2021 Mazda CX-9 Azami LE long term review

The Japanese brand’s range-topping SUV is as luxurious as the German prestige vehicles, but is it worth the price? After an extensive test we find out.

There’s nothing like a road trip to test a friendship and a run up the east coast in our long-term Mazda CX-9 threatened to unravel before we’d left the driveway.

We were heading to a footy tournament in Coffs Harbour and volunteered to take the team marquee, thinking the CX-9 would easily swallow it up once we folded the middle seats flat.

Several exasperating minutes followed, punctuated by warning chimes and expletives, before we reluctantly dived into the glovebox for the user manual. Things looked promising, with diagrams of flat seats, until we realised that was the seven-seat version.

The CX-9 Azami LE is Mazda’s most expensive vehicle.

In the six-seat version, the middle seats merely slide forward and tilt, while the flashy centre console between them doesn’t budge at all. It’s a victory of style over substance. That will appeal to some, but we’d suggest the majority of large SUV buyers are drawn to their ability to swallow as many kids and Ikea flat packs as possible.

The good news is, with only two on board, we managed to shoehorn the marquee in, along with a couple of sets of golf clubs, bags and an electric scooter.

The middle seats don’t fold flat in the LE.

After that initial annoyance, the CX-9 quickly began to win back points. The seats are luxurious and comfortable on long trips, with padding in all the right places to guard against aches and pains. Heating and ventilation – available on the front and middle seats – was a welcome surprise.

MORE: Mazda CX-9 Azami LE long term review part one

We also like Mazda’s infotainment interface. The brand is one of few that have shunned touchscreens for a rotary controller and push button. It takes a little getting used to, but is far less distracting to operate on the run. And those of us with mild OCD appreciate the lack of paw prints on the centre screen. The screen is a little narrow compared with rivals, but the resolution is good and the menus are easy to navigate. The Apple Car Play integration works well and there are ample USB and 12-volt outlets for devices, as well as a wireless charging pad.

Captain-style chairs are luxurious and spacious.

The Azami also has a 12-speaker Bose sound system which is above average.

On the freeway, the Mazda’s driver assistance tech comes to the fore. The radar cruise control keeps a safe distance to the car in front and the lane keeping assistance, which steers you back into your line if you drift, can be set to early or late intervention. It’s not as effective as some in keeping you within your lane, but it will beep loudly and often to save you from a microsleep, so it’s a nice safety net to have on a long trip. The rear cross-traffic alert is also handy for backing out of driveways, picking up passing traffic from some distance away and sounding an alarm. It will eventually brake if you ignore the beeps.

There are plenty of driver aids to keep you safe on the road.

On the freeway, the Mazda’s 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo has more than enough grunt for overtaking safely. The power outputs are slightly less than the traditional Aussie sedans that used to dominate the Pacific Highway in years gone by, but more low-down torque means performance is on par.

There’s another not-so-great similarity to those Falcons and Commodores, though. It likes a drink. The official highway consumption figure is 7.5 litres per 100km but we averaged 9.5L/100km during our freeway stints. After pottering around town for a while, that number headed towards 11L/100km. The good news is the CX-9 takes regular unleaded or E10 – the bad news is that petrol prices have soared in recent months. We paid roughly $1.45 a litre to fill the Mazda’s 74-litre tank, so the pump pain was palpable. No wonder people choose to fly these days. Having said that, if you fill every seat, it becomes more economical.

Our verdict after 3000km? The Mazda is a relaxed, luxurious and comfortable cruiser, but we’d want to be filling those six seats regularly to justify the price and the fuel bills.

MAZDA CX-9 AZAMI LE VITALS

Price: About $78,000 drive away

Engine: 2.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol, 170kW/420Nm

Warranty/servicing: five years/unlimited km, $1910 over five years

Safety: 5 Stars, 6 airbags, auto emergency braking, radar cruise, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert

Thirst: 9.0L/100km

Cargo: 810L (230L with third row up)

Originally published as 2021 Mazda CX-9 Azami LE long term review