The new Japanese Mazda CX-9 crossover has recently entered our market, and this giant can already be seen on the streets. Auto Editor Yuga.ru could not miss the opportunity to test it.
Let's go with the obvious trump card - dimensions. Yes, the new CX-9 is the largest in the class. The length of the car exceeds 5 meters and is 5075 mm, width - 1960 mm, height - 1740 mm. A kind of yokozuna on wheels (yokozuna is the highest rank sumo wrestler). And yet, visually, the Japanese do not look like a giant at all. Perhaps because of the sloping roof, perhaps due to the forms where there is not even a hint of a square.
In general, the designers did a good job. The proprietary design philosophy in the KODO style that Mazda proclaimed several years ago has moved to the next stage of its development. A negative-angle radiator grill in combination with sharp front lights make up a composition worthy of Kandinsky’s hand, if you recall his “Black Lines”. Why not? In an extreme case, all this can be imagined in the style of Utagawa engravings.
Inside, nothing extraordinary, when compared with the same CX-5, is not observed. Although it is necessary to note the quality of materials and the touch screen, which ceases to be touch when the car is moving. This is such an interesting concern of the Japanese about our safety. When moving, the control of functions is delegated to the joystick that the gear shift handle has.
Convenient and practical.
Also, designers drew attention to the tactile sensations of users, and they started with door handles. In order for the sensations to resemble the grip of a katana hilt with a palm, we brought this element to perfection very carefully.
Note the work on the angle of the seats. A lot of attention is paid to this by many manufacturers, and someone even NASA designs them. Extensive research was conducted here, the result of which was the arrangement of the pedals on the same axis as the driver (this affects the tension of the legs and neck) and the adjustment of the backrest with the seat so that a person of almost any complexion should feel most comfortable. During the test drive Mazda CX-9 discomfort, we certainly did not experience. But they enjoyed the level of sound insulation, which is one of the best in the class, and the sound of 12 speakers of the Bose sound system.
The wheelbase here is worthy of 2930 mm. There is not just a lot of space on the back sofa, but a lot. Well, of course, there is a third row of seats, although they did it exclusively for children. Very small children.
One of the most important moments of this car, Mazda experts call the new power unit. Yes, the rather unsuccessful and extremely gluttonous turbocharged 2.3-liter engine was replaced by a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine with a capacity of 231 horsepower at 420 Nm of maximum torque, which, you see, is pretty good for this size of cross-country. What is interesting about it, in this SkyActive 2.5L Dynamic Pressure Turbo?
Firstly, there is a rather high compression ratio in the cylinders: 10.5 instead of the usual 9.0 in modern engines. The order of the cylinders is 1-3-4-2. This allows the exhaust gases from the first cylinder to extract gases from the third cylinder along the principle of ejection, and so on. Moreover, there is a system that redirects part of the exhaust gases back to the cylinders, which increases the environmental friendliness of the power unit. A new two-channel turbine is installed as a supercharger. In general, let's see what will happen to such an aggregate after 50–70 thousand kilometers.
Special thanks to the engineers for the classic six-speed automatic gearbox (hydromechanics). As for efficiency, we got about 12 liters per hundred with a rather nervous movement in the test mode. Very good for a car of this size.
The new Mazda CX-9 moves very briskly for its size. Just over 8 seconds to the cherished hundreds - worthy of respect. We managed to accelerate the cross to 100 km / h in 9.2 seconds, but this is with a bunch of equipment and three passengers on board. This indicates a good combination of the power unit and gearbox.
Yes, the CX-9 is a crossover, anyway. But we do not recommend getting out into it in the mud, it is a purely urban resident. Four-wheel drive is present, which allows you to feel comfortable on wet asphalt and gravel, but this is not enough for the ground. Moreover, if you pay attention to the length of the front overhang, it becomes clear that to call on a hill, hill or overpass for the CX-9 is a problem. Although it is not worth denying that the suspension here perfectly fulfills irregularities. On the front there is a McPherson, on the rear axle - multi-link design.
You can summarize in this way. The new Mazda CX-9 - an interesting car, high-quality, roomy, quite dynamic and good in handling. For the family is fully suitable.