A used Mazda CX-9 is mighty spacious — and thirsty

Safe, practical and attractive — especially with Mazda’s ‘Kodo’ styling — the CX-9 is a firm family favourite. But poor fuel economy might put some buyers off.

Mazda’s CX-9 has an enduring, endearing trait and a flaw that goes with its territory. The darling of the seven-seaters has mighty space for family and cargo ... and a bit of a drinking problem.

The first generation, from 2007, got a freshen-up two years later and the second generation arrived in a blaze of hype last year. We’ll look at the stalwart from 2009-16.

For all its family friendly virtues — third row of seats with decent legroom for taller children and 1911L with seats down — its Achilles heel is fuel economy. Hefty fuel bills might put you off.

The sole combination was a 3.7-litre V6 mated to a six-speed automatic turning all-wheel drive, the ample power and snappy acceleration coming at the cost of combined fuel economy of 13.0L/100km initially. When the update arrived in October 2009, the marginal improvement to 12.2L was welcome.

2010 CX-9 Grand Touring: Fuel economy was marginally improved.

Showroom prices were high compared to rivals — from $50,000 to $63,000 — but Mazda’s semi-premium cachet still made it a popular choice. The three grades were Classic, Luxury and Grand Touring.

Standard on all were three-zone climate control, alloy wheels, cruise control, 4.3-inch screen with MP3 input and reversing camera. There were front, side and, for all three rows, curtain airbags.

The Classic had soft-touch cloth seats and 18-inch wheels. You really needed the Luxury for proper refinement, the black leather cabins claiming power front heated seats, glass sunroof, Bose audio, 20-inch alloys and chrome door handles. A $3000 option added a seven-inch screen with satnav and Bluetooth.

The latter was included in the Grand Touring along with xenon headlamps, power tailgate and keyless start.

Within 12 months, the Mazda boffins had cut fuel use to 11.3L/100km and new alloy wheel designs arrived.

In June 2011 the common sense front-wheel drive CX-9s joined the party in Classic and Luxury grades. These were a mighty $4500 cheaper than AWDs and helped drop fuel

CX-9: Front-wheel drive version from 2011.

economy to 11.0L/100km. Little wonder the front-drivers soon outsold the all-paw versions.

A marked design change came for model year 2013 with the CX-9 scoring Mazda’s now signature Kodo design language, exemplified by far sleeker headlights with LED daytime running lights and slatted rather than honeycomb grilles.

Bluetooth was now standard on all CX-9s. Infotainment, navigation and speech recognition were improved, and the range-topper Grand Touring scored active safety tech such as blind spot monitoring and lane departure warning.

The large SUV was praised for comfort, quality of finish and family friendliness but the V6’s thirst remained a sticking point.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

If you don’t need AWD, and many won’t, seek out a front-drive example.

There’ll be fuel savings of course, but also there are reports of AWD CX-9 transfer cases breaking before 100,000km. This is not a cheap fix and, if the gearbox gets damaged, fitting a new transmission can be hugely expensive.

Genuine seven-seater: Many owners are trading in on the latest model.

The CX-9 has been caught up in the global Takata airbag scandal — check that any vehicle you’re considering has had the airbags replaced at the dealership. Some 2013-15 examples were recalled in April 2016 to check on suspension nuts and bolts.

There are plenty of preloved CX-9s on the market now that many owners are upgrading to the new model. Aim for one that has had a less hectic life with young kids, who can make an indelible mess in big SUVs.

IAIN SAYS

3 stars out of 5

Seat of power: Cabin is comfortable and spacious.

Safe, practical, attractive and with genuine seating for seven, the CX-9 is a firm family favourite, especially if you can stretch to the better equipped Luxury or Grand Touring.

Fuel economy is poor. Potential transfer case issues on AWD versions make the front-wheel drive CX-9 look the safest bet.

OWNERS SAY

David Anderson: Comfortable, quiet, reliable, powerful — and thirsty. A very good car that is a country drive king and fits plenty of people and their holiday kit. In my front-driver, the steering can skip under acceleration on slippery surfaces and catch out the unwary. It started using more fuel this year — it’s a 2012 model so might just be wearing a bit.

Peppi Bueti: Love our CX-9, the seven seats are ideal for our family of four as we like the extra seats and storage space for friends or family who are visiting, or regular trips to the beach or kids’ soccer. It handles the road really well, is great in town and longer road trips and we like the height that comes with driving an SUV. Parking in small spaces can be a challenge but the main issue is fuel economy. Our friends also love their CX-9 but say the same thing about the fuel.