My regular car is a sedan, so whenever I go on a road trip, I try to rent an SUV. I love being able to see so much better than my sedan. And I was so happy when I got to try drive the new 2017 Mazda CX-9 for a full week. I was concerned that the 4 cylinder engine wouldn’t be powerful enough but it certainly had a lot of pickup.
He’re 9 reasons you’ll love the 2017 Mazda CX-9
1. Skyactive technology is fuel efficient.
The initial announcement of the SKYACTIV technologies included new engines, transmissions, body, and chassis, which appeared in Mazda products from 2011. Though the engine was only a 4 cylinder, it had a ton of power and pickup for such a big SUV. Did I mention that this SUV seats 7?
2. Projection of speed in front.
My favorite technology of the Mazda CX-9 was the fact that the speed was projected out in front of you while you drive. Not only that but it also showed the current speed limit of whatever road you are on. So, no excuses for getting a speeding ticket.
3. Smart cruise control
If you drive long distances and enjoy using cruise control, you’ll love the feature in the new Mazda CX-9. When you enable cruise control, it let’s you determine how far or close you want to be to the cars in the front of you, with three different length settings. So, if you are like my father, you’d select setting three (as far away as possible). If you are like my husband, you select setting one, and rely on ninja like driving skills.
4. Lights angle in the direction in which the car is pointed.
Another really cool feature of the 2017 Mazda CX-9 and most newer mazdas in general is that the lights angle in the direction of where the drive turns. While it may not be really noticeable on well-lit streets, if you find yourself in the country, these lights could prove quite helpful.
5. The sides are actual wood grain – there’s beautiful detail in the car.
I love the color, “Machine Gray Metallic” of the Mazda CX-9, but the interior, a dark burgundy was absolutely gorgeous. Controls and features of this mazda all looked and felt sleek and modern. Now, I’m not a fan of wood grain as it often comes off cheap looking. But the real wood made by a guitar company no less, was beautiful.
6. You can flip down the third row for extra storage.
Okay, so this isn’t unique as most SUVs have fold down seats, but I found the feature to be really easy to use, especially for me, a woman with a small frame.
7. For an SUV it gets good gas mileage.
I drove all over town and found the gas mileage to be very reasonable. The specs list the 2017 Mazda CX-9 as having 23 mpg city and 26 highway. Annual fuel cost is averaged to be $1,600.
8. Lane Departure warning
Part of the feature of the projection is that the yellow light blinks if you a veering out of your lane. At first, it seems rather nifty, but I noticed that I had to veer quite far into the other lane for this feature to work.
9. Blind spot check
Love. This. Feature. It’s especially great for highway driving. It warns you that a car is in your blind spot which is terrific. It appears in two places – 1.) Projected outwards and 2.) On the side view mirrors (see image above) which illuminate to let you know that someone is in your blind spot.
Disclosure: The 2017 Mazda CX-9 was loaned to me by Drive Time for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
