2016 Mazda CX-9: First Impressions
For a large three-row SUV, the redesigned 2016 CX-9 looks surprisingly trim with taut exterior styling. Mazda’s trapezoidal grille is larger and more prominent, and it follows in the footsteps of the grille treatments on Audi and BMW models with its three-dimensional chrome surround. Though it doesn’t do cargo room any favors, I particularly like the raked rear roof pillars, which lend the CX-9 a sporty look.
More 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show Coverage
Mazda wasn’t letting anyone inside the CX-9 on the floor of the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, citing its preproduction status, so I was only able to look around the cabin with the doors open. At first brush, it looks good, with generous use of upscale materials. The show model is intended to showcase the upper range of available materials, so expect base production versions to be more modestly equipped.
The current CX-9 doesn’t have the roomiest third-row seat, and from the looks of the redesigned model it doesn’t appear to have gotten appreciably bigger. We’ll have a better idea once we’re able to sit in the cabin.
The full-size SUV segment has completely changed since the previous CX-9’s debut as a 2007 model, with much of the competition having been redesigned in the last few years. With its focus on sportiness as opposed to pure utility, the new CX-9 represents a different take on the large SUV concept, and it’s one that looks pretty appealing.
