We bought this car because we outgrew our Envoy. We needed to seat 4 kids and 2 adults. The biggest complaint I have with this car is that it has hardly no head room. With the slant everybody is giving cars nowadays you almost always hit your head getting in or out. I'll note my husband and I are not tall people. The nice thing is it does sits a little higher off the ground like my Envoy does, although it has bigger doors so it is easier to get my little one buckled in her rearfacing carseat compared to my Envoy. I can fit my babytrend jogging stroller in the back, but it takes up the entire back unless I put a seat down. As for driving performance it handles well. I've only driven it on rain and dry roads, but so far it has done great. Good turn radius. Smooth ride even on poor roads. It's a quiet ride. Visibility is a little tricky when backing up since they squashed the top down. Gives you a bit more of a blind spot. This is my opinion so far based on a two month ownership. First time Mazda owner.
2013 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring 4dr SUV (3.7L 6cyl 6A)
Review
It seems that owners either love or hate this vehicle. One on line site claimed it was in the top 10 vehicles that are cheaper than they look. I think this conclusion is totally unwarranted. Traded for our CX-9 when we became grandparents. Bought the Grand touring and yes the navigation system is old tech and needed upgrading. The ride is smooth and quiet even with the 20 inch wheels. The front seats are very comfortable as is the second row, third row is tight as in most similar vehicles. My brother has a BMW X5 and I will compare rides any day. I have had no problems with the transmission as it shifts smoothly and we get 20.7 miles per gallon - lot's of highway miles and small city so in heavy traffic I am sure it would be less. Uses regular gas which is a plus. Bought a hitch carrier to improve storage as we haul 2 adults, 2 car seats and a 40 pound dog. I have owned multiple Mazdas and have always been satisfied. I recommend this vehicle but would drop down to the touring edition and either use a smart phone or Buy a GPS add on!
We have a 2013 CX-9. Since we've owned it the torque converter and new transmission were completely faulty and replaced, the brake booster, lower control arms (and now front ball joint). The brake booster problem has existed on other Mazda vehicles dating back to 2003 (over 10 years). in 2012 Government investigated problems of leaking master brake cynlinders of 2008 Mazda CX-9. NHTSA already investigated the 2010-2011 CX-9's and Mazda "extended the warranty" on those vehicles. What about the 2013 CX-9's? Why was the problem not yet remedied on the 2013? I have COMPLETELY lost confidence in the Mazda brand: brakes, transmission and steering. It's a great vehicle, but what good is a vehicle if you cannot stop or steer or have power to the transmission? Safety should be FIRST priority and MAZDA has failed miserably with these issues (especially brakes). The brake booster was supposedly "fixed" under warranty, The next day the orange wrench mechanic light illuminated on the dashboard and cruise control broke. It turns out the brake booster was still faulty. We took it back and they have supposedly "fixed it this time". This is the 3rd major repair of this vehicle and it is now less than 3 years old! I do not think I would buy another Mazda again.