stockae92

A friend of mind is thinking about getting a Mazda CX-9 as a 7 seater with AWD.

Any owner experience?

I don't know too much about 7 seaters, i basically throw in ford flex, subaru tribeca into the equation.

wickerbill

Pilot can technically seat 8. That's what we ended up with for my wife. We test drove the CX-9 and liked it but the ride was harsh compared to the pilot and my wife liked the pilot better. I don't give a crap for something that big to try and be "sporty" when it just ends up making it less comfortable.

zachismisitok

Only car I can speak for is the tribeca. Parents have one and I/we like it a lot. Its firm, but comfortable. Love the interiors. Decent pick up. I think the mileage is average, but I doubt that's a selling point for any of the listed.

OH FO SHO

IMO just get a minivan, nobody is fooled, and it does everything better.

Penforhire

I shopped the CX-9 class and decided on the Chevy Traverse. So at least suggest he consider the Traverse/Enclave/Acadia. I still really like mine.

hyperpm

CX9: In law and coworker owns CX9. Easy to drive and pretty comfortable but 3rd row somewhat tight. Steering feels too light imo and jittery which I didn't like for an SUV. Always get rated better than Highlander and Pilot from performance standpoint. Gas mileage not so great. Interior quality very good.

Tribeca: Had one and I should've researched more before purchasing. Drove and handled great. Also pretty solid but not that roomy width wise. Gas mileage isn't bad for it's class but range is really horrible. Less than 300 miles a tank since gas tank is really small. Engine starts to struggle once you add more people and/or cargo. Transmission made engine feel weak as it transitioned between gears slow. Interior quality very good.

09 Pilot: Roomy and comfortable 8 seater. Average from performance standpoint compared to CX9 but didn't buy it for performance. Avg 22 mpg for my commutes. Can run on 3-4 cyclinders most of time. Engine torquey and strong for it's weight. Transmission doesn't lag like the Tribecas. Steering slightly heavy but I like it that way. Very stable on turns and sweepers and stays flat which is surprising. Great freeway ride and use it on long trips all the time without getting tired. Solid build. Interior quality could be better.

sentravq

bought mines in 08 and have 35K miles and not one prob. drives like a car and is good in the rain/snow/ice just get better tires. Car is decently fast considering its a suv. Overall its a good comfortable family car.

WLAURENT

I just traded in my 2008 Pilot EX-L for a 2011 CX-9 Touring with the Technology package and some other upgrades.

Likes:

Interior is top notch - two tone leather accents, excellent lay-out of controls, power/heated front seats, fit and finish on par with the lux brands. Will have to see how the leather wears over time, but based on some other Mazda owner info (Miata/MX-5) - guessing it will weather better than most Honda leather.

Ride/Power - I actually thought the Pilot was to soft and mushy, with lots of body roll in highway cornering. The added power in the CX-9 is noticeable and it drives very smooth on both rough roads and at highway speeds

Technology - Bose system sounds amazing and it does bluetooth phone/audio to my BB and pretty much any bluetooth enabled phone or MP3 player. Even pulls the album and song info. On the Pilot you have to get the NAV package to even get the bluetooth phone option (add $3k to the purchase price). Power lift gate is usefull and the proximity key fobs are sweet - walk up to the car and press the little button on the door handle and it unlocks, hop in and start the car (key still in the pocket). Large back-up camera screen in the dash vs. a small one in the mirror.

Price/deal - considerably lower price than a comperably equipped anything else.


Dislikes:

Length - 1 foot longer than the Pilot. Was initially concerned that it would be to tight in the garage - Mazda sales chick drove one 45 miles to my house so I could verify fit was not going to be an option.

Front end styling - The car could easily be shortened 1 foot by eliminating the overly curving bulging front end design. Also find the huge Mazda emblem annoying - it will either grow on me or it will be personalized. That being said - I find the rear styling to be gorgeous when compared to the Pilot.


I have owned two Pilots (04/08) and really like them. I was intent on going with a 2011 Pilot but decided to check out the other options. I think my second and third choice would have actually been the new Grand Cherokee or the new Explorer. Would have probably went with one of those two options if the dealerships would have been willing to negotiate on the price. Both offered nothing better than list price - the Ford Stealerships were actually wanting to add a Market Price Increase on the new Explorers (being that they are just now hitting the lots).

Saki GT

I like the way they look, never drove one. I also like the Tribeca, and thought it drove great and was very comfy from the front seats, but early years took premium fuel and had worse mpg than later years, so take that for what its worth.

I've also driven the GMC Acadia, and that was a nice driving people mover - big cargo, nice new interior. Might be worth a look...

alexh

We have owned a 2011 for about 6 months. The steering is actually quite good, feels light at first but you get used to it. The Pilot feels about 2-3 years outdated compared to the Mazda. It's not on par with a loaded Acadia/Traverse/etc. but you don't get GM baggage and the price is around 10k less comparing loaded to loaded.