Deep Six the Nine: Mazda Officially Cancels CX-9

This one hardly comes as a surprise, given Mazda is in the throes of completely revamping its lineup – complete with straight-six engines and extra zeroes in its model names.

According to the company, it will discontinue the CX-9 for our market following the 2023 model year. If we were to write this like a eulogy, it might say the vehicle was a good blend of looks and utility, hewing well to Mazda’s newfound efforts of pushing the brand upscale. Departing this year, it leaves behind its progeny CX-90, a rig that is part of the next-gen set at Mazda. 

There’s a world of (positive) difference between the old CX-9 and the new CX-90 – and more than just an extra numeral at the end of its designation. Gone is the 2.5-liter turbocharged four, a mill good for 250 horsepower on premium fuel and, in its last model year, solely equipped with all-wheel drive. In its place, we find a vehicle offering three different levels of power, two of which pack a silky 3.3L inline-six engine. Trims without an ‘S’ suffix make 280 horses and 332 torques while the ’S’ models (someone at Mazda must take a shine to Porsche) are capable of 340/369 when fed premium oats. The plug-in hybrid has 323 ponies and equal torque to the S; its 17.8-kWh battery can permit about 26 miles of electric-only driving when conditions are right.

The CX-9 wasn’t exactly glued to the showroom floor. So far this annum, Mazda says it has sold 17,359 of the things, up about 7 percent compared to the topsy-turvy market this time last year. It seems CX-90 sales aren’t yet up to speed, with 4,118 gassers and 1,516 plug-in hybrids finding homes. However, that model is only just getting traction on the production lines and has yet to flood dealers like the outgoing model.

Given our positive driving impressions of the CX-90, we don’t expect those sales numbers to stay at those depressed levels for very long.

[Images: Mazda]

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