Mazda CX-9: Full flavored SUV

MANILA, Philippines - It’s almost a truism among cars, especially SUVs, that the bigger they get, the less fun they are to drive. Mass is thine enemy, as anybody who has ever tried to drive, say, an Expedition quickly – as in really quickly – can admit. The unsprung weight, the heave-ho handling, the tall center of gravity... better to just relax and proceed in a more stately manner.

Which is why Mazda’s CX-9 comes as a surprise. It’s an honest-to-goodness 7-seater, yet true to the Mazda ethos of Zoom-Zoom actually drives like a sporty car. Within reasonable limits, of course. A fairly rare sight on our roads, the CX-9 got a minor freshening some time ago with a new face and a more polished-looking interior. The front fascia is the most striking element, dominated as it is by a huge radiator grille with upturned edges to give it the look of a smile. Order a CX-9 in blue and tell me it doesn’t remind you of a benignly smiling whale.

Which is not to say that the cetacean resemblance extends to the rest of the car. The CX-9 avoids the slab-sided look typical of large SUVs by virtue of sculpted flanks with interesting details: the flared fenders that hint of muscular shoulders, the sloping beltline, the “powerdome” hood. From the back, the CX-9’s widebody look is nicely complemented by dual tailpipes. A little bit of the “Porsche Cayenne look” can’t hurt, right?

The rich, deep paint quality also deserves mention. There’s not a hint of flatness or “orange peel” even in the little nooks and crannies; it looks just as expensive as what you’d find on a Lexus.

Although it has a roomy cabin, the CX-9 isn’t meant to be ridden from the back by the owner. In this SUV, you do the driving because that’s where all the fun is. You sit in a cockpit with all the vital instruments and dials laid out in a predominantly black interior highlighted by red lighting and little bits of lacquered “piano black” accents here and there. The steering column tilts and telescopes, the driver’s seat is power-adjustable every which way, and the view out front is expansive.

For a big vehicle, it doesn’t feel so much from the driver’s seat. The window beltline angles downward to the base of the A-pillar to reduce the blind spot, and the low cowl helps you to place the car just so in your lane. It’s the same sort of ambiance you’d find in a Mazda6, enlarged 250%.

All of this is ably supported by the chassis and powertrain. A V6 with the somewhat odd displacement of 3.7-liters resides under the hood, but it’s a sweetheart. It churns out 277 horsepower and 36.7 kg-m of torque through a 6-speed manumatic, and the satiny sound of all 24-valves working in harmony will make one forgive its fuel-thirsty nature. On the highway and with a light load it cruises along at nearly 8kpl, but dig into the power and it dips to the mid-5s.

You will probably do more of the latter than with the former, because it’s just so much fun to drive. There is a direct, right-to-the-moment feel with the primary controls, from the throttle to the brakes to the steering, that just makes you want to go on a fast road trip with this Mazda. The front strut-rear multilink suspension feels as taut as the Mazda6’s, and the steering displays little of the slack and numb feel so typical of full-size SUVs.

Part of the credit must go to those humongous, 50-series, 20-inch tires. No one will argue that they don’t look cool, and the huge footprint and fairly low profile rubber help to create a handling persona that feels very nimble for an SUV of its size. Even the tall center of gravity doesn’t do much to create a feeling of top-heaviness since the CX-9 has a fairly wide track. Equipped with all-wheel drive, the system works invisibly and seems to be biased for slippery conditions rather than all-out, hardcore off-roading.

On a set of switchbacks, pouring on the power after clipping the apex delivers a neutral demeanor. Enter a corner too fast and the nose plows outward in protective understeer. Gentle trail braking will push the nose back in as the tail rotates in a progressive manner.

One casualty that may turn off more family-oriented buyers is the ride quality. Compared to, say, a Ford Expedition or a Hyundai Veracruz, the CX-9’s sport-oriented suspension and tires do add a bit of choppiness on less than smooth roads. The jitteriness is more pronounced at the backseat, although it’s still better than any other SUV using heavy-duty leaf springs.

On the area of creature comforts, there’s not much that Mazda left on the cupboards. Only one trim level is offered in the Philippines, so the whole caboodle includes a power moonroof, leather, airbags everywhere (the side airbags even extend to the third row seat), stability control, flat-folding 2nd and 3rd row seats, automatic dual-zone climate control, and premium stereo.

Mazda improved the latter with a more intuitive layout, better-sounding speakers, and the inclusion of a backup camera; very useful because the relatively small rear window has a big blind spot just below it. Shift to Reverse and the stereo’s LCD display shifts to camera-mode, showing you just what exactly is facing your expensive rear bumper. One item I wish they’d thrown in as well: a power liftgate. For petite drivers reaching up to close it is a stretch, and for practically anyone else it also takes some muscle to close properly.

These are minor complaints for such a well sorted-out SUV. With a sticker price of nearly three million (P2.899M, actually) you won’t be seeing too many CX-9s on the road, but for the size and the price moneyed folks will do the inevitable comparos with the likes of the Hyundai Veracruz, the Subaru Tribeca, and perhaps even the more expensive (and smaller) BMW X3, Lexus RX350, and Mercedes-Benz GLK280. As it is the CX-9 shows that going for a full-size SUV doesn’t have to mean the end of driving enjoyment.

THE GOOD

• Excellent fit and finish.

• Rousing performance, handling, and style.

• Expected load-out of modcons and safety features.

THE BAD

• Somewhat choppy ride.

• Low-profile, 20-inch tires discourage serious off-roading.

• Needs a power liftgate.

THE VERDICT

• A family SUV that’s actually a lot of fun to drive. The best consolation yet for not being allowed by the spouse to get an MX-5.