Traded in her 07 Pathfinder SE........gas mileage at best hwy on that was 17-18. She was a true 4WD drive girl, but she travels too much to justify the gas in that thing.
She was looking at an Acadia due to it being tops in mileage hwy, but didn't like the cheapness of the interior materials. But she liked the looks. All she drove before the Nissan was Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited(s) but the reliability on those was sub-par.
I suggested the CX-9 (at least to compare w/the Acadia) as far as exterior/interior styling and feature content. She wasn't initially won over by the look of the front end. But then she sat in it. No more to say, she loved it. It does not have the Nav/Entertainment pkg, but it does have the 20 in. wheels and grey leather. It's that new Dolphin Grey Mica exterior color. Great color combo.
She got 14K for the Path w/87K on it, and got the GT for 30K w/45 mi. on it. That's 45 w/no zeros after it. I'm 6'5 and the headroom is substantial. I wish the driver seat traveled back a little more, but it is decent as far as legroom goes. The glass all around is unreal. There is so much of it. I can't believe the length of the glass on the back doors. I can't justify buying a Lexus RX or a Acura MDX ( aside from performance) for what you get w/this one for a much lower price. I'm the car guy between the two of us.........she just wants me to take care of it for her. First time Mazda owner for both of us. I've heard in the past that parts are salty for Mazdas, but haven't checked aftermarket. This is a Ford engine correct? Any Mazda engineering in the engine by chance? How about the transmission manufactuer? I'm a car guy, but I have to say this is one of the better looking SUVs' out there in terms of it's proportions and styling cues. Glad to join the CX-9 club! I think the Pilot and 4 Runner crowd give second looks as the Mazda goes by.

 

Welcome to the Mazda CX-9 family. We recently purchased a 2010 Dolphin gray GT after leasing a 2008 White GT. Great vehicle! The engine is a version of the old Ford Mondeo 3.6L. It is built by Ford, and Mazda calls their version Mazda MZI. The project name for this series is "Cyclone". I don't have a clue about the transmission, except that it is made in Japan and it is a sealed system--no dipstick, w/100,000 fluid change intervals. Aftermarket parts pretty much don't exist. I did purchase a stainless rear bumper protector from a online Mazda dealer, since the paint got scratched on the 2008 we had when dragging things out of the back. All-in-all it's a great vehicle--I think you'll like it.

 

I'm trying to figure out how to get an exact reading on the MPG display for the "current" mileage. It fluctuates while driving, pretty wildly in terms of the gap in increments. For example it will read 15, then 49, then 20, then 37. I kind of understand that it is coming up w/ a true number, but it doesn't stay at a steady number for 30-40 min. of same speed highway driving. My car does not do this. It calculates up after I reset it to zero, and then adjusts accordingly to highway and then city driving. Any input appreciated.

 

I know exactly what you mean--it reads virtual mpg's at every second in time, and if I set mine to to average, I'm only getting 18-19 mpg. We had a couple of Volvos that did the same thing on the "current" setting. I have a 09 Dodge pickup with the big hemi V8, and when I set it to current mpg, I get a steady readout that changes every 5-10 seconds. I guess it all depends on the manufacturer. All my wife cares about is the distance to empty setting---so she can tell me when it's time to go fill it up

 

My Mazda cx-9 2007 model which is the touring has a dipstick for the transmission fluid. Did this change with the newer models. Mine is underneath the air tube that goes into the air filter. It has a black round **** like thing and you pull it out. Very hard to find. Check the owners manual or the quick guide to see if your model has a dipstick for the tranny fluid.

 

I haven't checked everything out under the hood, but I would assume it would have a dipstick for it. Where else are you going to fill it w/new fluid?
Typically it's through the dipstick tube for the trans.