My family consists of my husband and I and our two kids but with carpool duties we are considering vehicles with 3rd row seating. I also want room for growing legs and cargo area needs. However, I don’t want to feel like I am driving a boat. If you are in the market for a sleek family car and looking for 3 row seating vehicles, you may just fall in love with the 2016 Mazda CX-9 for it’s beautiful design and spacious seating. I did!
To start my search, I made a list of eligible 3 row seating vehicles and headed to my local Carmax so I could get a look at a bunch of makers and models all at once. I got inside them all and checked out the feel of the vehicle, the ease of putting up the 3 row seating as well as the feel of sitting in the third row seats. I narrowed the list down to two finalists that I just loved the feel of. The leader on my list was the Mazda CX-9 because I loved the less bulky look and the ease of the third row seats. I am happy to say that Mazda did provide me with a 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD to test drive for one week in order to facilitate review. I absolutely loved this sleek family car.
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD Review
The Mazda CX-9 comes in 4 trim choices- from low to high it goes Sport, Touring, Grand Touring, and Signature. The 2016 Mazda CX-9 prices that start at $31,520 for the Sport and $44,015 for the Signature. AWD is available as an upgrade to the trim you select (although it does come standard with the Signature trim). The 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD has all the luxurious details that make driving feel great from Nappa leather to genuine Rosewood trim to a Bose® Centerpoint® 2.0 Surround Sound System and advanced safety technologies like Blind Spot Monitoring.
I have to say that I was always one of those people who picked the base model but now that I seen and tried all the bells and whistles, I have to say that the trim level does really make a difference in how the the whole driving experience feels moving it from getting somewhere to enjoying getting there.
2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Interior
The Mazda CX9 Cabin Interior is so inviting, comfortable and spacious. Everything is placed well for easy control and the menu system for controlling GPS, music, and bluetooth is very intuitive.
The steering wheel has easy volume and scanning controls as well as controls for answering your phone and setting cruise control.
It featured a nice big screen with touch control or a joy stick type of control for it down below the drive box to use when you are driving. There is dual air control for the front. This means it can be adjusted to the preference of the driver and passenger. There is also rear air control so they get comfy as well. There are plenty of USB charging points with 2 in the front and in the 2nd-row center folding armrest.
Full Size 2nd Row Seats
The seats are nice comfortable full size seats. I can tell you from my carpool that the three kids in the second row have so much more room in between each other than they do in my current SUV. There is also way more leg room. See all that space between my son Leo’s knees and my driver’s seat? I’m loving it.
The second row can be pushed back or forward for tons of legroom in the second row where you need it the most or for more leg room in the rear when you have a full car. Any way you arrange it, there is an impressive amount of legroom. In the photo above with the 2nd seat in the forward position, you can see both my son and daughter have plenty of legroom.
Third row seat
Even with the third row seat, there is still a decent amount of cargo space. There is also a “hidden” section” so you can stow your bags out of view when you go for a hike. With the third row up, well that is the kind of cargo space that will come in handy when packing for family road trips!
2016 Mazda CX9 Stats
Cargo volume: 14.4 ft³, 71.3 ft³ with seat area
MPG: Up to 22 city / 28 highway Signature is 21/28
Length: 199″
Towing capacity: 3,500 lbs
Horsepower: 250
Engine: 2.5L
Overall, I just loved the 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD. It was wondering about the Zoom Zoom and I didn’t feel it quite so much in the fast acceleration from stopping as I did when I was just floating down the highway. The 2016 Mazda CX-9 never felt like it was working hard and I had to set cruise control on the highway to keep from speeding without noticing. Which reminds me of the fabulous Mazda CX-9 multi information display that shows you the speed and the speed limit and if you are using gps, the next turn, all right on your windshield just above your dash. It was crazy awesome. My husband also loved the Sport mode to give him even more zip and torque. There were a million more awesome features and you can check out all the details at mazdausa.com.
Are you looking for a sleek family car? Do you have any questions about the 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature AWD? Have you ever driven a Mazda before? #DrivingMatters
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