2020 Mazda CX-9 Review

Name: 2020 Mazda CX-9 Review
Brand: Mazda

Price Range: $19,990 - $27,990

Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring 4dr SUV Exterior Shown

The 2020 Mazda CX-9 is one of the more distinctive midsize three-row SUVs, prioritizing style and driving experience. It also comes closest to closing the gap with the luxury brands with its impressive cabin materials and design. It falls short when it comes to cargo, utility and third-row accommodations, which seem like important things on a midsize-SUV shopper's list, and a big reason why it isn't higher up the ranks.

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Price & Payment

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$21,986 avg. price

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Mazda CX-9 model years

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2020 Mazda CX-9 Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Several previously optional safety features are now standard
New 9-inch infotainment touchscreen option
Second-row captain's chairs are available
Two USB ports added to the third row on Grand Touring and Signature models
Part of the second CX-9 generation introduced for 2016

Cost to Drive

Monthly estimates based on costs in Illinois

$223/mo

$246/mo

Avg. Large SUV

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

3.5/5Above Average

#4 out of 16 among Fullsize SUVs

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

$480/yr

vs. $614/yr
for Average Fullsize SUV

Frequency

1.57x/yr

vs. 1.59x/yr
for Average Fullsize SUV

Severity

13.8%

vs. 16.7%
for Average Fullsize SUV

Mazda CX-9 Owner Reviews

4.5

81 reviews

5(74%)

4(13%)

3(9%)

2(0%)

1(4%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

The automotive press loves the CX-9, here’s why…

Tom D, 04/17/2019

2019 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

The CX-9 is smaller than most vehicles in this segment but since I’m the only occupant 98% of the time it meets my needs. It’s arguably the best looking in terms of design and has the most luxurious interior of any other crossover in its class avoiding the excess of cheap plastic so common in other rides. The leather is superb, there’s real aluminum trim on the doors and dash, the … knobs for the infotainment system are beautifully machined aluminum that you’d expect to see in German import costing thousands more. I was reluctant to move from a V6 to a turbo 4 cylinder but Mazda’s tuned this engine to perform and you’ll never notice the difference thanks to bountiful torque. You’d hope for better mileage but my experience in mixed driving so far is about 22-25 mpg. The chassis and suspension deliver exceptional handling and a quiet ride overall. Most autos today in the upper level trim include a suite of safety features which depending on the maker can be intrusive but not the Mazda. Lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise, reactive braking, blind spot monitoring, etc. are engaging and actually help you drive more safely rather than annoy you. The controversial engine start/stop alleged fuel saving feature is NOT found on the CX-9. The head’s up display is outstanding providing speed, speed limit info, safety suite feedback, and turn-by-turn directions from the nav system (unless you’re using Android Auto or Apple Car play for navigation). A 12 speaker Bose stereo is better than any factory system I’ve experienced in years. It’s not all perfect; the front cockpit is a little snug (more like a sports car than a SUV/mini-van), the front seats could have more adjustment and longer cushions for better thigh support (not a problem for me but taller drivers might notice), third row seating is a penalty box for other than small children (I just folded them down and expanded my cargo capacity), and interior cabin storage is very meager. The HVAC seems a little slow to heat/cool the interior but acceptable (the ventilated cooled seats do work very well), and the infotainment/nav is kind of clunky to use, looks dated in appearance (your opinion will depend on what your last car was), and is quite slow to boot up. I’ve never had a 360 degree camera so the Mazda’s is a useful novelty but as others have noted the resolution is poor which is surprising given how far miniature camera tech has advanced the past few years. The piano black trim around the shifter and door window switches is so fragile it will scratch just looking at it. Finally, if you’re into physical media the CX-9 does not offer a CD player available. Overall after a month of ownership I am enjoying my new Mazda and recommend it to those who need a crossover/SUV with more room than the 2-row models, but will rarely if ever need to put passengers in the very back. I researched mid-sized 3-row crossovers for over a year before making this purchase and highly recommend anyone shopping for any new vehicle spend a lot of time studying owner’s forums to get the straight scoop on potential problem areas. The Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring (FWD) beat out the Toyota Highlander Limited Platinum and Honda Pilot Touring in my evaluation. One Year Update: I've owned my CX-9 GT for just over a year now and it's been a trouble free pleasure to own. I've had no difficulties with this SUV and have a little over than 7K miles on it. Rides and handles great and the performance from the 4 cylinder turbo engine is brisk. My only annoyance is the sluggish boot up of the infotainment system; occasionally it won't load all of the Sirius/XM stations. Mileage on mostly rural backroads and highways is 22-24 MPG. 2 YEAR UPDATE: I'm starting on my 3rd year of ownership of the 2019 CX-9 GT with FWD and as I'm retired and with reduced activity in 2020 due to Covid only have 11,000 miles on the odometer. So far it's been a great vehicle, comfortable and sporty to drive for an SUV. Maintenance has thus far been routine oil/filter changes. The only thing I've had an issue with are the automatic folding side mirrors. Sometimes when the car is unlocked and the mirrors are fully deployed when I open the door they will either close completely or start to close then reopen. They never do this when the car is running or I'm driving, just when parked and the engine is off. There is a TSB about the auto folding mirrors which my VIN is covered under but the dealership couldn't reproduce the problem and couldn't find anything wrong. Other than that it's been a good experience. 3 YEAR UPDATE: I'm a little over 15K miles on my CX-9 and it continues to perform just fine. On the last routine service I had the original battery checked and it failed; the dealership replaced it under warranty. I'm still on the OEM tires. Mileage this past winter has varied from 22-25 MPG which is as good as I get. One red flag for potential pre-owned buyers is that on the Mazda 24/7 owners forum I'm following an ongoing thread about issues with this generation CX-9 with the turbo 4-cyl. Some owners are having coolant leaks due to an engine defect which requires a major repair and in some cases an entire new engine. It seems earlier model years or those with higher mileage are involved but I'm monitoring this situation closely. Caveat emptor. 4 YEAR UPDATE: I've got a little over 20K miles on my 2019 CX-9 GT FWD and continue to enjoy pretty much trouble free motoring. The electric folding mirrors continue to do strange things, the passenger side mirror stopped folding all the way in when locking the vehicle for a few months this past winter and the dealer couldn't find a problem. Lately it has been operating normally? Mileage remains about the same around 22-23 MPG and occasionally 24-25 on longer highway trips. As mentioned last time, engine problems with this generation Mazda CX-9 turbo 4 are well documented on owner's forums like Mazda 24/7; specifically a coolant leak due to a cracked cylinder head or an oil leak with both often requiring a complete engine replacement costing thousands. This is happening in higher mileage CX-9's and since they are out of warranty the owner is having to eat the cost in most cases. There are TSB's out on this known problem but no recall and affected owners are not happy. I'd advise anyone considering buying a used 2016-2022 CX-9 to do some homework on these owner's forums and know what you are getting into. I plan to ride this out until I replace my car in early 2025 since I don't drive that much and hope the lower mileage and wear and tear will spare me this problem. FINAL UPDATE: Had to delete some previous updates due to space, I traded in this vehicle in January before the tariffs and bought a 2025 Ford Explorer ST. I looked at the CX-90 and find the interior storage space to be even worse than the CX-9. I didn't want another Mazda because of the engine issues I described earlier in other CX-9's even though I did not experience them. Caveat emptor for those considering buying a used one of this generation.

Undercover Luxury SUV

Leroy Johnson, 11/02/2018

2019 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

I love my new 2019 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring trim SUV. The interior is on par with luxury brand SUVs. I looked at the Acura RDX and MDX and couldn’t justify paying the extra money for a vehicle with comparable equipment for 10K more. The ride is very quiet with very little if any road noise. My 2016 RDX had much more road noise. The handling is impressive but the ride is a little …

Excellent!

Richard, 09/29/2018

2019 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

Just picked it up after owning a cx5 for a year. Where I felt the cx5 lacked, the cx9 picks up the slack in refinement and luxury. It is truly a joy to drive. Styling inside and out is well thought out and outside of the same old same old in mid sized suv’s. The addition of the ventilated front seats is what I was waiting for. Apple car play is another plus. This car is a head turner. My …

Love at first drive. Long term affair

Mike Knibbs, 06/06/2019

2019 Mazda CX-9 Signature 4dr SUV AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)

I’d owned a grand Cherokee (nice power, ok ride, poor fuel, poor seats) and a Yukon (great utility, good power, blah driving, aweful gas mileage). Test drove Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer). Dismissed Volvo and Audi on cost and reliability. No opinion of Mazda till I drove it. Instant smiles. Now, a year or so in. I still smile. The torque is delightful. Like a diesel without …

We have a limited number of reviews for the 2020 Mazda CX-9, so we've included reviews for other years of the CX-9 since its last redesign.

See all 81 reviews of the Mazda CX-9

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2020 CX-9 Highlights

Trim:

Sport

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$33,890
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	24 MPG
Cost to Drive	$223/month
Seating	7 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	14.4 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the CX-9 models:

Smart City Brake Support: Automatically applies emergency braking if it detects that a low-speed collision is imminent.
Smart Brake Support: Automatically applies emergency braking if a collision seems imminent. Similar to Smart City Brake Support but activates at higher speeds.
Lane Keep Assist: Provides gentle steering guidance to prevent you from inadvertently drifting out of your lane.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover15.1%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Good
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2020 Mazda CX-9 Review

Price & Payment

2020 Mazda CX-9 Review

What's new

Cost to Drive

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Mazda CX-9 Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

The automotive press loves the CX-9, here’s why…

Undercover Luxury SUV

Excellent!

Love at first drive. Long term affair

2020 CX-9 Highlights

Safety

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