We are in the market for a new car. The old SUV we bought back in 2000 is just not holding up well these days. That’s why I was excited to be offered the chance to test drive for a week, the Mazda CX-9 7-Passenger Crossover.
I can say right away that after driving the CX-9 for a week, it’s now at the top of our list for when we go car shopping.
It’s a fantastic vehicle that is easy to handle, spacious, with lots of storage, a folding 3rd row, and many other wonderful features.
Here’s a video I made to give you a feel for what the CX-9 has to offer:
As I mentioned in the video the third row folds flat.
With a simple pull of a strap you can have the seats laying flat and a spacious trunk or give the same strap a tug and the third row pops right into place.
You can even split the seats:
It’s so simple I had to take a video to show you how it works:
Did you notice I did that all one handed? It still amazes me that it’s so easy to do.
To give you a good idea just how much the trunk can hold I had the perfect opportunity to pack it full the other day. I had a mom to mom sale recently where I gathered up all of Kora & Logan’s outgrown clothes and toys and sold them to other moms. It was like a giant garage sale in a gym. I packed the CX-9 for the sale and was impressed to see I still had room to spare.
I was also happy to see that when the third row is up there is space for foot room for those sitting there. Some vehicles I’ve driven don’t have this. They have a third row but then the floor of the vehicle is even with the bottom of the seat so the only people that could sit there would be children. Having this extra space makes it more comfortable for older children and even adults.
Another feature that I like is that the second row is adjustable. Each seat can slide forward or backward individually.
This is nice because it offer more space for those getting out of the third row. I also think it would be a wonderful feature for those with younger children. You could slide the seat up a bit so that they are closer to the front. This way the person in the passenger seat (or the driver’s if parked) could easily reach them when they need help with something.
Also how cool is this center armrest in the second row?
It’s so much more than a center armrest! With nice cup holders and a space for snacks, lunch, books, games, tablets, and more. This is very helpful to anyone sitting in these seats.
We also appreciated the rear climate controls. Often Kora & Logan are much hotter than me and they always want me to turn the heat off when I’m freezing, or they want the air on when I’m cold. Now they can be just as comfortable in the back as we are in the front.
Moving up to the front of the CX-9 I also like the keyless start. It keeps things simple and I love being able to put the keys in my pocket or purse and start it up or turn it off.
I also like the amount of storage as well and how stylish they look hidden away. Here’s the center console in the front seat. It looks sleek and smooth all closed up.
When it’s open it offers a impressive amount of storage and even a USB cord to charge your phone or other devices as well. So handy!
My favorite feature in the front of the car is the touchscreen display.
You can see me run through all of the options in the video above but I have to point out here that it connects to Pandora through your phone and you can thumbs songs up or down, skip songs, and scroll through your favorite stations all right from the touch screen. I thought this was so amazing!
I also like the navigational system too. You can type in your destination and get routes, you can use the 3D view, and you can even set your favorite places, or check traffic between work and home.
We’ve really enjoyed our time with the Mazda CX-9 7-Passenger Crossover and will be sad to see it go. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new vehicle. The easy folding third row makes it the perfect family crossover and one that we would love to own one day.
I own a mazda 3 and love it, and the last few cars I have owned have been mazdas… loved reading your review… I am not in the market for a family car with just me, hubby & my daughter but I have to admit I am a bit envious of all the great features of this vehicle, esp. the roomy space!
I love how these new vehicles have so much integrated storage. A 3 row seating option is nice for hauling around cousins and friends. I like that the seats in the back can slide also, nice feature. Seems like an excellent vehicle for a family road trip!
We’re in the market too, Tesa. How’s the gas mielage on this? We have great gas savers right now but looking for something larger for the fam and now it will eat into our budget when it comes to the fuel up bills every month :)
Pl forgive the typos. Coffee is yet to kick in! ;)
My girlfriend and I want one of these so bad! We’re about half way to getting one. Thanks for the post!
Looks like a really nice vehicle. I love all of the storage and the third row seating. Great review!
It looks like a great vehicle! Thanks for sharing.
This looks like an awesome vehicle and i might add, what a beautiful picture of you. The navigational system is surely what I’d need. I get lost so easily.
This car looks so nice! I love all the features. Thank you for the review!
Very sharp looking & roomy too- nice review!
I really like the way the space can be customized depending on the need of that particular trip!
I would like one of these even though I said I wanted a smaller vehicle!
Ok I swore I would never get a “big” vehicle again – I am more of a sporty 2 door kind of gal – but THAT thing is gorgeous!
What a lovely little car! i love it :)
Oh, I could definitely use the back space!
I like all the space. When I have carpool, we need lots of room to cart all the kids and their gear. Thanks for the review.
That looks like a comfy car! Love how roomy it is, and the folding third seat would come in really handy during skiing season.
I am in the market for an SUV as well, but crossover vehicles are beginning to look very nice too! I love the amount of space in the back!
Wow, it is so spacious, and what great features! Nice opportunity. ;)
Things I love from your review: heater coming through the front console to the back (no more freezing kids!); single-handed operation; and roominess. Not yet a fan of those keyless starter thingies yet – I had a bad experience with a rental that had it – could not figure how the darn thing actually started (I could hear the rental agent saying under his breath: “duh, you press the brake, moron”)!. I guess the newfangled doo-dads aren’t for me yet!
How nice! So roomy!
I’ve been wanting a truck to haul my miscellany around in but wow …this looks like it has tons of room in it!
I would love the folding 3rd row!!
i love all the room it has in the trunk and the way u can make more by folding down the back row.
wow LOVE it.. i need a third row bad…
I would absolutely love a third row. LOVE.
i love the interior of this crossover. It def has all the latest features
I owned the CX-7 and loved it! I sold it because we no longer needed a second car.
Very thorough review. Love the photos for helping define the features.
This is such a nice car! It has a lot more room then you would think. I also like all the techy features. Love the folding row seats.
wow theres soo much room!!! hubs just bought a truck and next year ill be in the market for a family car.
Folding rows are awesome!! I have a Pacifica and love that I can fold down my 3rd row for storage, grocery shopping and traveling. It’s the favorite feature of my car. This Mazda looks awesome.
Nice looking car, we have a Mazda Minivan and love it and are looking at a SUV. We will have to check this car out. I like the keyless start option. I haven’t seen any cars with that option.
We have a cx-9 and I looooooooove it. It has held its value really well also. I definitely recommend it!
Looks like an awesome vehicle!! May keep this one in mind next time around.