by
F
or the record and to be 100%
clear, I do like the Mazda CX-9—in
spite of an incident with a 2015
model at the end of the Automobile
Journalists Association of Canada’s
(AJAC) Canadian Car of the Year event
late last year. Arms laden, I stumbled
down a couple of stairs and headed
headlong into the rear door of a notas-yet-broken-in model and just before
impact, dropped my right shoulder and
hit the Mazda’s fifth door like the former
rugby prop forward I was once, resulting
in a very large dent, embarrassment,
some bruising and pain—as well as
abject apologies to the manufacturer.
The CX-9 has a definite place in my
heart while Mazda representatives tend
to guide me away from zoom-zoom for
fear of boom-boom.
I digress.
the choice of materials that stand out.
For example, rich, supple Auburn Nappa
leather is paired with genuine Japanese
rosewood and aluminum accents to craft
a cabin that feels far more expensive
than you might ordinarily expect from
Mazda.
On the exterior, Mazda presented this
new vehicle in a “machine grey” colour—
not the seemingly ubiquitous Mazda red.
Like every other vehicle in the Mazda
line up, the CX-9 now proudly wears the
stylings of the company’s Kodo—Soul
of Motion design language. Generally,
opportunity to open and close doors,
test the upholstery or poke around
under the hood. Even though we
promised not to interfere, we could only
surmise so much.
Mazda executives on and around the
stage were positively effusive about
the new heart and soul of the CX-9, a
new 2.5-litre, turbocharged SKYACTIV
engine. This power plant is the result
of studies and focus groups with
proud CX-9 owners who were asked
to provide comprehensive details of
how they used and drove their chariot
of choice every day. We
were advised this new
engine only produces a
modest 250 horsepower.
That figure, however
is complemented by
a whopping 310 lb.-ft.
of torque. This new
powertrain brings a 20
per cent improvement in
overall fuel economy over the previous
SUV, due, in part due to a reduction in
curb weight of 100 kilograms and the
fact that the smaller engine (in MY16, it
was a 3.7L V6) with a cooled exhaust
gas recirculation system which reduces
the requirement for fuel enrichment.
The SKYACTIV engine is mated to a
six-speed automatic transmission and
this new vehicle is also equipped with
the very same i-Activ predictive allwheel drive system found in th HX^