Mazda CX-9 test drive since 2007 SUV

Uzbek test of the new Mazda

Car journalists are actually large assholes. Many of them were so burned that they are already refusing to travel to all kinds of Italy or Spain there. Therefore, employees of PR services need to come up with something unusual when presenting new models in order to interest people whom Europe has already disgusted, and 20-year-old whiskey and cognacs are stupidly tired of. It is very difficult to surprise our brother. However, Mazda succeeded. Well, who would have thought that the presentation of the new CX-9 crossover can be arranged in Uzbekistan.
Once Uzbekistan was part of our homeland, however, for a long time, for many Russians, this country has turned into real exotic, and much larger than some Thailand or Egypt there. After all, a giant number of Russians are sent to the pyramids every year. Do you know a lot of people who, of their own free will want to go to Uzbekistan? And we do not know. So it turns out that there are more Germans, French and Australians than tourists from Russia, and in the markets sellers know how to speak English, but they may not know Russian.
A few words, of course, should be said about Mazda CX-9. In general, he is a child of America, even though the Japanese did him. The latter managed not only to integrate the Mazda CX-9 into American culture. In this case, we should already talk about the assimilation of the Mazda CX-9 is fully included in the American lifestyle. And where are we? And despite the fact that our car market develops at a very rapid pace (the crisis here, of course, is a hindrance, but not too strong). And the Russians are very fond of Mazda. And these two factors were enough for the leaders of the Japanese company to decide to start selling this American crossover with us (it will not be more in any European or Asian country CX-9).
You probably wait for the local color? We also hoped for him and not in vain. It is worth starting at least with the fact that the lines at the airport for registering a flight along the Moscow-Samarkand route were simply giant. And the people who came in advance did it not in vain. Rumor has it that such flights are sometimes practiced on such flights. That is, it happens that two tickets are sold to the same place! And planting extra people is a rather long process. Plus, from time to time, the Russian authorities demand to take deported citizens from Russia who also need to sit somewhere. In addition, the lines for registration are also formed due to the fact that many passengers carry a huge number of things with them: plasma panels, some bauls, boxes, bags
There were jokes and immediately upon arrival to Uzbekistan. Customs officers demanded that we fill out a declaration. It seems to be okay, ordinary forms. But the nuance lies in the fact that absolutely all the money, all values \u200b\u200band electronic devices: engagement ring, mobile phone, flash cards for cameras, cameras themselves, and so on, need to be made in the declaration. Moreover, all these things had to have a used prefix (former use).
It is better to have dollars, euro or Japanese yen with you. But they do not accept rubles here in official exchange offices, although they can sometimes be paid on the market. You can exchange money with foreign currencies, but this is a criminal crime (up to 10 years in prison). Hoping for credit cards is not worth it. In Tashkent, ATMs can still be found, but let's say in Samarkand, even in the best hotel in the city, it is not (by the way, in the same hotel, girls working in the kitchen sleep at night, for some reason, right in the corridor).
Uzbekistan can be safely called the country of white Daewoo Matiz and Nexia (Damas usually work as a minibus). These cars are simply a giant amount. There are also old Lada and Muscovites, moreover, their body condition is simply perfect. But foreign cars are found only in Tashkent, and even then rarely. (Even businessmen rarely buy something cooler than Chevrolet Lacetti, who also collect in Uzbekistan they do not want to stand out and bring to themselves the wrath of the authorities). As a result, when we went to Mazda CX-9 around the country, local people turned their heads if only to consider this overseas wonders. And it was worth calling for some village, everyone (yes, all) residents, including pregnant women, ran away at the acquaintance with the Japanese crossover.
Does it make sense to go to Uzbekistan by car yourself? On the one hand, moving around this country is more convenient precisely by car. In this case, you can easily visit not only Tashkent, where, after a terrible earthquake of 1966, there simply was no historical center, but also Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva that have been well -preserved and restored in recent years. After all, these cities have simply a huge number of historical attractions (do not forget that Samarkand is already 2750 years old). And the roads in the country are beautiful.
There is also the reverse side of the coin. In order to travel to Uzbekistan from Russia, Kazakhstan will have to cross, and there are a lot of terrible stories about customs officers and traffic cops (they say that Uzbek representatives of law enforcement agencies are no better, and the fine for speeding here can usually be paid on the spot - it is usually possible to limit yourself to 50 -100 rub.). There is another point in Uzbekistan at gas stations is difficult to find 95th gasoline! For example, Mazda was forced to negotiate with the local authorities and to bring this fuel to refuel her CC-9 specifically (although it should be noted that the CC-9 can be seasoned with cheaper 92nd gasoline). If you have a car brought from Japan, then the path is closed in Uzbekistan in general the operation of cars with the right wheel is prohibited.
Usually, if there are difficulties with an arrival in the country in their car, then travelers simply rent a car at the place of arrival. This is logical. But in Uzbekistan this cannot be done. It turns out that you can’t take a car without a driver! The reason is simple: the country is poorly developed in the country. There are features in the rules of the road. For example, in the afternoon with near light you can’t ride here. Perhaps that is why at night on Uzbek roads you can often find cars without light. You fly yourself along an unlit highway and then bam at the last moment you see a leisurely old VAZ six without headlights. And, most interestingly, it does not particularly annoy anyone.
But do not think that in Uzbekistan everything is bad. About architecture and a huge historical heritage have already been said. But it is also necessary to note people here are really kind and very friendly, they always try to help you, not even understanding what you want. And the Uzbeks also love their Uzbekistan and are proud of the country.
About Mazda CX-9, we already wrote this car showed Russian journalists in Sweden. This is a really big car. Its length is 5074 mm. That is, the CX-9 is larger than such monsters as Nissan Patrol or Toyota Land Cruiser 200! However, we must pay tribute to the Japanese designers CX-9 outwardly does not look like a truck. Even with such dimensions, the CX-9 looks rapidly and from afar it can be easily confused with CX-7. And the appearance of the last car will call a boring car.
But the main thing is different. The main thing is that Mazda CX-9 is going decent. Thanks to the 3.7-liter motor, which produces 277 hp, a huge SUV accelerates very actively. But a separate story is not worthy of the power unit itself (the most powerful and voluminous in the Mazda gamut, it was built on the basis of a 3.5-liter Ford development engine), and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It can be called, if not the best automaton at the moment, then at least one of the best. The transmission switches the speed very quickly and almost imperceptibly for the driver, almost always when accelerating, cutting down reduced at the right time. And not just lowered from the fifth or sixth speed of the automatic transmission can instantly go immediately to the second. Believe me, this box works just great, helping to realize all the possibilities of a power unit.
I liked the setting of the chassis. I must admit that at first there was a fear that the Mazda CX-9 would be a classic American clumsy elephant, which sways on gentle waves, does not obey the steering wheel and does not notice the holes. But it turned out that the character of Mazda CX-9 is different, although cars supplied to Russia have exactly the same suspension and steering as on crossovers sold in the states. In the CX-9 there was the spirit of Zom-Zuma, which promotes Mazda. Of course, he is not as much as in Mazda3 or MX-5 relatives. However, he is and this is a big surprise! Would we like to improve anything in the behavior of CX-9? The answer will be positive. So, I would like to make the steering more sharp and clear. And then, on the one hand, the car reacts quickly to the movement of the KLA-9 lamb and does not bother the car in corners, but on the other hand, when driving at a speed of more than 120 km/h, the steering wheel is empty and there is a desire to adjust the direction of the wheels. But here it is necessary to say this - most competitors in this class have even less acute steering.
Mazda CX-9 car is expensive, and over the past few months it has risen significantly. If more recently it cost 1,557,000 rubles, now we are already talking about 1,713,000 rubles. The Russian representative office of Mazda says that the Forex foreign exchange market and the strengthening of Japanese yen are to blame for everything. Although it is not easier for customers from this, because the price of the car increased by 156,000 rubles immediately.
What will the buyer receive by giving almost $ 64,000? He will have a truly large car (well, it has already been written about it), six chairs, a huge trunk, where you can carry not only things to the country. For example, if you fold the two rear rows of seats, you get a huge area of \u200b\u200bmore than two meters long, which can be easily used as a bed. And, as you guess, it is not at all necessary to sleep in it alone. And there will also be a leather salon, a truly decent Bose musical system with 10 speakers and all kinds of bells and whistles, three-zone climate control, seats with electric drives, six airbags.
Why can't he get? He will not receive perfect sound insulation (the main complaint to the wheeled arches when driving along the average quality road to the salon is actively breaking through the wheels), there will be no navigation system and any liquid crystalline monitors. For some reason, there will be no parking sensors, although it is extremely necessary for a car with a length of more than five meters. And in the largest Mazda there will be no such necessary and useful xenon headlights. Although this is a matter of time in the company say that in 2009 they will appear.
D. Smolyanov

Source: Auto.mail.ru