Mazda wheels out CX-9 ute

Newswheel staff :: 14 April 2006 :: Filed under Crossover, SUV, Mazda, Mazda CX-9, US

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Zero sum SUV?

Is the bottom about to fall out of the market for full-sized SUV / crossover-type cars? The sheer weight of launches into the sector over the past 18 months certainly gives us the fear. You just know when every manufacturer in town piles in, the ship is going down. Mixed metaphors aside, there is one thing we’re very confident of. The new Mazda CX-9 seven-seater crossover SUV is a zero sum model. It won’t be adding to the overall sales in the sector, just pinching a few off other brands…

Not to be confused with Mazda’s own CX-7 mid-sized crossover, the new CX-9 has been designed expressly for the US market – we’ll have to wait until after the Easter break for info on possible Euro and UK availability. For now, suffice to say that Mazda is bigging up the car’s combination of seven seat practicality and sporty driving characteristics. “Soul of a sportscar” is the latest Mazda maxim, and it’s stretched to its very semantic limits when applied to this tarmac crusher, which is claimed to sport one of the longest wheelbases in the segment.

Three rows of seats apparently provide accommodation for seven full-sized adults and even with a full house there’s space for 17.2 cubic feet of luggage. Both the second and third rows of seat fold flat, presumably delivering a gargantuan cargo bay.

As for power, well, a 250bhp 3.5-litre V6 is your lot. Whether that’s enough to overcome the likely enormous curb weight of this beast and its 20-inch wheels (Mazda has yet to divulge the finer details), we’d rather not speculate. At least there’s no shortage of chassis-related traction and safety kit, including optional part-time four-wheel drive, ABS, and traction and stability electrickery.

The CX-9 goes on sale in early 2007.