Bay Harbour: June 19, 2019

Wednesday June 19 2019
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 21
CX-9 integral part of pamper package
Motoring
Ross Kiddie
THE OFFER of a pamper
package at Hanmer Springs was
too good to turn down – hot
pools, spa, massage and an
overnight stay all included.
The car my wife and I drove
to the township in was a Mazda
CX-9 and it fitted the occasion, it
is quiet, refined and superbly comfortable
on the undulating North
Canterbury roads.
The seven-seat CX-9 is not new,
the latest generation sports utility
vehicle landed in New Zealand in
2016; however, it has had a bit of
a refresh and a high grade variant
has been added to the line-up.
There are now three models,
rounding out with what Mazda
label Takami.
Takami is something you are
going to hear a lot more about
from Mazda, it adds just that little
bit of extra sophistication, sitting
over and above Limited variants
and, as in the CX-9’s case, add
several features such as nappa
leather trim, rosewood panels and
aluminium trim items.
These sit on top of what would
ordinarily be a well-specced vehicle
in the first instance.
Those familiar with the CX-9
pre-2016 will relate to the feisty
V6 engine which characterised
the line-up. That has long gone,
today’s CX-9 has a turbocharged
2.5-litre four-cylinder engine.
If the thought of a turbocharger
has you a little perplexed, you
need not be concerned. The turbocharger
is low boost, and the
engine, and its management protocols,
are structured so that the
engine works consistently in the
area of low revs. Sure, it will meet
the 6000rpm red-line with little
provocation; however, there is a
strong, flat torque curve which
meets its maximum at 2000rpm
(420Nm). Add in 170kW at just
5000rpm, the realisation is that
the engine is going to work tirelessly
at low speed.
Power is transferred through a
traditional six-speed automatic
transmission. This is another area
Mazda does really well, the ratios
and the shift management system
work well with the low revving
nature of the engine, the gaps between
gears are filled through the
turbo boost, while acceleration is
clean and smooth.
The CX-9 is no slouch, even
without working hard it will still
accelerate to 100km/h in 8.8sec,
and will make a highway overtake
in 4.7sec. On our journey north
I made use of several overtaking
opportunities and always enjoyed
that solid mid-range punch that
MAZDA CX-9 TAKAMI: High grade trim and specification over and
above Limited.
you get from a big four-potter and
the boost from a turbocharger.
Interestingly, the CX-9 gets a
driver-selectable sport mode, but
even without the heightened engine
urgency it is still responsive.
I didn’t use sport mode much,
but far preferred to let the engine
operate at its area of greatest efficiency.
The benefit of the engine’s low
revving nature is also that of fuel
economy. It’s no surprise the
CX-9 is thrifty, Mazda’s SkyActive
programme leans towards
efficiency, and it claims an 8.8-litre
per 100km (32mpg) combined
cycle average, which fits well with
the 9.2l/100km (31mpg) readout
during our journey. At 100km/h
the engine is turning over at just
2000rpm in sixth gear, offering a
7.8l/100 (36mpg) instantaneous
figure.
Considering the CX-9 weighs
in rather tubby at just on twotonne,
these figures are impressive
and are a credit to the Mazda
engineers who, for a long time
now, have been plugging away
at driveline efficiency. All CX-9
models are now four-wheel-drive,
which makes it’s economy even
more remarkable.
The 4WD set-up will take you
off-the-beaten track without
being fully classified as an offroader.
However, with a ground
clearance figure of 220mm, it
does have useful off-the-seal
capability.
Personally, I see the all-drive
function as a medium to glean
grip on all surfaces, the CX-9
has an on-road feel which is
quite reassuring, it feels tightly
connected to the road surface,
and even in the wet there is surety
through the steering which must
be considered a safety feature.
On that subject, the CX-9
easily qualifies for a five-star
• Price – Mazda CX-9
Takami, $67,895
• Dimensions – Length,
5075mm; width, 1969mm;
height, 1747mm
• Configuration – Fourcylinder,
four-wheel-drive,
2488cc, 170kW, 420Nm,
six-speed automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 8.8sec
• Fuel usage – 8.8l/100km
Australasian New Car Assessment
Program safety rating.
My wife never travels light, but
her suitcase was no match for
the cavernous cargo area. With
the rear seats folded flat that area
measures up to 810-litres; if you
are seven-up then that area is
compromised to 230-litres, but
that matters little, the CX-9 is
very much a competitive battler
in the large SUV category.
As much as I liked the detailing
in the Takami grade, I’d be an
entry-level buyer, at $59,695
against $67,895 you are getting a
lot of value for money. However,
I fully appreciate that SUV buyers
like all the bells and whistles, and
that’s what you get with CX-9
Takami, it is a luxury car at an
affordable price. For the record,
the non-Takami Limited grade
comes in at $65,295.
I have a certain affinity with
Mazda, there’s one in the Kiddie
garage, I like the way the product
is quality built and the technology
constantly surprises me.
“Thank you! For everything.
There are no words.”
Alison
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