LA 2015: New 2017 Mazda CX-9 Is Literally on Lockdown
You’ll excuse us if the new 2017 Mazda CX-9 photos we took lack a little substance. Mazda’s newest crossover was on lockdown by the automaker in Los Angeles on Tuesday, allegedly because competing engineers were a little to eager to snap pictures underneath the new girl’s sheet metal.
Whether we’re allowed to take pictures of it now or later, Mazda’s newest crossover (presumably) gets a whole host of the automaker’s latest and greatest including its new 2.5-liter, turbocharged SKYACTIV four cylinder that makes 250 horsepower* and 310 pound-feet of torque.
The new three-row crossover sports a long hood, but short overhangs, which keeps the crossover at a somewhat manageable 199.4 inches long. According to Mazda, the new CX-9 is about an inch shorter than the outgoing model despite having a 2-inch longer wheelbase.
The CX-9 will sport 18- or 20-inch wheels — depending on your flair for drama — but even larger shoes look a little small in the crossover’s wheel arches. (Perhaps that’s due to the cladding around the wheel wells.)
Mazda says that the CX-9 has lost a football player in overall weight — around 200 pounds in front-wheel drive configuration, 300 pounds in all-wheel drive spec — despite having more than 50 pounds of sound-deadening material below the floor alone.
The CX-9 will sport a suite of safety tech, including adaptive cruise, blind spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and autonomous emergency braking, including three different systems to avoid front collisions — city braking, distance recognition control and smart braking over 9 mph.
According to Mazda, the CX-9 will go on next spring. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet.
* The CX-9 makes 250 horsepower on 93 octane. It makes 227 horsepower on 87 octane. Who has access to 93 octane and better still, who buys a CX-9 and pumps it full of ultra premium every time?
More by Aaron Cole
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Lots o pics here, by the way. http://www.thecarconnection.com/overview/mazda_cx-9_2017 The interior is just vastly better over the old one, especially with that plum leather! But it sure looks like a lot of heavy car to be pushed around by a 2.5. Leg room looks limited for those not up front, as well.
In 1956, as I recall, I read a piece in Motor Trend or some such mag a report on driving the new Oldsmobile. The writer noted how nicely the car accelerated on part throttle, and an Olds engineer said "People buy horsepower but use torque". How true. It's so nice when a car feels effortlessly powerful.