LOS ANGELES: The latest CX-9 has finally been revealed at the LA Auto Show, touting innovative technologies, new SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine and use of premium materials.
With the all-new CX-9, Mazda is proposing a new kind of a SUV aimed at more mature families.
Offering an indulgent experience of quality and comfort, the model goes beyond specs and functionality to support and enhance every aspect of customers' busy and multi-faceted lives—not just their role as a parent.
The latest in KODO design portrays a more premium image and the all-new CX-9 offers quieter, more refined Jinba-ittai driving with superb fuel economy performance. Designed to meet the needs of the modern family, the model offers a comfortable and well-thought-out cabin space, i-ACTIVSENSE advanced safety features and the i-ACTIV AWD all-wheel-drive system.
READ ALSO: Mazda starts CX-9 production in Feb 2016
It is the first model to feature Mazda's new 2.5-litre direct-injection turbocharged petrol engine, SKYACTIV-G 2.5T.
"Introducing the all-new CX-9 into the midsize SUV segment will strengthen our new-generation line-up, and we expect a big boost and sustained growth in North America," said Masamichi Kogai, Representative Director, President and CEO of Mazda.
The model has been tailored for the North American market, which is expected to account for 80 percent of global sales forecast at 50,000 units annually. The model will launch in North America in spring 2016.
Outside
The proportional shape —a long bonnet, swept greenhouse, large wheels and short overhangs convey stability and a contained sense of energy ready to be unleashed. At 5065mm long, CX-9 is 30mm shorter than its predecessor, but its wheelbase has been stretched 55mm, benefiting passenger leg room as well as entry to and exit from the rear.
The CX-9 carries shorter overhangs on both ends—59mm shorter up front and 25mm shorter in the rear—with its A-pillars shifted back 100mm, lengthening its bonnet and adding a sense of strength through proportions.
Housing large wheels— 18 and 20-inch wheels—CX-9’s tapered fenders are pushed to the edge of its body, giving the vehicle a wide, trapezoidal stance.
Inside
The smooth lines start up front with a bold, five-point grille with double bars. They’re flanked on either side by standard low- and high-beam LED headlights. The bold grille introduces a strong lower body and sleek upper body that elevates KODO, introducing sleek curves that provide a premium appeal in a segment awash with convention. The overall effect is one of purity, simplicity and Japanese beauty.
The cabin features a vertically stacked centre console with details that wrap around from the dashboard to the rear seats, designed to envelop passengers in comfort and serenity. It is heavily insulated with over 24kg of sound deadening installed below the floor in three sections.
A sweeping single piece of aluminum adorns the dashboard, emphasising width, with a forward-angled dashboard that is flanked with Auburn accents in the new, flagship Signature trim level. Satin and polished finishes on the aluminum plinth evoke Japanese craftsmanship and are inspired by Japan’s famous hand-made knives.
Further heightening the elegant atmosphere is rosewood trim on the centre console and front of the cabin, supplied by a premium guitar-maker. Supple Auburn Nappa leather covers seating surfaces in Signature trim with a modern design and is also evocative of bespoke horse saddles—a subtle nod to Mazda’s Jinba Ittai—“horse and rider as one”— philosophy. Jinba Ittai also represents the notion that drivers should have total confidence and control in their vehicles.
Machine Gray colour
Designed to make CX-9 look as though it were carved from a single ingot of steel, Machine Gray is the newest signature colour from Mazda, complementing CX-9’s surfacing.
In order to do achieve its look, blemish-free panels are a necessity, which come as a result of ultra-precise stamping and assembly. Paint is applied in a primer, a black base coat to add depth, the Machine Gray colour and, finally, a clear coat—all spaced out such that the paint has time to set in a precisely climate-controlled environment.
Machine Gray has a depth and lustre usually reserved for concept vehicles, using principles and processes adopted from lessons learned when developing the Soul Red signature colour.
Additionally, CX-9 will be available in Soul Red, Snowflake White Pearl, Sonic Silver, Jet Black, Deep Crystal Blue and Titanium Flash (colours may not be available in all markets).
Performance
Mazda goes on at length about its latest engine in the CX-9, which replaces the 3.7l-V6 of yesteryear.
It said the SKYACTIV-G 2.5T is a realisation of excellent real- world and catalog fuel-economy as well as spry acceleration, featuring a host of technological advancements to achieve this goal.
One piece of technology is Mazda’s Dynamic Pressure Turbo, the world’s first turbocharger with the ability to vary the degree of exhaust pulsation depending on engine speed. The system routes engine exhaust to the turbocharger’s turbine through smaller ports at low rpm. It works similarly to when one might place his or her thumb on a garden hose, creating a strong amount of pressure through a smaller outlet. This allows the turbocharger to spool up quickly, creating instant boost—up to 1.2 bar (17.4 psi) of pressure. When the engine is in the heart of its rev range, it opens up secondary valves, allowing for greater amounts of exhaust gas to pass through the turbocharger. The system is complemented by the 2.5-litre engine that already benefits from more torque at atmospheric pressure than a comparable 2.0-litre by virtue of its size.
Further assisting CX-9 to maximise turbocharger efficiency is a 4-3-1 exhaust. With this setup, the exhaust from the middle two cylinders (2 and 3) is joined into a single port, while the exhausts from the outer cylinders (1 and 4) each have their own ports. These three ports come together at the entrance to the turbocharger’s exhaust side, where there is always one exhaust pulse arriving every 180 degrees of crankshaft rotation. Not only does this very compact manifold keeps the exhaust pulses separate for maximum energy extraction, it also harnesses each exhaust pulse to suck the residual exhaust from the adjacent ports.
To increase fuel-efficiency, SKYACTIV-G 2.5T employs the efficient combustion of Mazda’s SKYACTIV-G 2.5-litre engine and marries it to a cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, which helps prevent burning excessive amounts of fuel when the engine is running at higher temperatures. In many turbocharged cars, heat is controlled through adding more fuel to the combustion chamber; Mazda’s cooled EGR reduces the need for that.
While Mazda sees no apparent benefits on regulated test cycles from this technology, it benefits the consumer through real-world gains.
The cooled EGR helps bring engine temperatures down froLOS ANGELES: The latest CX-9 has finally been revealed, touting innovative technologies, new SKYACTIV-G 2.5T engine and use of premium materials.
The CX-9 also comes in with a high safety kit. Apart from passive safety features, it has radar-based cruise control , lane change warning, high beam control, smart brake support, blind spot monitoring on both sides and an improved i-ACTIV AWD system that could instantly recognise road conditions and adjust response accordingly.
Space for 7
At its core, CX-9 is a family vehicle, with three rows, space for seven passengers and storage for every which item a family may need.
To maximise comfort for front-row passengers and space for those in the second row, engineers went to great lengths to redesign the front seats with thinner seatbacks, yet make them more comfortable.
For the first time in a Mazda, low-rebound high-damping urethane is used in the seat backs of the front seats as well as the seat cushions. This material transmits desirable feedback from the road surface to the driver, while filtering unpleasant vibrations from rough road surfaces, helping to realize the CX-9’ high-class ride comfort. The same material is used in the cushions of the second row seats as well.
To get to the third row, Mazda’s engineers sought to make access so easy that even a child could do it with a single, simple lever. There are two LATCH/ISOFIX mounting points in the second row, with the right-side of the 60/40 split-fold seat having been designed to make it possible to accommodate a child seat staying in place while still allowing passengers third-row access.
At the rearmost of CX-9, the electronic module that raises and lowers the liftgate has been made more compact and 1.1kg lighter and does not intrude upon cargo space. Two handy storage bins reside underneath the cargo floor for extra storage.
