Mazda CX-9 2013Change

The good: styling, interior comfort and easy to use controls, AWD will plow through just about anything.
The bad: fuel economy, noisy Ford sourced V6, harsh ride, plenty of squeaks and rattles. In the winter the hatch develops an annoying rattle below 0 degrees C. The interior is also developing rattles after only 30k kms and < 1.5 years. The HVAC fan is starting to get noisy. The back hatch developed rust around the license plate holes after 6 months - this was covered under warranty and repainted. There is a known problem with leaks in the AWD system, to which Mazda extended the warranty on this component to 7 years.

A wonderfully stylish SUV. The drive is smooth and the cabin looks sharp. I had a navigation system installed and love that feature. The third row seating is surprisingly equipped with ample space. Lots of room for cargo when the 3rd row seating is down. Negatives...gas mileage is not great but it is a large SUV and I wish the liftgate was a powered one. I believe it is in the 2014 GS model.

Drives smooth, the auto shifts quick, easy and quietly. Hugs the road curves beautifully. Never feels out of control. The AWD has saved my bacon twice already once at the boat launch and today in the snow when I slipped off a curb.

I would love better gas use... but given its larger size the fuel economy is still about as good as the competition.

All in all I'm still very happy with my choice. I had considered the 2013 Nissan Path Finder and the GMC Acadia but Path Finder reported two many trans problems for 2013 and Acadia was too expensive to get same equipment(options).