FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2020 Mazda CX-9 Seven Seat Family SUV

How good is the storage in the Mazda CX-9? How big is the boot of the Mazda CX-9?

When only using five seats, I can fit 17 bags of shopping in the boot of the Mazda CX-9, which is three less than a Nissan Pathfinder and two less than a Toyota Kluger or the same as the Mazda CX-8 and Hyundai Santa Fe. It holds one more bag than the Kia Sorento and two more than the Skoda Kodiaq and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace that both hold fifteen bags. The Silver Cross Jet compact stroller fits in the boot with fourteen shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Tulsi’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres ia not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

A side-by-side twin stroller fits in the boot of the CX-9 with 7 shopping bags around it.

SPONSOR SHOUTOUT: I used a selection of prams from our review sponsor Silver Cross. Their range of prams fit nicely in the boot with either the bassinet attachment or the seats. Varying amounts of shopping fit in the boot with the prams. Silver Cross Australia has a great website where you can view their range of prams and see which will suit your family! If you find BabyDrive helpful, please support us by supporting our sponsors!

The Silver Cross Wave tandem pram fits nicely in the boot with the bassinet and seat or with two seats and nine shopping bags beside it.

The Silver Cross Coast single pram with the bassinet…

… or seat, fits in the boot of the Mazda CX-9 with nine shopping bags alongside it.

The Silver Cross Pioneer single pram, with the bassinet…

… or seat, fits in the boot of the Mazda CX-9 nicely with nine shopping bags alongside it.

The Silver Cross Jet compact stroller fits in the boot easily with fourteen shopping bags beside it.

You can easily transport a large-sized dog in the boot of the Mazda CX-9 and the boot floor is nice and flat for an emergency nappy change!

When using all seven seats the boot space is still a usable size. I could get six or seven shopping bags in there.

The Silver Cross Pioneer single pram, with seat, fits in the boot with one shopping bag beside it.

The Silver Cross Coast single pram, with seat, fits in the boot with one shopping bag beside it.

The Silver Cross Jet compact stroller fits in the boot with four shopping bags beside it.

The boot is probably a little too small to carry a dog when using all seven seats.

Storage inside the Mazda CX-9 is good in all three rows.

In the front the central console has two cup holders, they are well sized to hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits in there too.

The central console box is a practical size and has USB ports inside.

In front of the gear lever is a good size phone charging well.

The glove box is a good size and will hold an iPad and my wallet with the manual. There is also a 12V socket in the passenger footwell.

There is a lined sunglasses case in the ceiling of the CX-9, so many cars don't have them now which is really impractical, so it's great to have one in here. There are also lit vanity mirrors in both front visors.

The front door bins are large enough to hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad fits behind it too.

In the second-row seats of the Mazda CX-9, there are two cup holders in a fold-down armrest in the central seatback. They will hold a reusable and disposable coffee cup and there is a lidded tray to hold a mobile phone for example.

There are double map pockets on the back of both front seats that will conceal an iPad.

As well as rear door bins that will hold a large refillable water bottle.

In the third row, there are cup holders on both sides which will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits in them too.

How noisy is the Mazda CX-9? How good is the media system in the Mazda CX-9?

The parking sensors in the CX-9 are very BabyDrive friendly! Situated by the driver's right knee is a button so you can turn the parking sensors off and you don't need to worry about them at all if you are driving bubs to sleep, so it's a great Babydrive feature! The lane departure warning button is also situated in the button panel by your right knee, the lane departure is a vibration rather than a beep which is great for not disturbing little passengers and frazzled parents!

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

Also situated in this panel of buttons is the auto engine cut out switch, it’s called i-stop in Mazdas, and I find it is great to be able to turn that off as well so it doesn't disturb sleeping bubs by cutting out the engine at every traffic lights or junction.

I find this function really disturbing for sleeping babies, you have just got your baby to sleep in the car and you stop at lights and the engine turns off sometimes they will stay asleep but when the engine shudders to a start again it shakes baby awake and all your efforts are ruined!! Even coming to a stop at lights with the engine running can be enough to wake a sleeping child so turning the engine off and on again will definitely do it! I have driven routes I know have roundabouts rather than lights just to avoid coming to a stop for any length of time!!

The indicator volume is quite quiet in the CX-9 so I didn’t find it affected my daughter while she was sleeping.

The media system in the 2020 Mazda CX-9 has been updated to have…

…CarPlay and Android Auto which is great and I think easier to use in day to day life (older CX-9s can also have this fitted).

You still control the screen with a rotary dial and buttons down in the central console.

The reversing camera image in the Mazda CX-9 is not crystal clear but it is a nice big image that fills the whole screen.

There is also the addition of speed sign recognition, which displays the speed sign in the display in front of the steering wheel. It seemed to be accurate and very useful so you always now what speed to be travelling.

The sat-nav voice volume can be turned up and down or off through the screen settings, it is not a simple press button on the map screen.

The windows and doors open and close quite quietly in the Mazda CX-9, there is a little thump when the windows close but they are not too bad!

With baby asleep you can get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy. The same for the windows their mechanism is not too noisy and I didn’t notice them having a loud opening or closing sound.
With baby asleep you want to be able to get in and out without worrying the doors will be too noisy and wake Bub up!

You can lock the windows from the driver's door control panel but not the doors. The doors seem to lock automatically and you have to open the driver's door to unlock the others.

I found I could come to a stop and with the engine still running take my seatbelt off and get out of the car without any alarms sounding!

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)

Road and engine noise are good in the CX-9, it is a lovely and quiet car to drive and smooth too.

There is a great rear seatbelt removal visual and alarm in the Mazda CX-9 on the central dash, it lights up to let you know exactly which seatbelt is removed while driving.

How many child seats fit in the Mazda CX-9?

The CX-9 really excels in this department… it one of few seven-seaters that very comfortably fit five full-size child seats into the back! It is AMAZING!!!

There are top tether anchor points in ALL five rear seats!!

In the back of the third-row seats, the top tether anchorages are clearly labelled and easily accessible through the boot.

In the second row the two outer seats have top tether anchorages on the back of the seatbacks, clearly labelled and within plastic guides, the central seats top tether anchorage is a metal bar underneath the seat and not labelled. they are all quite easy to access bringing the seatbacks forward.

There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats in the second row. Mazda has now added plastic guides that makes the ISOfix easier to connect to.

It's very easy to install five child seats into the CX-9. I found it best to put a booster seat in the central seat to allow easier access to the third-row seats.

The second-row seats are split 60:40, the 40% is behind the passenger on the kerbside which is great. The second-row seats also slide to enable you to adjust the distribution of legroom. The second-row seats also have a press button mechanism…

… that allows you to slide the seats forward with child seats installed (only if you are using the ISO Fix not the seatbelt), giving lovely big step-through access to the third-row seats.

This is why I had to consider which child seat I put in the central seat, to ensure it allows the seat mechanism to slide forward and back freely.

I decided upon…. two rear-facing child seats using the ISOFix points in the outer seats and a forward-facing booster seat in the central seat.

In the third row, I fitted two full size, forward-facing seats make sense in the third row because the children would be of an age and size they could climb in themselves and all the adults need to do is reach in and do up their harnesses.

Installing the child seats was simple, especially considering there are five of them! The door openings are nice and wide so posting child seats in is easy and the cabin is spacious so you have plenty of space to move around and get to the second row top tethers.

The seat bases are wide so the child seats have space and the seatbelts are well positioned so the buckles are not underneath child seat bases.

With a rear-facing child seat in the second row, we could fit a 180cm driver in front of it AND in the third row behind it too. That's impressive!

The second-row seats do sit high up, reducing headroom but giving excellent visibility out of the windows while driving which does help with reducing travel sickness.

This does affect visibility for the driver though, which is very difficult especially with the rear loaded up with five child seats.

I could sit between two forward-facing child seats in the second row and I'm 162cm. The backrest in the central seat is hard due to the fold-down armrest.

With two child seats installed in the second row, there is room to feed Bub in the back.

The last Mazda CX-9 I tested had cream leather seats so I was pleased that this time they were a more practical black leather!

How comfortable is the Mazda CX-9 as a family car?

The front seats in the Mazda CX-9 seemed more comfortable than last time I tested them which was good.

The headrests do not adjust to allow for a ponytail though!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get it just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

In the second row of seats, the two outer seats are more comfortable than the middle seat, which has the fold-down armrest in it so it is hard against your back. The seats sit high up on the second-row so your head feels close to the ceiling but does give kids a really good view out of the windows.

The third-row seats are very comfortable and spacious, with good head, knee and kick room and a good view out of the sides. They feel like they sit lower than the second-row seats giving more headroom.

The steering wheel is fully adjustable in/out and up/down in the Mazda CX-9.

The cruise control buttons are on the right on the steering wheel in the Mazda CX-9, I found them simple to use but it did run away with itself a little especially on undulating roads at lower speeds.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard, two in the centre and one at either end.

There are two vents in the back of the central console box for second-row passengers, which is great because they can be reached and controlled by the driver. However, the controls are within foot reach of little rear passengers though which means you do need to keep an eye on them!!

My daughter has created a sauna for herself in a car before by pressing the rear airconditioning temperature controls with her feet and I knew nothing of it until she started saying “Hot Mummy!”.

The third-row seats do not have any air vents which is a huge downside for the Mazda CX-9.

The controls for the air-conditioning are located on the central console dash, and they are really nice and easy to use. The airflow is good and not too noisy and I found it cooled the cabin down quickly. You can turn the rear aircon on and off with a button in this panel too.

All Mazda CX-9s I have tested previously have had inbuilt rear window blinds but this second-lowest-spec Touring model didn't unfortunately. They are a great addition for protecting rear passengers from the sun.

Visibility out of the front of the Mazda CX-9 is very good, however, because the second-row seats sit high up when you have the back full of five child seats the visibility backwards is very poor.

There are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors. There are press on lights in the front ceiling with the glasses case.

In the second row, the lights are in the ceiling between the front seats, which are reachable by the driver, in the third row there is one in the ceiling too. There is a button in the front light panel to turn all the rear lights on and off.

I have found Tulsi does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON’T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a 5minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it’s not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

I really enjoy driving the Mazda CX-9 as a family car, it is smooth and quiet and although it's a long car it doesn't feel too big when parking and maneuvering in school and supermarket car parks. I did find I relied on side mirrors and reversing camera a lot as visibility is tricky out of the back.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Tulsi has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread when we get the big cars and utes as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, the CX-9 wasn't the easier car to reverse park but it was very enjoyable to drive!

There are handles above both rear doors but I found they were positioned too far forward of the rear-facing child eats when they are in the furthest back position. I could really do with moving those handles back 8cm!

There are two 12v sockets in the CX-9, one in the front passenger footwell and one on the right in the boot.

The CX-9 is a great looking car for a seven-seater family SUV, it doesn't feel like a frumpy car to drive around in and the interior is really pleasant too; it has a nice finish and doesn't feel cheap to the touch.

The black leather seats would be easy to wipe clean however they have perforated central panels for the heated seat functions which can make cleaning very tricky, especially with kids and their crumbs!

My daughter had a sick bug while we had the CX-9 previously and projectile vomitted as I was getting her out of the car, luckily all over me and not inside the car as I just do not know how we would have got it out of the seat perforations!! These are the realities as parents and you want to make life as easy as possible for yourself!

The CX-9 I tested has keyless entry and a powered tailgate.

I LOVE powered tailgates now I am a mum! When I go out to the car carrying my daughter, with my arms laden with everything I now appear to need even just to nip to the shops for some milk!! I can press a button and it opens without me having to do some weird contortionists move to open it manually whilst trying not to drop anything (especially my child!!) It is fabulous!! The only downside is I have sometimes thought I could get something out of said boot when my daughter is asleep in the car and the beeping has woken her up!

The Mazda CX-9 has six airbags as standard. Dual frontal, side chest and side head-protecting curtain airbags. All three seating rows (outer seats) have head-protecting side curtain airbags.

The Mazda CX-9 scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2016. It got an overall score of 35.87 out of 37. Getting 14.87 out of 16 for frontal offset test, 16 out of 16 for side-impact and pedestrian protection was rated good.

As standard the Mazda CX-9 comes with anti-lock brakes (ABS), auto emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring (BSM), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), daytime running lights (DRL), hill launch assist, reversing collision avoidance, roll stability system, pedestrian collision detection in the forward collision autonomous braking system.