Driving Impressions

Mazda's place in the Ford Motor Company family (of which Mazda is part) is to provide the sporty vehicles, those with zoom, zoom as Mazda likes to say. That's easy to do with a two-seater like the MX-5 roadster, but it becomes a challenge with a seven-passenger vehicle that weighs almost 4,500 pounds in its all-wheel-drive version. It is a challenge that the Mazda engineers met quite nicely, based on the Touring models I drove, one with front-wheel drive and the other with all-wheel drive. One thing fussy drivers might notice is a difference in the steering between the front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive model had a feel that could be called rubbery, that weakened the connection between the vehicle and the driver. The steering on the front-wheel-drive model was much better. The CX-9's chief engineer acknowledged the steering is tuned a bit different on the all-wheel-drive and front-wheel-drive versions. The CX-9 is surprisingly fun to drive for a large vehicle with so much weight up front. That is no small accomplishment for such a large, practical package. The price for the responsive handling, however, is a relatively stiff ride on anything but a smooth surface. The passengers will just have to suffer quietly while Mom or Dad has fun at the wheel. Meanwhile, the CX-9 felt strong and tight on rough roads, refusing to quiver even when striking potholes. Moving that kind of weight along is the job of the 263-hp 3.5-liter V6, which works with a six-speed automatic. Having six gears and a relatively large V6 engine results in decent acceleration in almost any driving situation. For the driver who wants to be a bit more involved, on mountain roads, for example, the transmission shift lever can be moved to one side, which then allows the driver to manually shift gears by tapping the lever. It is a system that works well with the computer doing a good job of blending the upshifts and downshifts to avoid any jerks or stumbles. One nice feature is that Mazda says the 3.5 liter V6 needs only 87-octane fuel. The all-wheel-drive model sends most of the power to the front wheels in normal driving. But Mazda says under hard acceleration, or if the front wheels begin to slip, as much as 50 percent of that power can be sent to the rear wheels. It is an automatic system and does not require the driver to do anything. One annoying downside for the front-wheel-drive model is what is called torque steer. Triggered by pushing hard on the gas pedal this is a tugging at the front wheels as they scramble for traction. This requires the driver to make minor steering corrections to keep the CX-9 going straight. Torque steer not a danger but it is a disappointment. Torque steer is not a problem in the all-wheel drive model because some of the power is being sent to the rear tires reducing the demand on the front tires. The CX-9 has anti-lock brakes to help in an emergency. The brake pedal felt slightly soft initially but overall was reassuring and it was easy to trim a little or a lot of speed.

Final Word

It is tough for one vehicle to be everything to everybody. It just isn't going to happen. But the Mazda CX-9 is an impressively well-rounded package offering practicality, good standard safety equipment, style and sporting road manners, at the price of a stiff ride. Christopher Jensen filed this report to NewCarTestDrive.com from his home base in New England.