It seems Mazda is quite fond of the Los Angeles Auto Show – it introduced the facelifted CX-5 and Mazda 6 at the show just last year. Now, Hiroshima is gearing up for the 2015 edition happening later this month by teasing its world premiere, the all-new Mazda CX-9.
Finally replacing the now nine-year-old original, the new three-row crossover appears to wear Mazda’s Kodo design language – in a more premium interpretation here than on the rest of the lineup – much more convincingly than on the facelifted 2013 model, with a sharper front end and a sleeker profile.
No technical details have been revealed just yet, but Mazda claims the new car will fully incorporate the latest SkyActiv technologies – discounting the Ford Ranger-based BT-50 pick-up, the current CX-9 is the last Mazda still standing to be based on Ford mechanicals.
Hence, expect the second generation to discard the old CD3 platform and 3.7 litre Cyclone V6 petrol engine in favour of Mazda 6 underpinnings and a high-compression, direct-injected SkyActiv-G four-cylinder mill.
However, the outputs of both the 153 hp/200 Nm 2.0 litre and 185 hp/250 Nm 2.5 litre engines currently seen on the Mazda 6 fall some way short of the 273 hp and 366 Nm produced by the outgoing CX-9. Perhaps we’ll see the first instance of turbocharged SkyActiv engines with the new car?
SPYSHOTS: Next-generation Mazda CX-9
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Hope can compete with BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Audi Q7 etc…
Based on the size, its rivals are Q7 and XC90. X5 is a tad too small. I owned 1st gen CX-9 and its performance is comparable with both Q7 and XC90. It is just pity the top speed is limited to 180kmh.