Stand Out

Admittedly, SUVS have never really been “driver’s cars”, but every now
and then, there’s deviant, a rouge that goes beyond the usual nine –to-
five routine to play party animal during off hours. The Mazda CX-9 is
one of them. Mazda has always said that this SUV has a soul of sports
car build into it. It’s marketing hype come true. The CX-9 drives
like a proper Mazda, not some sloppy, lumbering people moreover.
Safety is always a major concern when buying a new family car and the
CX-9 has you covered. All modern safety auto parts features are included as
standard equipment, including: 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS, Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC) with Roll Stability Control™, front seat side
airbags and curtain airbags for all three rows of passengers. Look at
the inner workings and you see the effort Mazda exerts to make that
so. Rubber-isolated cross members support both ends, reducing noise,
vibration and harshness levels. Adhesives were used to maximize the
unibody’s structural stiffness. Body motion is kept in check by stout
anti-roll bars and dampers. The long wheelbase helps deliver a stable
ride and the unique twenty-inch wheels produce crisp steering
feedback. Just a few minutes of spirited driving are all you need to
forgive some thumping over bumps. The six-speed manu-matic is so
silky smooth, you hardly feel any of the shifting, but all 237 horses
of the Ford supplied 3.7-liter V-6. Complimenting the great drive
dynamics is the CX-9’s aerodynamic exterior design. It drives like a
sports sedan, but it doesn’t forget its SUV responsibilities. The
second row, 60/40-split bench seat slides back five inches and
reclines, adding some versatility for those with longer legs. A
single release lever a low access into the third-row, 50/50 –split
bench seats, which can easily be raised or lowered completely flat
with a simple quick release strap from the rear.