Mazda CX-9 test drive since 2007 SUV
Hot report from Sweden
For the Russian representative office of Mazda, the period from 2007 to 2008 turned out to be extremely hot and intense events. Here is the start of sales of the long-awaited CX-7 crossover, and replacing the terrible B2500 pickup with a new BT-50 model, and the presented Mazda6, and the premiere in the city car segment-Mazda2. Wasn't time to rest? No, and judging by the enthusiasm that Mazda is experiencing regarding the prospects of the Russian market, nobody will have to miss either the Russian management of the company, nor dealers, or automobile journalists in the near future. So last week we again fused suitcases and flew to Sweden to present the next new product of the full-size seven-seater CX-9 crossover, which will appear in Russian car dealerships in September. 
As in the case of the CX-7 crossover, initially the CX-9 model was aimed exclusively to North America. In the New World, her sales started at the beginning of 2007. However, given the ongoing boom in the domestic market, the appearance of this car in Russia was, in fact, a matter of time. Well, let's try to figure out how successful there was a rather daring attempt by Mazda to play in the market uncharacteristic for her full-size SUVs, whose representatives are traditionally very expensive premium cars. Needless to say, the rivals got serious!
Design So, let's start with the most important emotional component of any car from its appearance. Well, in the design of the CX-9, direct continuity is easily read both with the youngest model CX-7 (if you look from afar and in profile, then you can completely confuse them), and with the family features of the remaining Mazda cars created as part of the Zoom concept -Zoom. And the main such feature is, of course, sports, expressed literally in every detail of the body. This is a rapid silhouette (an aerodynamic resistance coefficient of 0.36), and racks inclined with an impressive angle, and narrow windows, and a huge air intake, and protruding wheel arches in the spirit of the RX-8 relative, and elegant 20-inch 10-spice discs, And narrowed headlights. An additional sports charm gives spectacular trapezoidal pipes of the exhaust system that decorates the car behind.
Despite the fact that in general, the nine looks less aggressive and more solid compared to the seven, nevertheless, when looking at this machine, an unambiguous sense of speed and excitement are created. And how many full -sized SUVs that cause the same emotions can be remembered? Well, perhaps, Porsche Cayenne and, partly, Audi Q7. Of course, in the design of large SUVs, many people like the angular brutality in the Jeep Commander or Range Rover style. But there are, of course, such buyers who have already tired of all these chopped forms. So for them the new Mazda should be a good alternative. But the biggest surprise in the design of the CX-9 is that outwardly it does not seem huge well, except that a little larger than the seven. However, this car is large, really big! At the moment, this is not only the longest Mazda, but also one of the most spacious cars in its class.
Judge the length of the body of the nine is more than 5 m (5089 mm, to be completely accurate), the width of 1936 mm, and the height is 1728 mm. For comparison, the length of Toyota Land Cruiser 200 4950 mm, Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 4850 mm, BMW X5 4854 mm, Nissan Murano 4770 mm, Volkswagen Touareg 4754 mm. In fact, from the point of the body dimension, which largely determines the comfort of the cabin, the competitors of the CX-9 are only cars such as Mercedes-Benz GL (5088x1920x1840 mm) and Audi Q7 (5086x1983x1737 mm), if not to calculate monsters, like Infiniti QX56, Cadillac Escalade or Hummer H2. However, all these machines are in a completely different price segment (we will talk about prices and competitors in detail).
So, the impressive size combined with an excellent design is the first and undoubtedly important advantage of the new crossover.
It is curious that despite the noticeable external similarity of the CX-9 with CX-7, from a technical point of view of these cars there are few in common: if the CX-7 crossover is built on a new platform created specifically for it, then the MPV minivan platform uses the CX-9 platform (cars are even produced on the same assembly line), which, in turn, was borrowed from Mazda6. Thus, the CX-9 is not an enlarged version of the CX-7, but a completely different car! Interior
Mazda salons have never spoiled buyers with some excesses. Even the CX-7 worth more than $ 50,000 from the inside is very ascetic, such a design would rather have a sports car than a crossover, who suggests at least some comfort for the driver and passengers. Functionality combined with a competitive price is, apparently, the rule that Mazda designers usually guided by the interior. However, for the top model, the exclusion of the salon of the nine turned out to be quite respectable.
In the finish of the front console, it is still used mainly the notorious hard plastic, but because of a thinner texture it looks noer than, say, in the CX-7 or Mazda6. Plastic elements for wood are also used - and they look quite organic and do not leave a feeling of inept imitation and cheapness. Doors handles are decorated for aluminum, leather inserts are used in the upper part of the doors. The dashboard with the branded Mazdovo wells, enclosed in silver frames, also looks good. The quality of design, manufacture and assembly is excellent, the width of the seams between the interior elements is minimal. In general, we can say that the salon looks better than it really stands. It is impossible not to note very convenient front chairs with excellent lateral support, electrical adjustments and heating, as well as a wide armrest, which is part of the floor console and the separating place of the driver and the front passenger. It would seem that not the most important element - but how it disposes to impressiveness and rest at the wheel! The floor console, by the way, passes quite high, slightly above the driver's knees, so that access to the handle of the automatic transmission selector is extremely convenient, it is always at hand, you do not need to reach anywhere. Unlike CX-7, the steering column is adjusted both in height and in departure.
However, all this is not so important in comparison with the main sensation that leaves the salon with a feeling of space! There are enough places for everyone, regardless of the growth and complexion of the driver and his passengers. Surprisingly, even on the third row, which is usually intended for children in other cars, two people with a height of 180 cm are calmly settled (we specially checked), and the size of the salon and adjustable chairs of the second row allow you to get a job with maximum comfort. Still, in the space for the legs of the CX-9, the best result in the class! Add to this also a three-zone climate control (a bit of a bit for such a salon), as well as the Bose audio system with 10 speakers and there is no doubt in the comfort of travel. Everything is in order with the trunk: with folded seats of the third row, its volume is 928 liters, and the length of the floor is 1243 mm. If you also fold the second row, then the volume of the luggage compartment reaches as many as 1900 liters with a floor length of 2092 mm. And although it is unlikely that the owner of the CX-9 will transport a refrigerator or building materials for a summer residence in his car, in which case it is possible to do this without any problems.
So we write another plus in the CX-9 asset is a neat and very spacious interior. From the point of view of design and the materials used, this, of course, is not Porsche and not Mercedes-Benz, but a certain modest sophistication is already obvious.
In move The sled qualities of the CX-9 also left the most pleasant impression.
Firstly, the 3.7-liter 6-cylinder atmospheric engine MZI V6 with variable phases of gas distribution and a capacity of 277 hp was very pleased. There is no need to expect any sports pickups from him, and in general, his character is more calm than that of the explosive MZR turbo engine used on the CX-7, but the thrust is enough for confident overclocking to a hundred in 8.5 seconds. A good result for a more than two -ton car! The appetites of this engine when moving along the highway (and in a fairly torn mode, with sharp accelerations), the average gasoline consumption was about 16-17 liters per 100 km, turned out to be very moderate. In general, this approximately corresponds to the fuel efficiency of the CX-7.
By the way, despite the fact that Mazda stubbornly calls the MZI motor with its own brainchild, in fact, it only produces it at its capacities. The authorship of the unit belongs to Ford, and the engine is called Duratec 37 (Cyclone). And this is rather a plus than a minus. Despite the contradictory reputation of their cars, in terms of Ford engines, recognized authority.
The second pleasant surprise was the automatic 6-speed gearbox of the Japanese company Aisin. This is definitely one of the best machine guns on which we had to ride. Typically, automatic transmission is criticized for delays when switching, but this is not a mention here. The box reacts accurately and in time to the accelerator pedal, and with sharp acceleration almost instantly switches to a low gear (a couple of times we managed to force it to jump from the 6th as much as the 2nd). Despite the presence of manual mode, we tried it exclusively out of curiosity so clearly and logically worked automation. The next undoubted advantage of the CX-9 is the suspension, configured to the combination of handling and comfort, close to the ideal. On the one hand, in turns, the car clearly withstands the trajectory and does not show a tendency to swing, on the other hand, the suspension quietly and gently swallows road irregularities and potholes. Despite the noticeably smaller rigidity of the suspension compared to CX-7, the nine remains a very assembled machine, which allows you to drive quickly and with excitement if desired. A sharp steering wheel, and magnificent, just excellent, brakes contribute to this. Despite its size and weight, the CX-9 does not leave a sensation of a clumsy barge with slurred steering, as is often the case with its classmates. In general, a worthy successor of the genus Zoom-Zoom!
But what upset the quality of sound insulation. In general, this is some kind of evil rock Mazda: the problem has been known about the problem for a long time, and at each presentation the company solemnly states that in this model the problems with noise are accurately resolved. And for some reason, cars continue to be noisy! Unfortunately, the story repeated exactly this time. As in the CX-7, the sound of the motor in the CX-9 cabin is practically not heard (and at high speeds it is more likely to enjoy), but the monotonous rumble created by tires still penetrates the salon. Of course, everything is known in comparison: this sound does not look at all, for example, to that howl from the handout of the Niva, because of which it is impossible to talk in the cabin. However, the noise insulation of the premium car could be better.
Off -road Unfortunately, we could not test the off-road qualities of the CX-9. Firstly, a strong drought was established in Sweden, and it was simply impossible to find at least some dirt. And secondly, for some reason all country of country roads in this country turned out to be blocked by barriers. So we could only be satisfied with the imitation of hanging the wheel in the roadside ditch (at that moment, Saab with three girls stopped near us, who asked with preoccupied people whether we were injured and whether the police were needed to provide assistance).
But in general, and without tests, the result is predictable to predict a full-wheel drive system with an electronic coupling without changes, I migrated to CX-9 from seven and all-wheel drive six. And although Mazda calls his crossover an SUV, this is still a car with very modest all -terrain sets. Indeed, in the Arsenal CX-9 there is no lowering series, interdosseous and inter-axle locks, or even differential of high friction. And only one anti-circus system, which in some cases, can brake the slippers of the wheels, is helpless against hanging (which is quite likely on a serious off-road due to a relatively short-moving suspension).
Price and competitors
So we approached the most interesting to the price. So, the CX-9 will be delivered to Russia in only two trim levels that have only one difference in the presence or absence of a hatch on the roof. The price of top equipment will be 1,582,000 rubles (i.e. about $ 67,000). Is it a lot or not enough?
According to Andrei Glazkov, Marketing Director of the Russian Mazda, the CX-9 does not have competitors on the market. And in his own way he is right to find the same large SUV for comparable money objectively impossible. The closest competitor in size of the body is the Audi Q7, which even in the lowest possible configuration costs $ 27,000 more. Somewhere in the same price niche there are Mercedes-Benz GL and Land Cruiser 200. To put it mildly, there is a difference, so it seems that the price of the CX-9 is very tempting.
But, unfortunately for Mazda, not all customers put the volume of the cabin at the forefront. Moreover, the third row of seats is actually few people need. And if you slightly reduce the requirements for size (even leaving three rows of seats as a prerequisite), then the number of alternatives increases sharply: Ford Explorer (the price of maximum configuration is 1,514,000 rubles), Mitsubishi Pajero 5D (equipment 3.8 Intyle 1 582 188 rub.), Toyota Land Cruiser Prado (maximum equipment - 1,641,000 rubles), Nissan Pathfinder (maximum equipment 1,574,000 rubles), Cadillac SRX (equipment with an engine of 3.8 l 1 636 209 rubles). Moreover, most of these cars have a much more powerful off-road potential than a CX-9 non-welfare.
In addition, money, of course, is determined by much, but not all. Of course, when we are talking about the segment of budget cars, the price of the price is very important: for a person choosing between some Lada Priora and Daewoo Nexia, even a difference of 10,000 rubles. It may turn out to be decisive. However, in the case of premium class, psychology also plays a huge role. Indeed, in addition to the price and technical characteristics of the buyer of a luxury car, the issues of status, prestige are very worried. In addition, it is unlikely that a person who is ready to pay $ 67,000 for a car is going to part with his last money. Most likely, the extra $ 5000-10000 will not make special weather for him. And in this price range such interesting options already appear as, for example, Volvo XC90 with a 3.2 l engine or Volkswagen Touareg with V6 FSI. And although these cars will give a little CX-9 in terms of their running qualities and dimension, from the point of view of the image, they are a head higher.
Mazda’s trump card could become a rich equipment, but there is nothing to boast of the Japanese so far. Unlike the CX-9, designed for the American market, the Russian version of the crossover is frankly empty: there is not a large multifunctional display with GPS navigation, no blind zones sensor, nor the ability to connect a phone through Bluetooth, nor parkingate with a camera. And even the light of the Russian configuration CX-9 can only be halogen. It turns out that if the buyer wants xenon or navigation, then he will have to fork out for components of third firms - which immediately makes the price of the CX -9 less attractive. All this does not mean at all that the car turned out to be unsuccessful. On the contrary, he has a lot of advantages and an excellent design, and a comfortable spacious interior, and magnificent drivesters, and high safety (5 NHTSA stars in tests for the front and lateral blow). Definitely, the car costs its money. In the end, it was not for nothing that this year he received the SUV Prize in the USA (according to the authoritative magazine Motor Trend). But there are plenty of competitors of CX -9 - it is likely to leave for one spacious salon. Moreover, soon the appearance of the Hyundai Veracruz crossover on the Russian market is expected to appear in the Russian market, which will probably perform in the same price segment as the CX-9.
In general, it is still difficult to predict sales of the CX-9. However, there is a good indicator of interest in the new model. These are queues in dealerships. For example, even before the start of the CX-7 supply, this crossover stretched for almost six months. Whether this success will be repeated with CX -9 - will show the near future.
Ilya Naumov
Source: Auto.mail.ru
