V2...(yes)
Michelin X-ice Xi-2...(yes)
The cheapest real snow tires over the best all-seasons...

I'm very satisfied with the CX9 and Blizzaks in the mountains of B.C, Montana, Idaho, and Washington on ski trips. The Coquihalla Pass in a blizzard...I was just able to see the road and the car was steady and stable. Other cars were in the snow banks.