2020 Mazda CX-9 Signature

BEIRUT: If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that SUVs consistently emerge as the car of choice when it comes to practicality. Sure, when we get into passionate discussions about vehicles we would like to see in our driveway, more often than not the subject tends to focus on sports cars, especially from Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and the like. And yet whenever we have a family outing, a trip to the mountains, a shopping trip, or even just schlepping to and from work, all-wheel-drive SUVs end up being the preferred mode of transportation.

It’s not even a contest because how else can you transport seven people or haul cargo in inclement weather over pavement that was last maintained before the Civil War?

Unfortunately, despite their practicality, most SUVs, especially those below the $100,000 mark, by their very nature lack the sensuality that makes the sports cars we adore so alluring.

But Mazda, it appears, doesn’t subscribe to that belief. With its current stylish seven-seater SUV on the market, the marque has debunked the myth that practicality and sensuality are mutually exclusive concepts.

The CX-9 defies just about everything we have held to be true about large SUVs. Though it arrived while Mazda embraced the Kodo Soul of Motion design language across its entire lineup, initially I had doubts regarding how such a sensual and dynamic styling philosophy could even be applied to an SUV – it just didn’t seem achievable. 

And yet not only does the CX-9 wear the Kodo with grace, it exemplifies it, resulting in the sort of SUV that I could easily see dignifying the driveways of the world’s most renowned fashion designers. The car looks simply sublime, exuding a sense of agility simultaneously with the sort of elegance usually found on luxury sedans from Britain. In a sense, it gives off a decidedly European flair, and yet it’s unlike anything else on the market. Its styling even belies its size, making the SUV appear to be far more compact than it actually is, and that’s a feat very few can pull off.

Essentially, the cabin feels like a twin-cockpit setup, with traditional gauges behind the steering wheel with a helper screen nestled between them for key driver information. All surfaces feel nice, soft to the touch; no gimmicky plastics here. Vertical vents frame the center stack, as do the buttons for the dual-zone climate control. Glance down and you notice that the center console has been styled asymmetrically, a diagonal division placing the gear shift lever and control knob to the left and a pair of cup holders to the right.

The trim in the model I was driving featured a combination of gloss piano black and textured Kacchu Aluminum, lending the interior a sophisticated yet high-tech appeal, which actually worked well with what happened next.

I put my foot on the brake, pressed the start button, and the car came to life, and I don’t mean just the engine. The seat returned to the ideal driving position and the steering wheel, raised to facilitate ingress, lowered to the appropriate position. And that center stack woke up and I felt right at home.

Incredibly, part of what gives this Mazda its upscale allure is its restraint, eliminating styling clutter altogether and focusing entirely on the twisted-steel philosophy of the Kodo. Certainly the massive chrome-framed grille and LED lighting demand attention, seeing as they comprise the fascia of an elongated hood, customary in Mazda’s cab-forward designs, but they, along with the intricate styling of the lift gate and taillights in the rear, remain the only adornments on the CX-9’s otherwise unblemished surfaces.

In fact, a lot of what give this car its appeal is unexpected, such as the expensive-looking paint itself. Whether in the finely flaked Machine Gray or Soul Red, the two colors that I had the opportunity to inspect closely, the paintwork seems to glow as if it’s alive. I’m not simply talking about the metallicity or glossiness of the paint, but its essence seems to extend well beyond the surface of the steel, much like an aura. Even the 20-inch rims on the Signature model look gorgeous, featuring twisted spokes and wearing a satin silver-gray overlay that makes them the perfect complement for the car’s designer charm.

And that capacity extends to the interior. While the seats, the multifunction steering wheel and gearshift knob are wrapped in leather, the dash surfaces and door panels are not. And yet, even though I always praise the use of soft-touch materials in such circumstances, the materials used in the CX-9 actually look and feel like leather, lifting the overall allure of the interior to luxury-car levels. Furthermore, the gaps between interior panels remain consistently tight, while the obsessive attention to detail is reflected in the way trim pieces line up with precision. 

As for the interior styling and technology, everything feels state-of-the-art, especially the head-up-display on the Signature model that not only casts a numerical display of your speed in your line of vision, but also simulates an analog tachometer and other driver information. And the car knows things, with the navigation system warning me about speed limits when I cross them, so much so that I was certain a police officer would eventually climb out of the glove compartment and issue a citation.

The car even features a lane departure warning, which grows active as you pick up speed, and even discourages efforts to swerve out of your lane, although I can see how that could be a problem considering lane markers in Lebanon frequently cross over one another or vanish completely.

Especially notable is how efficient the CX-9 filters out all exterior noise. When I close the windows in my BMW, the difference in noise levels is dramatic and quite remarkable, but in the Mazda there’s complete silence, just like when you hit mute on the TV at home. That can be attributed to the suppression of tire noise which was an issue with the previous generation CX-9. The new car features a thicker floor pan, around 25 kilograms of sound insulation beneath the carpet and acoustically laminated windscreen and windows.

But be assured, the CX-9 isn’t just a pretty face. This SUV comes exclusively with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder SKYACTIV mill that puts out 250 ponies, and those ponies can gallop, taking the CX-9 to 100 kilometers per hour in under 7.4 seconds. And with the engine producing 420 Newton-meters of torque at 2,000 rpm, you get punch exactly where you want it, with excellent throttle response even from idle. That power builds nicely within the most commonly used rpm range, although it tapers of noticeably after 4,500.

What’s also enticing is that when you set the drive mode in Sport, the CX-9 starts to think it’s an MX-5 Cup car, and acts accordingly with even quicker throttle response, sportier gear shifts and more agility, with the six-speed automatic transmission downshifting rapidly as you decelerate. It’s just a delight to drive.

With the Signature model priced at just north of $60K on the road, it’s also reasonably priced for a car of this stature. Especially as it features 20-inch aluminum rims, adaptive headlamps, LED fog lamps, power lift gate, three-position memory settings for the driver, a premium Bose sound system, the HUD, the Lane Departure Warning and parking sensors. And, of course, you get a five-year warranty with unlimited mileage. That’s not just a good deal, it’s a deal clincher.