There is an SUV craze in the automotive market, but the curious thing is, the companies are trying to build one that feels like a regular car. One of the models that manage to combine space, comfortability and power without all the difficulties of driving a large vehicle is the Mazda CX-9. However, the Japanese SUV might have problems to cope with the North American laws for the road, even after the developers replaced the engine.
The Mazda CX-9 is a seven door, three-row seat sporty SUV. It combines high capacity with the performance of fast cars. However, its first version was equipped with a 3.7 liters V6 engine.
As part of the efforts to control the impact the burn of fossil fuels is taking on the environment, the United States federal government put in place some rules to contain the situation. One of them is that vehicles have to be gas efficient reducing the general usage.
As a result, the car has to be able to drive at least 22 miles per gallon while cruising in the city and 28 mpg on highways for two-wheeled vehicles. Since the CX-9 runs on four wheels, the standards to meet are 21 mpg in the city and 27 on the road.
It stands out of the rest, and it would be a shame if it doesn’t reach the American market
The developing team at Mazda worked very hard to improve its gas usage so that it wouldn’t have problems with the regulators. The engineers replaced the 3.7 liters V6 for 2.5 V6 liters, and the best part is, the CX-9 doesn’t lose punch or towing capacity.
According to a Washington Post review, the car can pull up to 3,500 pounds tops. Moreover, the new engine reported a better performance at a low engine RPM delivering more torque, and it also builds up power very quickly, so there are no downsides associated with the change.
The design has been praised both for its lavish and sporty style and for its safety. The official crash tests gave the SUV 4 out of 5 stars for security during a collision. So far, only the Ford Explorer 2016 has received the full five stars.
A lot of people find big cars problematic to drive. They are heavier and larger which not only puts stress on the driver’s mind, but also on the steering wheel. However, the CX-9 counts with an electrically assisted system that makes it very easy to operate. The base price was set at $31, 590, and it can go up to more than $40, 000 with all the extras.
According to the test drives, the new Mazda SUV averaged 17 mpg in the city which puts it 4 gallons under the bar. The CX-9 already hit Australian pavement in July, but the federal regulators will have to decide if it is going to arrive the Land of the Free.
Source: Washington Post