2015 Mazda CX-9 — an SUV for the zoom-zoom set - seattlepi.com (blog)
This week’s example: the 2015 Mazda CX-9, a seven-passenger SUV that reminds you, in several ways, that despite the best efforts of the TDA (Timid Drivers of America), spirited driving can be fun. The first sign is the bright red digital gear indicator in the center of the instrument panel, showing the six-speed automatic (and manumatic) transmission whipping through the gears, lickety-split, one, two, three, four, five, six. To that end, Mazda’s motto – its marketing voice, really – is Zoom-Zoom. They made their bones with some interesting cars – the hugely successful Miata, and the three generations of rotary-powered RX-7s (full disclosure: I’ve had Gen 1 and Gen 3. Gen 3 ate its transmission at 80,000 miles and its twin turbos were... The CX-9, then, is a good expression of what the driving geeks at Mazda are trying to do, in making a car that’s more than just an exercise in ennui. Another aspect of Zoom-Zoom: the CX-9 is 200 inches long, which is a lot, but it drives like something 20 inches shorter (e. g. , my 15-year-old Lexus RX300). You do notice the 200-inch length when you try to slide the CX-9 in between cars at a... Inside, our upscale CX-9 Grand Touring front-wheel-drive (they also sell an. Source: blog.seattlepi.com
