Refreshed Mazda CX-9 Doesn't Need to Change Third Row

The truth in numbers is hard to dispute. Not one interior dimension has changed between the “old” 2012 CX-9 and the “new” 2013 CX-9 and that includes the third row. Third-row dimensions are far roomier in the slightly longer Chevy Traverse and even the significantly shorter Honda Pilot. You can compare all four here.

But my family found the CX-9’s third row to be flexible enough to make up for the shortness of space.

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After driving the 2013 CX-9 for more than a week with my three children in tow, we found the third row usable and sufficient for those who would actually use it — kids. I wouldn’t attempt to have my 70-year-old mom or my 6-foot-2 husband try to make their way back there, but for any of my daughters — ages 8, 10 and 12 — it worked quite well.

The levers that fold the second row’s 60/40-split seatbacks and slides the seat forward didn’t take much time for my 10-year-old to figure out how to operate. The larger 60 portion of the second row was a little heavy for her to slide, but even so, she managed in short order. What she had trouble with was pulling the seatback into place once she was in the third row. It lacked grab handles angled for use by third- row passengers.

With the second-row seats pushed all the way back, there’s really no legroom for third-row passengers, and the low seats require passengers’ knees to be a bit raised, but slide the second row all the way forward and the kids have enough room to stretch out their legs. Of course, most families will chose to position the second row somewhere in the middle, or if you’re only using the third row for carpooling, this gives your children maximum room when their friends aren’t around.

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