CX-9 out of 10

– By Rod Fuller – 

Is it time to consider your next novated lease? Looking for a seven seater? Looking for something that is practical, comfortable and stylish? Well look no further, after driving the new CX-9, I can honestly say that this car ticks all the boxes. It’s a car (sorry SUV) that just feels right.

The CX-9 is a large SUV seven seater but you wouldn’t know when you’re behind the wheel.  It’s responsive, beautifully balanced and stable over our generally sub-par road surfaces, and oh-so comfortable to drive.  It’s certainly a stand out against its competitors in this class.

The 2.5l 4 cylinder turbo engine has ample power on tap to help the CX-9’s two tonne towing capacity and is responsive  when overtaking. Fuel consumption is very respectable for such a large vehicle and this in no small part is helped by the smooth six speed auto transmission.

The styling of the CX-9 is both bold, refined and certainly distinctive. Giving it a road presence that makes you smile.

I had the mid-range version specification level made it feel like a high-spec model.  Standard leather seats for everyone (heated and 8 way adjustment in the front and lumbar support for the driver), front and rear climate controls, Sat Nav, Bluetooth connectivity and 6 speaker stereo, give the CX-9 Touring a luxury feeling..

The clarity of sound when using your mobile (hands-free of course) with Bluetooth through the stereo was fantastic. Many people (whom I was speaking with on the phone) commented to me on how clear I sounded, like I was there in the room with them – impressive.

MZD Connect for the infotainment system in the centre console is a fantastic feature which  I found incredibly easy to use. The combination of a tactile central dial and quick locator buttons meant I could operate the system entirely with my left hand. W

Which most importantly meant I could keep my eyes on the road, rather than fumbling about reaching over  to touch the right part of a touchscreen.  And which is safer? MZD Connect – brilliant.

Front and rear USB ports feature as well as 12V outlets in the front and also in the luggage compartment.

Driving many new cars as I do, sometimes you see things that at first seem strange but then when used make perfect sense. In the CX-9 the front 12V outlet is located all by itself in the front passenger foot well on the side of the centre console.

Weird I thought, but when I went to plug in my dash cam , it was in the perfect place and the cable wasn’t all intertwined over the centre console.

Also the centre console bin lid is split with it opening in two pieces rather than one. Again I wondered why? But when I thought about how many times over the years I’ve fought with centre console compartment lids that open toward the rear seats, trying to keep it open with one hand, while driving and fishing about for what I wanted in the compartment, this feature of the CX-9 just made sense.

Being a seven seat large SUV, space abounds inside with plenty of leg and headroom for everyone. Both the third row and back row seats fold down easily to create a massive load area when needed.

A temporary spare or ‘space saver’ wheel is provided in the CX-9 and will safely get you where you need to go should you suffer a flat tyre. But with large SUV weighing nearly two tonnes, my preference would be for a full size spare wheel.

The Mazda CX-9 Touring, the ‘9’ is for 9 out of 10. If you are looking for a seven seat SUV, look no further, your next novated lease vehicle is here.

What does it look like as a Novated Lease?

This data is from the 2018 Novated Leasing Guide produced by Fleet Auto News.