2019 Mazda CX-9 vs 2020

What's the difference?

The previous CX-9 was excellent and now the new one fills in many of the gaps which were missing such as the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the safety tech standard across all grades and great ride and handling. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better large seven-seater all-rounder without stepping into the $100K prestige territory.

The Touring is the sweet spot in the CX-9 with its leather seats, 8.0-inch display and good price.

Mazda asks a lot of money here at the top of the range, but a Toyota Kluger Grande costs more and isn't anywhere near as economical, nice to drive, or to look at.

The unique blend of a turbo petrol four-cylinder and devastatingly good looks, along with the kind of driving and riding experience that puts a smile on your face, make it a winner.

There is little wrong with the CX-9 Azami but really, you get most of the truly useful stuff in the GT and, if you're less fussy, the taller-tyred Touring. But at the same time, if you do choose this variant, you won't feel like you've failed to get your money's worth.

In other words, four years after launch, the big Mazda is holding up very nicely indeed.

Nothing has changed to the exterior of the CX-9 in this 2018 update – but that's a good thing, because this is a striking and beautifully styled SUV. More a tall, sleek wagon than upright boxy SUV, there's that in-your-face grille, the long nose the set-back cabin and the hatchback rear end. The only element which irks me are the taillights – they seem a bit small for that big bottom.

All CX-9s look almost identical on the outside, but you can tell the higher grades form their larger-sized wheels and LED fog lights.

There's not much in the way of a body kit, but there is that subtle roof top spoiler, that sculpted front bumper and the little shark fin antenna.

The cabin is a premium feeling place (have a look at the images) – this is Mazda flagship after all. Materials feel soft to touch even on the dash and door sills back and front, while there's a high-quality fit and finish throughout. With big interior dimensions this is also a roomy place, despite that sloping roofline.

The Azami LE is by far the most decadent grade with its nappa leather upholstery and real wood trim. Mazda was not able to tell me what type of wood has been used and could only go as far as confirming it was real wood, however, in the United States the top-grade CX-9, known as the Signature, uses a similar looking material and officially calls it rosewood.

Mazda also told me that the adhesives and materials used in the cabin were also chosen to minimise bad smells – not from the people in it but from the leather's plastics and glues. If only all car companies would care enough to do this – some new car smells make my eyes water.

At almost 5.1 metres long, nearly 2.0m wide and getting onto 1.8m tall you'll need a pretty big garage to house the CX-9.

I still find the CX-9 strikingly pretty, four years after I first drove it. Big cars like this are hard to make attractive while also delivering on the seven-seat promise, but a clever mix of detailing, effective concealing of its true size and the simplest interpretation of Mazda's Kodo design language really delivers.

Nothing has changed for 2020 looks-wise, apart from the new 20-inch wheels, and that's quite all right by me.

The cabin is huge and, given how much glass there is to work with, unusually light for a Mazda. The materials are well thought through and the new leather on the seats is very pleasant.

There is a huge amount of space in here, obviously, but nobody got lazy in the design studio - there's nothing clunky or out of place. Even the wood surround on the centre console is acceptable, and it's probably not real wood, so that's okay. The metallic finishes keep things nice to look at and the judicious use of chrome means none of it looks cheap.

There are a stack of reasons to buy a seven-seater. You may have a big family and really need the third row, or you're just a small family that likes to pack a truck-load of gear for holidays while having a couple of extra seats just in case you're put on the spot after picking the kids up from karate and end up with more ninjas to drop home.

There are other seven-seaters where those third-row seats are just a bonus – the Santa Fe is a bit like that, but SUVs such as the CX-9, Kluger and Sorento offer much better room back there.

Even at 191cm tall I can sit in the third row comfortably, with just enough head and legroom. That said, I wouldn't want to be there for an epic road trip, but it's fine for kids and shorter adults.

Legroom in the second row is excellent – I can sit behind my driving position with about 10cm of space between my knees and the seat back – headroom isn't as generous as the Kluger or Sorento but there's still plenty, even for me.

If you're lifting babies and children into car seats you may find that coupe styling to the roofline makes the process a little harder – it did for me with our little one.

Also, this SUV is fairly high up. I've had my toddler do a face plant falling out of one while trying to climb in. Oh, don't judge me.

Entry into the third row is made easier by a 60:40 folding second row on rails. It's also good to see that the smaller foldable section is on the curb side of the car.

The CX-9's boot space with the third row down is outstanding at 810 litres (VDA) – the Kluger can only manage 529 litres and even with those back seats in place the luggage capacity is 230 litres, check out my video above where I demonstrate the size with a live human being.

Storage in the cabin is also excellent with six cupholders (two in the first row, two in second and the others in the third) and all grades above the Sport come with storage in the fold-down centre armrest, which also contains a USB port.

All CX-9s come with a USB port up front in the giant split-opening centre console bin and a 12-volt power outlet in the cargo area.

With all three rows in use, you start with 230 litres of boot space, or about the same as the CX-3. Fold down the third row and you get a startling 810 litres. Mazda doesn't offer a figure for all the seats down, but it's going to be a big one.

You're well set for cupholders, with a total of six spread across the three rows. Each of the doors will hold a bottle, too, for a total of four.

The third row has always been reasonably accessible for kids and nimble adults, but now it's easier to escape with a new lever to flip the middle row, just in case you've forgotten someone/trapped them in there.

Middle-row passengers get a very good deal, with plenty of room in each direction, including plenty of foot space under the front seats.

The CX-9 Azami AWD is the zenith of the CX-9, coming in at $69,303, $2543 more than the MY19. The FWD version is $64,893, with our luxury car tax doing weird things to the pricing.

New for 2020, the G Vectoring Plus system adds brake-based torque vectoring, while there's also a new Off-road Traction Assist mode on AWD models , which have also all got auto-hold on them now.

On the new Azami you get 20-inch alloy wheels, a 12-speaker stereo, multi-zone climate control, around-view cameras, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, electric heated and ventilated front seats, sat nav, active LED headlights with auto high beam, auto wipers, heated front windscreen, new high-spec Nappa leather seats, power tailgate and a space-saver spare.

One of the interesting things to note as I jumped back in time was just how obsolete the old MZD Connect looks and feels compared to the new one in the 3 and CX-30. The hardware feels a bit clunky (and you can use it as a touchscreen when stationary), but it's really showing its age now there's a new one. It's still okay, though, and better than anything compatriot Toyota has dreamt up. It also has both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as DAB+ radio.

All CX-9s have the same engine – it's a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol that makes 170kW and 420Nm. That's simple isn't it? Also simple is this: all CX-9 have the same six-speed automatic transmission.

Every grade apart from the Azami LE comes with a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Azami LE is purely all-wheel drive.

Mazda's SkyActiv 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo drives the CX-9 along with 170kW and 420Nm. In the AWD it, obviously, drives all four wheels via Mazda's own six-speed transmission. 

It's just as well all that torque is on board because the CX-9's kerb weight is a chunky 2006kg. Towing capacity is rated at 750kg unbraked and 2000kg braked.

Big car, big drinker? The CX-9 used to be back when it had a V6, but not any more. The turbo-four is efficient, with Mazda saying that front-wheel drive version will use 8.4L/100km, while all-wheel drives will use 8.8L/100km after a combination of open and urban roads. You'll also only need to feed it 91 RON – that's the cheap petrol.

My testing on the launch saw me use 10.3L/100km, according to the car's trip computer, but I was really getting into those roads and stamping on that accelerator like it was a funnel web spider, so for it still to be that low is great.

The official combined cycle figure for the CX-9 is 9L/100km, a few tenths of a litre more than the front-wheel-drive car. The reality is that you'll get closer to my figure of 11.1L/100km, although my loan of the car was slightly abbreviated when an errant pensioner swiped the front bumper while it was parked outside my home.

The fuel tank is a big one, with 74 litres.

There is no way to make a 5.1m long, 2.0m wide, two-tonne SUV feel small in a supermarket car park and you'll feel its size particularly in multi-storey ones as you navigate the HMAS CX-9 up through the levels. I've lived with a CX-9 and I'm not ashamed to admit that I find it tricky to manoeuvre in tight spaces. But you have AEB, rear cross-traffic alert, parking sensors at the back and good visibility to make it as easy as it possibly can be.

Get the CX-9 out on the street, though, and it feels a lot less cumbersome. And on the open road the CX-9 is brilliant. Not only does it just much up miles in comfort, it has such great handling ability that it defies my logic.

In this update Mazda says it has refined the driving experience while making the SUV more responsive though suspension and steering changes. A thicker material behind the headlining in the ceiling has also been used to keep the cabin even quieter, too.

The result? A ride that's knocking on the door of German prestige SUVs and great dynamics.

Even on the 20-inch wheels and 50-profile tyres fitted to the Azami LE I tested at the launch, the ride was outstanding while the handling was excellent. Pushing the Azami LE hard in the corners should have had something of this size and weight leaning on its door handles, but a moment after entering the turn the CX-9 was able to compose itself, hunker down and hold its line in a controlled and planted way.

The Azami LE is all-wheel drive only, but the front-wheel drive version for the base grade Sport and the FWD Azami I drove felt just as composed with great body control and impressive handling ability for the class. In some ways the Sport being lighter and on smaller wheels and higher profile tyres meant the ride was more comfortable and acceleration a bit better.

That engine is a good thing, although part of me misses the old V6 from years ago for its smoothness and torque. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo has enough grunt and it's fuel efficient, but to me a six-cylinder suits this big flagship better.

Back in 2016, I said the CX-9 was the benchmark and the only reason it isn't the absolute top of the heap now is the arrival of the new Hyundai Santa Fe last year. It's still way better to drive than the segment's runaway hit, the Toyota Kluger, and shades the Kia Sorento in most areas, except perhaps ride quality.

The Mazda really is a very nice thing to drive. The smooth 2.5-litre turbo revs readily under a heavy foot, delivering a nice flat torque curve. Mazda's G-Vectoring system now has a Plus version, which means it also uses brake-based torque vectoring to help tighten the line when physics overcomes the admittedly middling tyres.

My previous complaints about the tyres hold true, too - they're still a bit lame in the wet, with the fronts spinning up, the only difference being the all-wheel drive and traction control cutting in to spoil the dance.

In the dry, however, the combination of G Vectoring and a fine chassis tune means the high-riding SUV is always in control, with a good balance between ride quality and handling finesse. It feels like a bigger CX-5, but not that much bigger.

The CX-9 has that unique Mazda feeling of not being overtly sporty, yet you still get out thinking, "Gee, that was pretty good."

A couple more gears - like most of its rivals have - would be nice and perhaps a little more steering feel. These are really nitpicks,  because there's so little to complain about.

As with other Mazdas, the CX-9 Azami is loaded with safety gear. As well as the usual six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, you get forward and reverse AEB, reverse cross traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, forward and rear collision warning, rollover stability, trailer-sway control, driver-fatigue monitoring and traffic-sign recognition.

Mazda says the pedestrian detection now works at night, so the car will brake to avoid mowing down wayward night-walkers.

On top of that, there are ISOFIX points in the second and third rows, along with three top-tether points in the middle row and two in the third.

The CX-9 scored five ANCAP stars in July 2016.

The CX-9 is covered by Mazda's five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 12 month or 10,000km intervals. Servicing is capped and switch from $329 for the first visit, $371 for the next and then back to $329 for five services.

Since my first drive in 2016, the warranty has gone from three to five years, as well as offering unlimited kilometres into the bargain, plus roadside assist.

Service intervals are Mazda's customary 12 months/10,000km, the latter number being a bit on the short side for average-mileage owners. The first five services are capped, ranging from $356 to $400, for a total of $1868 for five services. I hesitate to average that out over five years because, as I say, 10,000km per year is a bit on the short side. The prices also don't include things like filters and brake fluid.