Mazda CX-9

The Mazda CX-9’s boot quotes 230L with all three rows up, and 810L when the third row is folded down.

All versions of the CX-9 wear a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on tests conducted in 2016.

The CX-9 was assessed against older crash testing criteria, and scored a total of 35.87 points out of a possible 37. It also received Good ratings for whiplash and pedestrian protection.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 6 airbags (dual front, front side, side curtain)
• AEB with pedestrian detection (4-80km/h)
• AEB in reverse (2-8km/h)
• Forward collision warning
• Lane departure warning
• Lane-keep assist
• Auto high-beam
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Driver attention alert
• Traffic sign recognition

The front-wheel drive Mazda CX-9 uses 8.4L/100km on the ADR combined city and highway cycle, while all-wheel drive models are rated at 9.0L/100km.

It will run on 91 RON regular unleaded.

In short, the CX-9 drives wonderfully. With its polished powertrain and accomplished ride, the big Mazda hits it out of the ballpark in what are arguably the two most important areas.

No perceivable turbo lag, impressive response, ample torque on board to rarely demand raising its pulse above 2000-2500rpm during urban driving, the 2.5L unit is a gem of an engine, proof positive that Mazda should invest more in spread turbocharging further throughout its range.

It’s an excellent six-speed automatic, too, that might appear slim in its ratio count compared with some competition offering up to eight speeds, but doesn’t really suffer because of it mostly because the engine it’s paired with is gutsy enough down low and, being petrol, has a high rpm ceiling if you ever feel the need to use it – and you rarely do.

It’s a quiet powertrain, too, but lean into it and there’s pleasingly raspy note and it’s even a touch sporty. There’s a choice of drive modes but, realistically, there’s enough pep in the reserves that there’s not much cause to go fiddling with the mode selector.

Premium, as in genuinely premium? You bet. Some big dollar Euro SUVs could benefit with the sort of classy refinement the Mazda offers at a mainstream budget.

It’s the very same story with the ride quality. Sure, it sits on large 20-inch wheels with a lot of mass those passive dampers need to contend with across bumps and lumps, but thanks to the deft tuning – aided no doubt by the thick 50-series tyres – the ride compliance is, as we’ve noted in reviews past, beautiful.

The suspension filters out the small road imperfections with ease, absorbs big hits gently, settling nicely and quickly in the wash-up. This is the sort of deft execution you expect from more thoroughbred adaptive damping and, on balance, the Mazda rides better than the fancier air-sprung designs common in much more upmarket offerings, many of which lack the natural and assertive body control the Mazda enjoys. Yes, it’s that good.

The CX-9 backs up its powertrain and suspension finery with excellent resistance to extraneous noise, with very little rumble from those broad 255mm tyres and a proper sense of bank vault surety between the cabin, the road and the environment. It can dial up a level of serenity that’s seriously impressive, the sort of ambience comfort you’d expect from bona-fide luxury motoring.

Between its manners on the move and the welcoming cabin space, the CX-9 makes for a superb open-road tourer and long hauler, the sort of machine that really has your back across the tyranny of distance. Thus tasked, the adaptive cruise works well and the active assistance systems aren’t too intrusive and bothersome.

It really does very little, if anything, poorly in the driving or passenger-ing experience, certifying itself as Mazda’s flagship in dignified execution moreso than anywhere else.

Like its CX-8 sibling, the larger CX-9 is a little tough to judge when parking, not for lack of visibility but just because it’s quite a large unit.

Otherwise gripes are very minor – the aforementioned A-pillar thickness that robs a bit of forward vision, a reversing camera with static rather than adaptive guidelines, and the lack of digital speed in the instrument cluster, though this last bit is countered logically with the speed readout in the head-up display.

It’s a class act. And a certifiably premium one at that.

You can find more details on all the options and inclusions across the Mazda CX-9 variants on the official website, and within the official Mazda CX-9 specifications page.

For the 2022 model year, the CX-9 is available in the following finishes:

• Machine Grey metallic*
• Polymetal Grey metallic*
• Soul Red Crystal metallic*
• Snowflake White Pearl mica
• Sonic Silver metallic
• Titanium Flash mica
• Deep Crystal Blue mica
• Jet Black mica

*Premium finishes cost $495

The Mazda CX-9 has a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

Even several years on from launch, the Mazda CX-9 remains one of our top picks in the Large SUV segment.

While it's a little more old-school in terms of its design, the Mazda offers one of the nicest cabins this side of the premium marques, as well as more than enough space and practicality for a growing family.

The GT and GT SP are arguably the best value in terms of price and spec, and we'd recommend going for an AWD model given the 2.5L turbo petrol engine makes a diesel-like 420Nm.