Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[New York: Mazda CX-9 gets "bolder"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/09/new-york-mazda-cx-9-gets-bolder/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/09/new-york-mazda-cx-9-gets-bolder/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/09/new-york-mazda-cx-9-gets-bolder/#commentsFiled under: , ,


2010 Mazda CX-9 - Click above for a high-res gallery

Mazda's new CEO introduced the CX-9 and its raft of changes to a U.S. audience at the New York Auto Show today. The swoopy lines picked up from the Nagare are said to be "the embodiment of emotion." And that's right, if you get can worked up for the new 20-inch wheels, bigger side mirrors and "red garnish, which compliments the look of the front fascia." Inside there's new fabric, new stitched leather, piano black inserts and no shortage of chrome accents. Power to haul your loads remains at 273 hp and 250 lb-ft from the CUV's 3.7-liter V6. You can read about all it and more in the press release after the jump, and see it in the gallery of high-res photos below.


Gallery: New York: 2010 Mazda CX-9


Photos Copyright (C)2009 Jonathon Ramsey, Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading New York: Mazda CX-9 gets "bolder"

New York: Mazda CX-9 gets "bolder" originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crossovercuvcx-9mazdamazda cx-9MazdaCx-9New YorkNew York 2009New York Auto ShowNewYorkAutoShowNYAutoShowThu, 09 Apr 2009 16:57:00 EST<![CDATA[Review: 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/11/in-the-autoblog-garage-2008-mazda-cx-9-grand-touring/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/11/in-the-autoblog-garage-2008-mazda-cx-9-grand-touring/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/11/in-the-autoblog-garage-2008-mazda-cx-9-grand-touring/#commentsFiled under: , ,


2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring - Click above for high-res image gallery

 If you keep up with the print mags, it would be easy to think that every journalist, PR flack and blogger loves Mazda's CX-9. Automobile Magazine made a spot for it on their All-Stars list, Motor Trend named it Sport Utility of the Year, Car & Driver thinks its one of the 5 Best Trucks of 2008, SEAMO crowned it their Family Car of the Year and USA TODAY even went as far as calling it "about perfect." We put 380 miles on the 7-seater in our best attempt to debunk the CX-9's mythical aura of SUV perfection and found most of the legend true.


Gallery: Review: 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring


All photos Copyright (C)2008 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring

Review: 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cx-9cx-9 reviewCx-9Reviewcx9 reviewCx9Reviewfeaturedmazda cx-9mazda cx9mazda cx9 reviewMazdaCx-9MazdaCx9MazdaCx9Reviewreviewsuv reviewSuvReviewMon, 11 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Malibu and CX-9 win North American Car/Truck of the Year]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/malibu-and-cx-9-win-north-american-car-truck-of-the-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/malibu-and-cx-9-win-north-american-car-truck-of-the-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/13/malibu-and-cx-9-win-north-american-car-truck-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above image for more coverage of the 2008 Detroit Auto Show

Though four out of the six finalists for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards were GM vehicles, only the new 2008 Chevy Malibu managed to earn the honor of 2008 North American Car of the Year. On the truck side of things, the Buick Enclave and Chevy Tahoe Hybrid lost out to the Mazda CX-9.

The Malibu was competing for North American COTY honors against the new Honda Accord and 2008 Cadillac CTS. The judges use a point system to determine the winner, and the Malibu achieved the most among the cars at 190, with the CTS fairly close behind at 165 and the Honda firmly in third with 95.

The Mazda CX-9, meanwhile, blew out its truck competitors with 201 points. Surprisingly, the Chevy Tahoe 2-mode Hybrid came in second with 140 and the Buick Enclave, which we believed (and you, too) had a chance to win, only managed 109 points.

What say peanut gallery? Is the Malibu a better choice for this year's honor than the CTS. Was the Accord snubbed? And what happened to the Enclave in this competition?

Gallery: 2008 Chevy Malibu


Gallery: 2008 Mazda CX-9

Malibu and CX-9 win North American Car/Truck of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chevy malibuChevyMalibumazda cx-9MazdaCx-9north american car of the yearnorth american truck of the yearNorthAmericanCarOfTheYearNorthAmericanTruckOfTheYearSun, 13 Jan 2008 09:56:00 EST<![CDATA[Following CX-9, Mazda to make more vehicles just for U.S.]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/27/following-cx-9-mazda-to-make-more-vehicles-just-for-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/27/following-cx-9-mazda-to-make-more-vehicles-just-for-u-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/27/following-cx-9-mazda-to-make-more-vehicles-just-for-u-s/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



The CX-9 was Mazda's first vehicle designed specifically for US consumption, and one Motor Trend SUV of the year award later, Mazda may be on to something. Sales momentum has increased steadily for the seven-seat utility vehicle, with 3,000 units flying off dealer lots in October alone. Mazda's flexibility allowed the automaker to transform in 18 months a minivan that would likely retail for less than $30,000 into a hot CUV with a price tag reaching $40,000. The Hiroshima-based automaker will leverage those lightning-fast production capabilities and its Ford-shared global architecture bin to produce more vehicles for US tastes, and we're happy to hear it.

Since Mazda seems to have a handle on CUVs (it has four in the US already), we can only guess what exclusive product the development team in Irvine, CA will give us next. A zoom-zoom version of the Honda Ridgeline would be interesting, as would a US-unique Mazda2. We'd like to put in a vote for Mazda utilizing the RX-8 platform to create a sporty RWD sedan, but we're sure everyone the world over would want that.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Following CX-9, Mazda to make more vehicles just for U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CX-7Mazda 2Mazda 3Mazda 6Mazda CX-9Mazda2Mazda3Mazda6MazdaCx-9RX-8Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:01:00 EST<![CDATA[CX-9 wins again: SEAMO Family Car of the Year]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/cx-9-wins-again-seamo-family-car-of-the-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/cx-9-wins-again-seamo-family-car-of-the-year/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/15/cx-9-wins-again-seamo-family-car-of-the-year/#commentsFiled under: ,



While Autoblog was busy checking out the new Rogue, Grand Caravan, SRT4 and C30, everybody else at the recent South East Automotive Media Organization ride and drive was apparently loving on Mazda's CX-9. Out of a possible 100 points, journalists at the event gave the SUV a score of 91, putting it way ahead of the 32 other vehicles from which to choose.

The contenders were rated on attributes that included safety, capacity, accessibility, value, amenities, ergonomics, NVH and styling. Personally, as both a family man and a member of the automotive media, my vote went to the new Dodge Caravan overall. It definitely loses out to the CX-9 on looks, but as a kid-hauler, it obviously ruled in all other categories. So how does a minivan with dual DVD players, seating for seven, a fold-away table, hookups for video games and wireless headphones lose to an SUV with many of the same options, but costs as much as $8,000 more?

After driving each car at the event, journalists were asked to submit their ratings for the vehicle on all the above attributes. We were told by someone in the know that Autoblog's rating sheet was one of very few submitted for the Caravan. Which means it didn't get driven a whole lot. We're not suggesting any wrongdoing, just saying that a bunch of automotive journalists with limited time and miles of twisty roads to drive will rarely choose a relatively slow and ugly minivan over a sleek, luxury-like SUV. Unless their boss, (that's you, John) asks them to.

Hey, John, next time, dang it, I'm driving the R32 instead of the Rogue and the CX-9 instead of the Caravan.

[Source: Mazda]

Continue reading CX-9 wins again: SEAMO Family Car of the Year

CX-9 wins again: SEAMO Family Car of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In what must have been a tough decision, Motor Trend has chosen Mazda's 2008 CX-9 as their SUV of the Year. The Associated Press quotes the magazine's editor-in-chief, Angus MacKenzie, as saying the CX-9 is "arguably the most enjoyable sport utility to drive, and a great reminder that SUVs can be as exciting as any car."

Motor Trend is expected to make the announcement early Monday, while those still relying on dead trees and the postal service will learn about it in the November 6th issue of the print pub.

The seven-seat, 273 hp SUV won the honor by beating out tough competition like Buick's Enclave, Toyota's Highlander and Land Cruiser and the Land Rover LR2. Others in the running were Hyundai Veracruz, Jeep Liberty and Patriot, the Nissan Rogue, Saturn's Vue and the Subaru Tribeca.

[Source: The Associated Press]

Mazda CX-9 is Motor Trend's SUOTY originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CX-9 awardsCX-9 SUV of the YearCx-9AwardsCx-9SuvOfTheYearMazda CX-9MazdaCx-9Motor Trend SUOTYMotor Trend SUV of the YearMotorTrendSuotyMotorTrendSuvOfTheYearSUOTY CX-9SuotyCx-9Mon, 15 Oct 2007 01:08:00 EST<![CDATA[Fingers crossed for second Mazda crossover crossing]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/13/fingers-crossed-for-second-mazda-crossover-crossing/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/13/fingers-crossed-for-second-mazda-crossover-crossing/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/13/fingers-crossed-for-second-mazda-crossover-crossing/#commentsFiled under: , ,



With memories of last July's Cougar Ace disaster presumably heavy on their minds, Mazda just shipped out their first batch of new Mazda CX-9 CUVs from Hiroshima to North America. This time the crossing will be aboard the Coral Leader car carrier. It left Hiroshima yesterday for its voyage to California via Tacoma. The ship is expected to reach the U.S. before the New Year. With the Cougar Ace's payload of Mazda3s and CX-7s ultimately written off, we can only hope that this batch of vehicles, which includes the new 7-passenger CX-9, will have a much less eventful crossing. Bon Voyage.

The two-row, 5-passenger CX-7 has been something of a hit for Mazda with its stylish good looks and equally attractive combination of good performance and affordable pricing. The bigger CX-9 is hoping to be just as endearing in the ever more popular three-row segment. When they finally hit U.S. showrooms in late January, the sticker on the CX-9s will read $29,035 and up. That's the base price for the front-drive Sport model. There's also going to be Touring and Grand Touring versions with awd available across all trim levels. No matter which one you pick, you get Ford's award-winning corporate 3.5-liter V6 mated to a 6-speed auto trans. In this Mazda CUV, the engine is rated at 250 hp. It was designed primarily for the U.S., but it is also rumored to be on its way to Australia in 2008.

[Source: Just-Autos, sub req]

Fingers crossed for second Mazda crossover crossing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Cougar AceCougarAceMazda CX-9MazdaCx-9Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:57:00 EST