Dad life can sometimes feel totally unpredictable, sporadic, and full of surprises – and not all those surprises are necessarily welcome ones. It’s no wonder that as a Dad, it’s natural to crave just the tiniest bit of reliability in the everyday things that make up your life – both inside and out of parenthood. Maybe that’s why everytime I get a chance to spend some time with one of Mazda’s vehicles in its CX line, I breath a sigh of relief.
Aside from incremental yearly improvements, the Mazda’s CX series have largely remained consistent – a beacon of style and high performance in a sea of predictable crossovers. Mazda’s KODO design language produces some darn pretty cars to look at and their “zoom, zoom” philosophy produces some exciting experiences on the road. I recently spent time with the 2021 CX-9 — the big brother to the popular CX-5 — and above any other emotion the vehicle elicited, the one I found coming back to time and time again was “familiarity”.
And in the world of chaos that can be parenting, a little bit of familiarity goes a long way.
What This Dad Digs about the 2021 Mazda CX-9
The Design. It’s a given – In its current iteration, the CX-9 design, both inside and out, hasn’t changed much in the past few years and I have absolutely no problem with that. The CX-9 is a strikingly handsome work of art and its intoxicating curves have never been better. The low-to-the-ground stand makes for a sporty demeanor but refined details, like the slanted front headlines, give the vehicle cool classiness. Inside, the minimalistic swagger continues across the cabin as carefully crafted lines flow from the front dash, out through the side doors and into the rear. The CX-9 I tested came equipped with the Signature trim which amps up the posh with finishing touches like soft leather seats and open-pore wood accents in the dash. It’s the icing on the cake but it’s clear there is bountiful goodness throughout the slice.
Zoom Freaking Zoom – While the CX-9 leans towards the larger side of crossover vehicles, its spirit is pure weightlessness because it drives with enough pep and pizzazz that you would think it was built out of something lighter than metal. Packed with a 2.5-liter, turbo-4 engine that produces 227 horsepower, the CX-9 offers a bright driving experience, perfect for urban driving. The handling is crisp and feels nimble enough to weave in and out of traffic with ease. The transmission is the only drawback – which I’ll touch on later – but day to day commutes on a mixture of highway and city streets were fun and confident.
Safety First – It’s certainly important that CX-9 scored very well in crash tests and that the IIHS gave it their Top Safety Pick, but it’s the everyday safety features that alot of Dad Drivers will be interested in. I’m happy to say, those safety features work like a charm. All versions of the CX-9 come standard with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and active lane control. The fact that the CX-9 sits lower to the ground, also helps the vehicle feel firmly planted and less likely to roll or tip over in an accident.
The Sparse Dash – This may seem like a minor complement in regards to the overall vehicle but I don’t care: I freaking love the widescreen 10.3 infotainment screen and its placement high up on the dash is perfection. It’s not a touchscreen — you can only manipulate it with a control knob in the center console — but in my opinion, thats an advantage. It stays fingerprint free and once you become accustomed to the knob controller, navigating the menus becomes second nature. The user interface software is another story, unfortunately. The updated software feels like a step backward, with too much user navigation required. The minimalistic design of the software fits with the overall aesthetic of the CX-9 but in everyday use it feels a bit lacking.
Affordable Versions – No matter the trim level, the CX-9 is a worthwhile investment but it is convenient that there are several affordable trims to choose from. The base Sport level starts at an attractive $35,900 but I would recommend at least opting for the Touring level which brings with it leather upholstery and a power liftgate – something that will come in handy when towing kids and cargo. The Signature trim level our CX-9 came with is equipped with the “cream of the crop” feature and came in at about $47,000; this includes perks like a premium audio system, nappa leather, and a gorgeous panoramic moonroof.
What Gets This Dad’s Downvote
A wonky transmission choice – As spunky as the engine can be in the 2021 CX-9, it’s tied to a surprising 6 gear transmission. Extra gears would make more sense, especially when you get the CX-9 into the higher revolutions. You most likely won’t notice the lack of extra gears much but drive it enough you’ll no doubt notice the limitations.
A tiny third row – I wasn’t expecting much room from the third row in the CX-9 but all the same, I was surprised at how small it indeed was, all the same. It’s hard to imagine anyone larger than a child sitting comfortably back there. A third row for passengers comes in handy but admittedly I would probably use the CX-9 with the third row placed downward most of the time. With that row down, cargo space in the rear reaches 38 cubic feet – an improvement over the 14 cubic feet with that third row up.
Fuel economy – There is too much competition in this particular car segment to vehemently defend average fuel economy rating the CX-9 gets. The front-wheel drive version gets a respectable 22 miles to the gallon in the city and 28 miles to the gallon on the highway. While not terrible, it’s difficult to ignore the better fuel economy that does exist in this segment, even for a crossover this large. To make matters worse, the All-wheel version offers even less miles per gallon.
The Calm in the Storm
Parenthood can be a stormy mess so to have a reliable vehicle at the center of that “hurricane” is key. The 2021 Mazda CX-9 falls the trend of reliable vehicles from Mazda but it’s without it’s own hiccups. If you’re like me and simply want supplemental seating for those are cases when you need to shuttle extra passengers, the CX-9 is best used with that third row down for convenient cargo space. Just remember than even when used, that third row can not be described as spacious. The trade off is, the CX-9 retains a small profile that will fit in your garage and in pretty much any parking space. And if a crossover, even a large one, is truly what your shopping for, you’d be hard pressed to find a better value then the CX-9.
Phillip is a filmmaker, an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and craft beer aficionado. He writes about cars, car tech, and various other cool Dad things. He lives, works and plays in Dallas, Texas.
