Used 2016 Mazda CX-9 Consumer Reviews

Luxury with an economy price

Just bought the Grand Touring edition. The styling is fantastic. But the true wow factor is the interior. The designers did a wonderful job designing an interior that is just as beautiful and well appointed as a German car. Pair the "hopeful" reliability of a Japanese car with the build quality of a German car and I'm in love. Kind of looks like a Range Rover Evoque with an Aston Martin open face grill. Sweet. I've read the other reviews which were quite technical. If you're a driver and appreciate an SUV that not only looks good but drives like a car "all wheel drive Grand Touring" this is the ride for you. The red one is ugly. White or black. Come on....,

Mazda does it again

My last Six cars has been Mazdas, four of which were CX9s. I've found the build quality of Mazda's cars to be excellent. They are reliable, attractive, and cost-effective. I will continue to purchase or lease a Mazda car as long as Mazda continues build cost-effective and reliable automobiles. Now if I can only get reliable service and attention to details from their dealership I'll be a happy camper.

Great new CX9

I've just replaced a 6 yr old Mazda CX9 Grand Touring with this new 2016 CX9 Touring. The 2016 is fabulous. Love the larger, clear 'screen' for Navigation, communication, music, etc. All much improved over my older Mazda. I was hesitant about the engine but with the turbo it actually has better acceleration than my older 6 cyl CX9! Terrific ride, feels sporty and the 3rd row actually does easily accommodate children as well as adults. The only thing missing for me is a cargo cover which I had hoped would be included this year. (When traveling, shopping etc, I like a cargo cover to hide car contents.) I've only had the Mazda a few weeks but love it even more than my last one! Still figuring out the Navigation system...guess I'll have to read the manual soon.

zoom zoom for real great suv

Shop around and ask to see dealer invoice ..if possible. Also use Edmonds .com/ true car / costco/ and AARP for quotes before you go to dealerships to price the car.

Loved it....BUT.....

So after hours online searching for the pefect suv I found the new cx-9.... I went to my nearest Mazda dealer to test drive and fell in LOVE....but one missing must have...NO HEATED STEERING WHEEL.....very disappointed.....come to find out that the 2016 cx-9 in Canada HAS one....WHAT???? please mazda add for us Americans and I'll buy one.....thanks

if I could give zero stars, I would!

this is the absolute worst vehicle that I have ever owned. materials and craftsmanship are horribile. interior and exterior trim pieces have fallen off or apart. there are issues with the vehicles cooling system monitoring and warning system that Mazda is aware of but refuses to address. I will never purchase another Mazda!

Competitive to germany car

I was exercised for a month. Than, i start hate the car. I alway had a hard time to park the car. Because the front end are too high and too long without the front sensor. Also, i had a problem about the driver side mirror ( over 50 miles vibration). No car alarms. , no lockable and light in glove box . Mirror got no memory. No cool seat. No rear climate control from front panel. No indicator light for fog light ( so stupid). Driving is good. Seat is good. Good gas mileage.

bought mine yesterday

being a mazda rotary fan my entire life i have a 93 and 85GSLSE Rx7, I need it a 3rd row family hauler , i drove the cx9 AWD turbo and was impresed right away. i bought the sport AWD

The best 7 passenger SUV!!

If you do not want to drive Minivan and need 7 passenger car, 2016 CX-9 is one of the best.

Family Car but Sporty

The car overall drives great based on handling, acceleration, quiet cabin, and does a wonderful job on curves. It's nice to have a third row seat option when you need it but like all the reviews have said it doesn't have the leg room we would like during a long drive.

Great everyday crossover

Lots of low end torque makes driving in town a pleasure. Picking up speed is not a problem. My other car is a E60 535i, and these two cars drive very similarly when I keep the engines below 3500rpm. I prefer the handling dynamic of this car over the MBZ R350 any day.

Good mix of luxury and performance

I've only had the CX9 for 3 weeks, so not a ton to go off of. I had looked at older BMW X5s and the Highlander and the Pilot. Pilot had much better cargo room, but was pretty bland. Not much at all I liked about the Highlander. The Mazda handles nicely...great pep and acceleration, very comparable to the X5, though the X5 is a tighter more true handling car. Great space in the front and rear...3rd row is pretty limited.

No regrets for now

Have had this vehicle for 7 months/8000 miles. My wife chose the CX-9 for its looks. It drives well. It accelerates smoothly in motion but a little slowly from a stop. The gas mileage has been mostly 24 miles/gallon on highways, in only one trip did I achieve the advertised 27 miles/gallon. I delayed writing this review until I could check the air conditioning in summer. I can report now that it worked fine at 96-100 degrees on a trip through Central Valley in California, though it affected the gas mileage. The front seats are not super comfortable and there is not much storage in the front, but the second row is very comfortable for 2 and even 3 passengers. The cargo area behind the 3rd row can hold two medium sized suitcases plus bags on top of them. The interior and exterior design is excellent, the instruments are intuitive and aesthetically pleasing. I have not had any problems with the CX-9 in the 7 months of ownership. This is my first vehicle with a turbocharged motor and I hope it will be reliable.

The Driver's Mule!

It is a driver focused vehicle without a doubt. Enough space for the family of up to 7 members, although the space in the third row is more suitable for kids or small adults and plenty of space in the bench seat. There is lack of space if you are carrying 7 passenger, just pack less and you'll be okay. When carrying 5 passengers the cargo room is plenty and adequate for a long road trip. I do wish more safety features were standard on the sport model, like Blind Spot Sensor and Rear Parking Sensors. Overall a 5 star rating from me and my family of 6.

Love my CX9

Great car! I wanted a sports car but needed the functionality of a 7 passenger SUV. The CX9 delivers...great on winding mountain roads feels like a sports car not like a big SUV. Plenty of get up and go when you need it. The interior is beautiful, dare I say nicer than my wife's Lexus. Oh and it's damn sexy looking too! Love this car!!!!

Good sized vehicle with power and fuel economy.

This is my second CX-9. The first was a 2008 and I thought that was great car, but this one is close to perfected. I used to get about 18 MPG with a very powerful v-6 and now I get 26 plus or minus with plenty of pep and power for my driving with just a 4 cyl. It cruises the highway at 80 without changing gears at all even when attempting a decent hill. I checked this out thoroughly before buying and I was very surprised. The ride comfort is very smooth and quite and that has been a big improvement over the older model. I bought the lower end Sport model, but there was plenty of standard features including the turbo engine to keep me happy and for a hell of a lot less money. I can close my own hatch back, I am not in a wheel chair yet! If you ask me there is not a better value than the Sport model. Out the door for about $32,000. I don't think you can even pick up a used "Luxury Line Brand" for anything close to that. You can keep all the extra bells and whistles along with the high price.

Cylinder Head Cracks and Mazda Will Not Assist

There is a lot of information on the internet about this issue and I encourage you to read it all when considering purchasing this vehicle used. I have been a loyal Mazda Customer for more than 30 years. But when my 2016 Mazda CX-9 with the 2.5L Turbo developed a cracked head at 118k miles, Mazda Customer Care told me that there was nothing they would do to assist with this known manufacturing defect and that the entire $5,110 repair bill was my responsibility. I have enjoyed owning and driving this vehicle, but this experience has seriously tarnished my view of Mazda as an outstanding brand.

Zoom zoom in a mid size SUV!

It is really a driver's car.It is easy to drive,its just like driving a small SUV.Head up display is great however ,as others have mentioned,it is difficult to see if you are wearing polarized sunglasses.I just wish it had surround view camera so it would be easier to park

not as good as described

it is a decent car, seats do not offers best comfort possible. horrible depreciation. strange exterior design. mpg not so great in mixed driving.

Safety Testing

I like the car, but the results of small overlap IIHS crash test for the 2016 model are not out yet. The 2014 model did poorly: http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/mazda/cx-9-4-door-suv which is very concerning to me given that I am purchasing the car for its 7 passenger (family) capability. Plus, if they are going to sell it at MSRP of $45,000 for the signature trim, then why not get an Acura MDX or spend a little more and get a Volvo XC-90 both of which have a much higher safety rating.

If you like cramped and hot this is your SUV

Seat bottoms are short and there are not enough adjusting positions to ever get comfortable. Six-way seats in this kind of flagship vehicle should be banned. But, the SUV is beautiful and fairly luxurious. That said, it needs front parking assist and other driver comfort options found in lesser competitors. The air conditioning only cools well at night so my days in Miami are not much fun. Although others have complained about the same problems, Mazda USA refuses to acknowledge them. Same hubris that cost Toyota, Takata and now United Airlines millions of dollars in cash and, most importantly, loss of customer loyalty. This is my 8th. Mazda and can't wait for the lease to run out. It will be my last.

Glad I leased the car and didn’t buy.

At first sight this car was awesome, it had more features than most cars in is class. It was good looking, nice looking interior and for the first 2 months a great infortainment system. Once any phone has an update the Bluetooth with occasionally work when it feels like it. By the time the dealer has an update a new phone update is out to cause the problems again. If I make or receive a call within the first 3-5 mins of turning on the car it will disconnect the Bluetooth then not work at all until I shut the car off for 10+ mins. After getting to about 20,000 miles we started to see lots of problems with the vehicle. We were in and out of the dealer for things a $42,000 car should not have problems with. The brakes have the loudest squeak, the dealer says it’s because they are ceramic brake pads (funny how any luxury vehicle doesn’t have this problem with ceramic brake pads). The engine all of a sudden started sounding like a diesel on idling, the dealer says that is normal, even though other ones don’t sound like that at all. About every other day I get the warning light on saying front camera blocked, defrost window. This is on clear days with a perfectly clean windshield. The automatic wipers are the worst I have ever experienced. They will go at full speed with a light mist yet when it’s pouring go intermittent with 6+ seconds between each wipe. The fog lights no longer work, the dealer is so booked up they said they can’t look at it for another 2 weeks, then not working is just in time for the snowy foggy weather to be coming in. This is not the first 2016 Mazda I am having some of the same problems with, just traded in a CX-3 sport because it had lots of the same issues. Will not be buying a Mazda again anytime soon.

CX-9 GT - Great ride

Leased a Grand touring 3 weeks ago for my wife and so far very happy with it. Have already taken it on a 250 miles road trip - doing 80mph, the CX-9 averaged 23mpg. I'm 6'3" and find it very comfortable. I looked at Lexus RX, Cadillac XT5, Toyota Highlander, Audi Q5, and Nissan Murano. RX, XT5, and Q5 were out of price range for a similar optioned vehicle. Came close to getting the Murano but ended up with the CX-9. Our kids are older now so we didn't need 3rd row seat but preferred the style and ride of the CX-9. The GT has great options and is fun to drive. The heads-up display is not only cool but also very useful. Once you setup favorites, infotainment (which other users have complained about) is easy to use. The torque on the CX-9 is awesome and the 4 cylinder does not feel under-powered. The engine is more than adequate for normal city/highway driving. Once we hit Texas summer, AC output could be an issue, will just have to wait and see.

Great SUV for a long driving

We absolutely love this SUV. We went from a 2012 Honda Odyssey (Touring Elite) to 2016 CX-9 GT AWD and couldn't be happier. We were looking at Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot and GMC Acardia as alternative options of selection but we went CX-9 over those competitors. It is true that CX-9 has smallest storage area but it doesn't bother us at all... I gave up Honda Odyssey anyway. 2.5L turbo charged engine performs greater than expected. We (four adults) recently made 3 days trip, total run was over 1500 miles (85% highway). We were so impressed with its higher torque...a big help for off-the-line acceleration. We strongly recommend to go to Mazda dealers and test it. You feel real "Zoom-Zoom".

Driver's SUV

Before buying this car we drove most competitors in this price range and by far this was the winner in terms of driving dynamics, looks and interior quality. After two years of ownership we very satisfied with the car. We have done multiple road trips with the car loaded and the engine is really responsive in all conditions. Road noise is very low and the ride is comfortable while the car feels really responsive. Very sporty for a 3-row SUV. Loaded with technology such as lane departure, dynamic cruise control and blind spot warning. The driver seat feels a bit narrow to me and does not provide many Adjustments. And the third row is only suitable for children. Had minor issues with electrical equipment such as the electric seat adjustment and the power liftgate, and the tpms sensor that had to be replaced, all covered under warranty. Car will need rear pads at 30k. Overall happy with it.

After 6 months - still happy with my choice

Have been very impressed. Very comfortable car to drive, and to be a passenger in. Love the split back seat, which allows six to sit in comfort with room for luggage for road trips. The heads up display is SO useful. Good visibility. Good mileage so far. Only slight beef is that the a/c probably could do with being a little stronger. All still holds true. Seat warmers for the front seats have been useful this winter. Still love the car. Have had no buyer's remorse and have never wished I had chosen another.

Despite some initial concern, I'm loving it!

I had some problems with highway vibration that took several iterations of going back and forth to service, new tires, balancing, alignment etc. Once I got that issue corrected, I can finally enjoy this amazing car. I looked and test drove an Infiniti QX60, BMW X5, among others not even worth a mention (all 2-3 years old, CPO). Nothing impressed me as much as the CX9. This car rides so much smoother, the materials are so beautiful and luxurious (Signature Trim), that those luxury brands couldn't even compete in the price range I was searching (35-42K). It has *just* about every safety feature, technology, and comfort I could want. Can you believe there is a heads up display?! That it has real rosewood trim!? And that gorgeous Auburn leather?! This car is FUN to drive - does not have a large road presence as you are zipping around (X5 and QX60 felt huge to me). I have 3 kids, so the third row is important to me. Yes, that row is much smaller than my previous Honda Pilot, but it works for our needs for the 1-2 times per week we use the third row (we have 2 boosters, no car seats). Yes, the trunk is much smaller, and there is no way I'm taking this car on a long road trip with all 5 of us (I'll just rent a van), but for my daily zoom, it's such a joy to drive. My favorite family hauler to date. What do I wish it had? Ventilated seats! The A/C is less than desirable, so I could use some extra cooling in the hot summers. So excited this is now available in 2019, and while I won't be upgrading just yet, you bet my next car is another CX9 Signature.

Awesome SUV

I went from a truck based frame on body to this unibody construction but I gained in quality of ride and handling. I own a new truck and Wrangler but this is my favorite vehicle for our family.

My favorite car ever

This SUV drives like a sports car with the best suspension lol no joke. And that’s without it being kicked into sports mode, which increases RPM, speed, everuthing. I didn’t want to pay the addtl amount for the grand touring, so the sport AWD drives insanely well and exceeds my expectations. It has AWD, heated seats, there’s a ton of room inside (we upgraded because we are due to have baby #2 in 1.5 months) and I cannot say enough good things about the car. Cargo space is also used as third row seating, rear seat ventilation/AC, etc. Only issue is that the USB doesn’t recognize my iPhone 11- I’ve tried resetting it, it works, then stops. So, I still give it 5 stars. We were going to go with the CX-5, but fair warning- if you have two children in car seats, you will kick yourself. It is so, so small.

Luxury, Fun, Fuel Efficient, Did I mention Fun!!!

I purchased a used 2016 Grand Touring trim level and it drives like new. Very responsive and fun to drive like every other Mazda I've owned. And the styling is awesome on the interior and exterior. I finally smile when driving again. I've owned many other Japanese and Korean brands of vehicles. Mazda provides a driving experience much different than all of the others. I'd have to say Mazda and Subaru are my favorite brand of vehicle and this vehicle solidifies my feelings on this. If you are considering a Mazda CX-9, buy it. You won't be sorry. This is my 3rd CX-9 and all have been wonderful to drive, and this one will have better MPG than previous generations due to engine changes to the 2016 model year.

Luv it!

Admittedly, the CX-9 wasn't on our radar, but wow are we happy with it! It's very refined and has every option we wanted. Very attractive, inside & out!

Mazda 4 cylinder Turbo...Zoom, Zoom...love it!

No regrets. Got the 2016 CX-9, first year with the turbo 4 cylinder instead of the Ford 6. I feel like I can race a V8. Pretty sure I can beat it on the take off anyway. Peppy little third row wagon with the AWD that I need to remember to get off the pedal much sooner in our current snowy conditions.

CX-9.9 out of 10

Power, size, convenience, luxury and efficiency is all about the CX-9. A perfect combination of these attributes.

Dead on Arrival - CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK?

Google - "2016 CX-9 coolant leak". 2.5 liter turbo engine. TSB 01-013/21 Pretty car sitting in my garage. Bought used at under 113,000 miles. Paint on wheels were peeled but we were aware of that issue as it's quite visible. The cracked engine head/leaking head gasket issue is something that lurks in everyone of these cars. Once you're out of the 60,000 mile power train warranty, you're on your own with a $5,000- $10,000 engine repair or replacement. Mazda knows they have a problem with these engines but hide behind their warranty. We bought the car to drive it, not take up space in the garage with a puddle of coolant under it. We almost got 3 weeks of driving it before ours croaked. The MAZDA SERVICE BULLETIN states "Residual stress generated during production in the cylinder head material may be greater than expected." So Mazda either screwed up with their design or they screwed up with making parts to meet the design. How can they deny any fault with this problem that hundreds of owners (OR MORE) have experienced with this engine? As an engineer, I believe they screwed up with the design and the production of the parts which means the longer you own the car, the more likely you are to experience this engine failure. Time will tell... Never another Mazda in my family. And I will be sure to share my experience with anybody considering the purchase of any Mazda. Buyer Beware - this same engine has the same problems in the CX-5 and the 6 models. Update: After having the cracked cylinder head replaced, we experienced issues with the fuel injectors. Left me stranded more than once with gas pouring out of the fuel rail. After two shop visits for repairs, I finally pulled the injectors myself and replaced all the seals, stoppers, etc to make that issue go away. About two weeks ago, the car lost power as my wife was driving home. I suspect a clogged fuel filter which requires removing the rear seats to access the fuel pump in the gas tank. What’s the point of a fuel filter located in the fuel tank? Should take 10 minutes to change a filter. Mazda engineers made it an all day project…. This issue was the last straw for me. We’ll have a Dodge Durango in our driveway by the weekend as soon as I can get the Mazda out of the way.

Good style and handling

The Signature edition styling is packed with comfort and class. Technology is weakest part. Navigation clunky, voice commands impossible. Otherwise smooth ride and reliable maintenance.

My First Mazda

Its Top Shelf

SUV of the year!

great lease deal through edmunds

approach dealerships with offer after using edmunds lease calculator

Great car

Happy with this purchase. 4-cyclinder turbo handles well.

Great car

Happy with this purchase. 4-cyclinder turbo handles well.

Water in my light

Buyer beware if you get water in your headlight it will burn it out and it will be $750 to get a new light you can't just replace the bulb it should have been recalled