The Mazda CX-9 is one of my favourite family seven-seater SUVs. It won BabyDrive's vote in the 2020 best seven-seat SUV comparison I did with Carsales.com.au. If you need a seven-seat SUV that you can actually use all seven seats on a daily basis it is one of the few that do the job well and it should definitely be on your shopping list.
I love the way the Mazdas as a whole drive, they feel cohesive and everything feels nice to the touch and there are no itch points where I wish something was better. This 2021 model is no exception, so let's see how it gets on as a BabyDrive!
Let's start with all the good stuff! The Mazda CX-9 has five top tether anchorages! WOOP WOOP! So two full-size child seats fit nicely in the third-row seats.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer second-row seats and three child seats fit well across the second row.
The second-row seats of the Mazda CX-9 are split 60:40, the 40% is on the kerbside of the car which is great for passengers accessing the third-row safely. The Mazda CX-9 has the king of third-row access mechanisms. You can access the third-row seats WITH three child seats installed in the second row.
You can do it from either side of the car as long as you have installed the child seats using ISOFix in the second-row seat rather than the seatbelt. I found it was better with a booster seat or slimmer child seat in the middle seat to allow the mechanism to come forward easily. The step-through space is very good and there is plenty of room for an adult or tall teenager to climb through.
If you have rear-facing child seats in the two outer seats and you want a person to sit between them, they can step through from the front. The driver's seats will come forward quite far, giving a nice sized step-through to the second-row central seat.
The rear doors of the mid-priced GT model tested have built-in window blinds which are great for keeping passengers shielded from the sun while driving along. So no more trapping towels or blankets in the car door or window and having them flapping around while you are driving to keep the kids covered from the sun!
The Mazda CX-9 also has very good legroom, we found with a rear-facing baby capsule installed in the second row we could fit a 180cm driver in front AND a 180cm passenger or forward-facing child seat in the third row.
The doorways of the CX-9 are large and the doors open nice and wide making installing child seats, loading kids in and out of their child seats and climbing in and out of the car easier too. We also find visibility good from both rear rows of seats, as the windows are nice and large and you sit quite high so you can see out well, which helps with kids who get travel sickness.
The media screen is bigger in the new 2021 Mazda CX-9 and has Mazda's most up to date media system that you will find in more recent models like the Mazda3 and CX-30.
…as well as manual paddle shifters behind the steering wheel that are new for the 2021 models.
The 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT also has the addition of a new wireless phone charging pad, in front of the gear lever.
Charging is good throughout the 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT, with a 12V socket in the front passenger footwell and USBs in the central console…
…there are two more USBs in the second and third rows for passengers.
Storage in the Mazda CX-9 is good throughout all three rows of seats. In all three rows are two cup holders that are a practical size to hold re-usable and disposable coffee cups…
…and large refillable water bottles fit in them too. The second-row cup holders are in a fold-down armrest that also has a storage tray with USB ports for phone storage and charging.
Front and second-row door bins will all hold a large refillable water bottle and there is a lined sunglasses case in the ceiling too.
Storage in the boot is where the Mazda CX-9 can make life a little tricky if you have a family with five young children. When you are using all seven seats we found only a compact or single stroller will fit in the boot. So if you have young twins or two still at pram age it can be a problem.
We found that during our time with the Mazda CX-9 we used a compact stroller so we had space in the boot for our older daughter's scooter too.
When you are using all seven seats, the boot of the Mazda CX-9 will hold six shopping bags, that is one more than the Kia Sorento which holds five, two fewer bags than the 2021 Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Pathfinder which will both hold eight and four less than the 2021 Kia Carnival the will hold ten shopping bags.
When you are only using five seats the boot is huge. All sizes of single or twin strollers fit or a tandem pram or it will hold seventeen shopping bags. Which is comparable to the 2021 Kia Sorento that also holds seventeen, the Nissan Pathfinder which holds twenty, the 2021 Hyundai Palisade which holds twenty-one and the Kia Carnival which holds twenty-six shopping bags.
There are no third-row aircon vents in the Mazda CX-9 which for me is its one downfall. It is definitely a consideration with the Australian climate especially in the summer, especially if you are loaded up with child seats or have been parked in the sun it can take a while to cool down in the very back. You can however control the second-row air-conditioning from the front dashboard while driving which is helpful.
The Mazda CX-9 GT I tested has auto lock and unlock doors which made going to and from the car much easier when carrying my baby and all their things too!
I really enjoy driving the Mazda CX-9, it drives beautifully, it is smooth and quiet and everything feels intuitive to touch and use as a BabyDrive. Visibility is a little bit tricky from the second-row windows back when loaded up with five child seats so I definitely relied on the rearview camera when manoeuvring.
For a seven-seater SUV, the Mazda CX-9 is a family SUV that will really comfortably hold five child seats without them being crammed in, few cars match its practicality and it is a fantastic BabyDrive!
BabyDrive Indepth - Storage
How good is the storage in the 2021 Mazda CX-9? How big is the boot of the 2021 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 the same as the 2021 Kia Sorento that also holds seventeen shopping bags, three less than the Nissan Pathfinder which holds twenty, four less than the 2021 Hyundai Palisade which holds twenty-one and nine less than the Kia Carnival which holds twenty-six 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 nine shopping bags around it.
A tandem pram fits in the boot with ten shopping bags beside it.
A single pram fits in the boot with ten shopping bags beside it.
A compact stroller fits in the boot with fifteen shopping bags beside it.
You could fit one very large, or multiple smaller dogs in the boot of the Mazda CX-9 when using only five seats.
When using all seven seats the boot space is still a usable size. I could get six shopping bags in there.
Only a single stroller would fit in the boot with one shopping bag. fits in the boot with a wheel removed and one shopping bag beside it.
A compact stroller fits in the boot of the Mazda CX-9 when using all seven seats with five 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 third row there are double cup holders on each side. They will hold a re-usable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits in them too. There is also a USB port above them too in this GT model for third-row passengers to charge their phones or devices.
In the second row of the CX-9 GT there is a fold-down armrest in the central seatback with a phone shelf with USB sockets and two cup holders. They are a good size to hold a re-sable or disposable coffee cup and a large refillable water bottle fits in there too.
There are double map pocket on the back of both front seats, they will hold and conceal an iPad ad phone.
The door bins in the second row are the right size to hold a large refillable water bottle.
In the front, there are two cup holders in the central console.
Behind them, the central console storage box is a good size and has two USB ports.
In front of the gear lever, there is now a wireless phone charging tray, this is new to this 2021 model.
There is a 12V socket in the passenger footwell and one in the boot too.
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 and there are lit vanity mirrors in both front visors too.
The front door bins are nice and large, they will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad fits behind it too.
BabyDrive Indepth - Noise
How noisy is the 2021 Mazda CX-9? How good is the media system in the 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT?
The media system is the main update in the 2021 Mazda CX-9. It has the latest Mazda system like you will find in the new Mazda3 or CX-30.
It is easy to use and simple to navigate and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
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 much clearer in this 2021 model…
…and you can makethe screen view bigger too.
The parking sensors in the CX-9Â are very BabyDrive friendly as you can turn them off with a button situated by the driver's right knee. 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 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT has also now got a wireless phone charging tray.
The windows and doors open and close quite quietly in the Mazda CX-9 and wouldn't disturb little sleepy passengers.
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!!)
Both road and engine noise are good in the CX-9. It is a lovely and quiet car to drive, very easy and everything feels intuitive and it's a smooth ride for all the passengers.
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.
BabyDrive Indepth - Car Seats
How many child seats fit in the 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT?
The Mazda CX-9 is the king of the castle when it comes to fitting child seats in seven-seater SUVs! It is one of few seven-seaters that very comfortably fit five full-size child seats into the back!
It has a top tether anchorage in the back of all five rear seats. In the second row the two outer ones are within plastic guides and the central top tether anchorage is unmarked down under the seatback and for some child seats, you require an extension strap to reach it. I also needed an extension strap for my rear-facing child seat in the outer second-row seat too as the top tether anchorage is quite far down the seatback.
I the third row, the top tether anchorages are clearly labelled on the backs of the two seats.
There are ISOFix points in the two outer seats in the second row, they are within plastic guides and clearly labelled.
It's very easy to install five child seats into the CX-9. Depending on your child-seat needs, I found it best to put a booster seat in the central seat to allow easier access to the third-row seats.
The front seats slide far forward so a child could step through to the central seat through the gap.
The second-row seats are split 60:40, the 40% is behind the passenger on the kerbside which is great for getting kids in and out. The second-row seats also slide to enable you to adjust the distribution of legroom.
The Mazda CX-9 in my opinion has the best third-row access. Big statement! With five child seats in the back you can access the third row without uninstalling a child seat if you are using ISOFix rather than the seatbelt to fit your child seats.
The mechanism allows you to slide the seats forward giving lovely big step-through access to the third-row seats.
You will have to consider which child seat you put in the central seat, to ensure it allows the seat mechanism to slide forward and back freely.
I fitted two rear-facing child seats using the ISOFix points in the outer seats and a forward-facing booster seat in the central seat.
Two full size, forward-facing seats fit nicely in the third row and all the adults need to do is reach in and do up the harnesses.
The door openings are nice and wide, which makes installing child seats simpler and the cabin is spacious so you have plenty of space to move around and get to the second row top tethers. This also means it is spacious when posting children into their seats and reaching in to do up seatbelts and harnesses.
When it comes to legroom we found 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.
This model 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT has cream leather seats which is a little nerve-wracking to keep clean with kids!
BabyDrive Indepth - Drive & Comfort
How comfortable is the 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT as a family car?
The front seats in the Mazda CX-9 GT are lovely and comfortable.
The headrests still 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, because it has the fold-down armrest in it so it is hard against your back. The second-row seats sit high up 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 very simple to use but the cruise control 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 as there are heated seat buttons there too.
My daughter has created a sauna for herself in a car before by pressing the heated seat or rear air-conditioning 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 which is a really great feature.
The 2021 Mazda CX-9 GT has inbuilt rear window blinds which are great for protecting rear passengers from the sun. It's great to see this feature in a mid-priced model rather than having to go for the top-spec as you do with most other brands.
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 and a lined 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 our daughter 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 feels intuitive to drive. Everything in the cabin feels just right and it is smooth and quiet. It's a long car but 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 the 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 the kids have 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 two 12v sockets in the CX-9, one in the front passenger footwell…
… and one on the right in the boot.
There are a lot of new seven-seat SUVs on the market now which gives the Mazda CX-9 a lot more competition and although the CX-9 is older in its lifespan it is still a great looking seven-seater family SUV.
I still think the Mazda CX-9 is still one of the best seven-seat SUV's available for families especially because it fits five child seats and has excellent third-row access. It doesn't feel like a frumpy car to drive around in and the interior is really pleasant and still modern too; the interior is intuitive, has a nice finish and doesn't feel cheap to the touch.
The cream leather seats would be tricky to keep clean with kids and they have perforated central panels for the GT's heated seat functions which can make cleaning very tricky, especially with kids and their crumbs! And of course, the lack of third-row air conditioning vents is a downside.
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 GT 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!
BabyDrive Indepth - Safety
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)- city only, 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 and trailer stability control.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC), adaptive front lighting systems, attention assist/fatigue warning, auto emergency braking (AEB)- interurban, automatic headlights, automatic high beam and lane support system (LSS) are not available on the base variant but standard or optional on higher variants.
Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is available in Europe and USA but not available on any Australasian variant.
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