Buyers have a choice of black or beige upholstery, and the latter made the interior seem brighter and roomier. The look is upscale, and nothing about it says boring family transportation.
Up front, all the basic driving controls are simple and easy to use.
A small storage bin between the front seats and relatively thin storage compartments on the front doors provide some cubby storage.
Mazda says there is 17.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the third row upright. There's not much more than the trunk of a mid-size sedan, and to use it all would require piling luggage up to the roof, blocking the rearward view. Nevertheless 17.2 cubic feet gives the CX-9 a significant advantage over the Toyota Highlander, which has 10.3 cubic feet behind its third row and 2.5 inches less legroom in the third row. To carry more stuff and fewer people, the Mazda's third row (a 50/50 split) can be lowered by pulling a strap. Gravity does the work. With both sides down the result is 48.4 cubic feet of space. Getting the seat back up requires pulling the same strap, which we found easy to do.
The second row can also be folded down easily. However, it doesn't create a completely flat cargo area. There is a slight uphill slant.
The tailgate when open does not have a 6-foot, 4-inch clearance, we discovered, and there is nothing like a good rap on the forehead to brighten the day. Next Page