Trade my minivan for CX-9?

[matt9072]

Got a 39k offer for my 2019 ody elite minivan and considering 2021 cx9 touring with premium package(?) for 37.9 it’s got 9k miles (used by dealership as loaner) so I get some $ back in the trade...

What will I miss? I got 2 teenagers, no pets only occasional long-ish road trips I got a hitch mount bike rack we don’t go antiquing much... but I’ve grown to love the v6 growl of the van and hgwy passing. 0 to 60 in 6.5 s and the 10 speed tranny is a delight...

But it’s a lumbering living room on wheels just the same, and I liked the cx9 after test driving in city roads and seems better suited to the 90-95% of driving that I do.. it’s that last 5 to 10% that has me thinking hard: it’s nice to be able to roll in 2 adult bikes in the van, ocassional lumber/plywood yet I can prolly get a small trailer for that very seldom need. So this probably not a big deal..

The only other thing I think about is highway passing and stuff. In my 280hp Ody it feels effortless ( and fun) to pass at 60 or 70 even fully loaded and in fact it seems to be the sweet spot of the power curve . By comparison, I wonder if the 4cyl 227/250 hp cx9 would would protest against at my high speed lead foot leanings..even so, I don’t do a whole lot of highway driving.

Any comment on highway power/performance?

 

[Silly Wabbit]

I think you've answered your own question. You got the minivan in the first place for a reason and you obviously praise the ody quite highly. Just ask yourself if the driving dynamics really THAT important to switch to a completely new vehicle.

 

[sm1ke]

Personally, I haven't driven many other new cars with a 10 speed, let alone any Odyssey. Both cars are the same weight, but the CX-9 has a slightly shorter wheelbase. I suspect that the difference in HP and gearing from the 10-speed would be noticeable going to a 4-cylinder turbo 6-speed. You also lose 2 highway mpg with the CX-9, and you'd have to fuel it with a higher grade of gasoline in order to get the 250hp, while the Odyssey gets 280 hp on regular fuel. If you fuel the CX-9 with regular, the engine tends to run out of steam above 4k rpm.

I have had my 2018 CX-9 on the highway for a few 12-hour road trips (one with a full load of 800lbs of cargo and my wife and 1 year old in the back), and I would say that it is a pretty great highway cruiser. The cabin is well damped, and power was there when I needed it (passing at speeds of 110-130 km/h), using Shell 91 fuel. I'd take the CX-9 on a highway test drive before you make your decision. I spend way more time driving around the city than I do on the highway, so I'd take the CX-9, personally.

 

[jefferson88]

This is not a direct comparison so it may only be of limited use.

I have a CX-5 (non-turbo) which is just a fantastic little CUV, but it's my partner's daily driver.
When the time came for me to purchase a car for myself in 2019, my top two choices were the 2017 Acura MDX and the 2017 CX-9.
The MDX has the same 3.5 V6 as your Ody, though a slightly clunkier 9-speed tranny compared to the excellent Honda 10-speed you have. Regardless, the performance is very similar.

The CX-9 is a wonderful car, and the interior looks and feels more luxurious compared to the Acura (in my opinion). The MDX, despite being shorter than the CX-9, feels larger on the inside. The roof is a bit taller and the rear glass is more upright, making the cargo space more useable, but still not nearly as useable as the Ody.

The turbo four cylinder in the CX-9 performs marvelously, especially in the city when pulling away from stops. The engine's peak torque happens at low revs making the car pull away almost effortlessly. Around town it feels much quicker than it is, and even quicker than my MDX (because the V6 is naturally aspirated, it doesn't make much torque until higher in the rev band) Also, I find the Mazda's brakes to be better because they're firmer and easier to modulate. My Acura's brakes are overly assisted and numb, but hey it's not a sports car.

I don't think the CX-9 is underpowered, but at highway speeds and passing I felt the Honda V6 was more powerful, even when the CX-9 was run with premium fuel. Perhaps that's because the Honda transmission has more gears to choose from and is quick to downshift.
In my experience, the V6 is very economical (80mph and the engine turns at 1900 RPM, I average 27mpg on my commute) and sounds better when the pedal hits the floor. Considering my commute is 95% highway (45 miles), and the slight gain in interior space, I chose the MDX. (Plus it's so similar to the CX-5 I didn't feel the need to have 2 of the same car).

Space and cargo hauling capability is a nice luxury, but only you can tell how much of that Odyssey's space you really make use of on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. Keep in mind that you can rent pickup trucks from hardware stores for ~$20/hour for those times when you need to haul something larger than your car can hold.

If you really want to ditch the van's driving dynamics for something more carlike, nothing beats a sports sedan with a low center of gravity. As fun as the MDX/CX-9/CX-5 are to drive for an SUV, they're still not the ideal choice for carving corners in the canyon.
If you live in an area where Turo is popular, I highly recommend renting a CX-9 for an extended test-drive for a day or two to see how it is to live with, refuel, park in your garage, make phone calls with the bluetooth, use AA/CP, use the Nav, etc.

In summary:
Trading the Ody for a CX-9
Pros:
- better around-town driving experience with accessible torque
- better driving dynamics
- better brake feel (subjective)
- more luxurious interior (subjective)
- looks amazing (subjective)
- no minivan stigma (subjective)
- better suited to 90% of the driving you do
Cons:
- less space on interior, fewer seats, and less useable 3rd row
- less power, even when run on premium fuel
- 4 cylinder sound (subjective)
- no active lane centering like Honda's (still has lane keeping, but it just nudges the wheel slightly) (subjective)
- worse visibility / blind spots with small side windows

 

[matt9072]

good point. I just bought my wife a turbopowered 2021Alfa Romeo Giulia for her daily commuter. We 4 piled in, successfully, for a day trip an hour away last weekend for the 1st time to break her in, and in the process I learned 2 things: 1) that maybe we don’t need a minivan after all and 2) the joy of driving sporty cars.. both leading me to now question why I bought a minivan last February in the first place; that replaced the one I drove for 10 years, which in turn replaced the one I drove for 5 before that.

”Inertia” is probably not a sound basis for vehicle decision making, and that’s basically what it boiled down to. The crazy used car market now affords a unique and unexpected opportunity for revisiting the matter.

 

[matt9072]

This is not a direct comparison so it may only be of limited use.

I have a CX-5 (non-turbo) which is just a fantastic little CUV, but it's my partner's daily driver.
When the time came for me to purchase a car for myself in 2019, my top two choices were the 2017 Acura MDX and the 2017 CX-9.
The MDX has the same 3.5 V6 as your Ody, though a slightly clunkier 9-speed tranny compared to the excellent Honda 10-speed you have. Regardless, the performance is very similar.

The CX-9 is a wonderful car, and the interior looks and feels more luxurious compared to the Acura (in my opinion). The MDX, despite being shorter than the CX-9, feels larger on the inside. The roof is a bit taller and the rear glass is more upright, making the cargo space more useable, but still not nearly as useable as the Ody.

The turbo four cylinder in the CX-9 performs marvelously, especially in the city when pulling away from stops. The engine's peak torque happens at low revs making the car pull away almost effortlessly. Around town it feels much quicker than it is, and even quicker than my MDX (because the V6 is naturally aspirated, it doesn't make much torque until higher in the rev band) Also, I find the Mazda's brakes to be better because they're firmer and easier to modulate. My Acura's brakes are overly assisted and numb, but hey it's not a sports car.

I don't think the CX-9 is underpowered, but at highway speeds and passing I felt the Honda V6 was more powerful, even when the CX-9 was run with premium fuel. Perhaps that's because the Honda transmission has more gears to choose from and is quick to downshift.
In my experience, the V6 is very economical (80mph and the engine turns at 1900 RPM, I average 27mpg on my commute) and sounds better when the pedal hits the floor. Considering my commute is 95% highway (45 miles), and the slight gain in interior space, I chose the MDX. (Plus it's so similar to the CX-5 I didn't feel the need to have 2 of the same car).

Space and cargo hauling capability is a nice luxury, but only you can tell how much of that Odyssey's space you really make use of on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. Keep in mind that you can rent pickup trucks from hardware stores for ~$20/hour for those times when you need to haul something larger than your car can hold.

If you really want to ditch the van's driving dynamics for something more carlike, nothing beats a sports sedan with a low center of gravity. As fun as the MDX/CX-9/CX-5 are to drive for an SUV, they're still not the ideal choice for carving corners in the canyon.
If you live in an area where Turo is popular, I highly recommend renting a CX-9 for an extended test-drive for a day or two to see how it is to live with, refuel, park in your garage, make phone calls with the bluetooth, use AA/CP, use the Nav, etc.

In summary:
Trading the Ody for a CX-9
Pros:
- better around-town driving experience with accessible torque
- better driving dynamics
- better brake feel (subjective)
- more luxurious interior (subjective)
- looks amazing (subjective)
- no minivan stigma (subjective)
- better suited to 90% of the driving you do
Cons:
- less space on interior, fewer seats, and less useable 3rd row
- less power, even when run on premium fuel
- 4 cylinder sound (subjective)
- no active lane centering like Honda's (still has lane keeping, but it just nudges the wheel slightly) (subjective)
- worse visibility / blind spots with small side windows

Thanks for the excellent analysis...yea Honda’s really got a lock on that v6 it’s a sweetheart on the highway which is one of the reasons why such a difficult decision... like u mention I noticed the cx9 power come in at lower rpms, even lower than my wife’s AR which is perfect for banging around on around town.. I prolly outta try to rent/borrow one like you suggest. all about trade offs in the end.

 

[matt9072]

Personally, I haven't driven many other new cars with a 10 speed, let alone any Odyssey. Both cars are the same weight, but the CX-9 has a slightly shorter wheelbase. I suspect that the difference in HP and gearing from the 10-speed would be noticeable going to a 4-cylinder turbo 6-speed. You also lose 2 highway mpg with the CX-9, and you'd have to fuel it with a higher grade of gasoline in order to get the 250hp, while the Odyssey gets 280 hp on regular fuel. If you fuel the CX-9 with regular, the engine tends to run out of steam above 4k rpm.

I have had my 2018 CX-9 on the highway for a few 12-hour road trips (one with a full load of 800lbs of cargo and my wife and 1 year old in the back), and I would say that it is a pretty great highway cruiser. The cabin is well damped, and power was there when I needed it (passing at speeds of 110-130 km/h), using Shell 91 fuel. I'd take the CX-9 on a highway test drive before you make your decision. I spend way more time driving around the city than I do on the highway, so I'd take the CX-9, personally.

Thanks sm1ke...I also noticed the slight length difference on paper; my odyssey’s 205 in vs ~200 for the cx9. And yet the cx9 “felt” smaller than that whilst driving it.. I wasn’t It turned off by it’s rear viz - once the agent turned down the 3rd row headrest - as I thought I might be. The fwd cx9 appears comparable in hgy mpg to the ody, so was leaning that direction. guess I Need to get this on a highway I’m curious where the rpms are at 70mph

 

[Mazdiod2]

What is the difference in curb weight?

 

[gphin]

Thanks sm1ke...I also noticed the slight length difference on paper; my odyssey’s 205 in vs ~200 for the cx9. And yet the cx9 “felt” smaller than that whilst driving it.. I wasn’t It turned off by it’s rear viz - once the agent turned down the 3rd row headrest - as I thought I might be. The fwd cx9 appears comparable in hgy mpg to the ody, so was leaning that direction. guess I Need to get this on a highway I’m curious where the rpms are at 70mph

I recently bought a 2020 Signature with 2300 miles on it. Was used by the dealer GMs wife and never titled. I probably paid too much, but like you, got way more than I expected for our trade in, so the overall deal was good. At 70mph, I'm doing 2250 rpm and at 80, 2500. Vehicle rides quiet but could probably use another two gears if used for a lot of highway cruising. My 2019 BMW X3 is only doing 2000 rpm at 80 with its 8 speed. The CX9 obviously doesn't have doesn't have my X3 twin turbo power at higher rpms but using the sport mode or going into manual shift mode, the power is fine for 95% of my needs (no need to pass semis on two lane roads) FYI, a few months back we rented a 2019 Odyssey, through Turo, for a weekend trip where we needed to have four adults and two bikes inside the vehicle. It was great for that particular purpose and we were impressed with the ride quality, but I feel its a night and day driving experience between the two vehicles, besides the obvious interior fit and finish differences. We have the White Pearl with Chestnut interior with white piping and have got many compliments already. Based on your previous comments it sounds to me like you would appreciate the CX9 as your daily. and for those occasions where you need more space, rent a minivan like we did. Good luck with the decision.
edit: Should probably add that I spend the extra 30 cents per gallon difference for 93 octane to maximize performance

 

[sm1ke]

What is the difference in curb weight?

Looks like I was comparing the wrong Odyssey trim earlier. Comparing the 2019 Odyssey Touring to a 2021 CX-9 GT AWD, the weight difference is about 150 lbs (Odyssey 4564 vs CX-9 4409).

If the CX-9 is in GT FWD trim, it weighs 4236 lbs, so the difference becomes 328 lbs.

 

[gregk1239]

Did you ever decide on what to do? Back in 2016 my wife went from a CX-9 to an Odyssey. She likes the sliding doors and bigger back seat for our 4 kids. This spring I traded in my Nissan Rogue and went back to a 2021 CX-9 Touring. We also have a 2021 Odyssey Touring that my wife drives. I like driving both vehicles. The CX-9 has the AWD and has more power, but the Odyssey does fine in the snow with snow tires. Personally (I'm 5'11 and 175 pounds) I'm more comfortable driving the Odyssey since it feels roomier in the driver's seat and I am able to spread out a little more. I feel like my legs are cramped in the CX-9 because of the large center console. However, that is my only complaint.

 

[matt9072]

Leaning towards keeping the van short term a year or so...Currently getting “resistance” to downsizing when wife/kids need room to stash all their stuff they don’t throw away but should, where does it all go?

Eventually I’ll pack’em all in the van, drive to the Mazda dealership, jump in the closest 2023 hybrid CX-90 and peel out quick.

Thanks for all the input guys. These forums are great.

 

[Silly Wabbit]

The new rwd platform will be interesting.