2009 Mazda CX-9 4-door GRAND TOURING Sport Utility

Car-based "crossover" utility vehicles (CUVs) try to marry the best attributes of passenger cars and SUVs, and these days they are leaving the woods and mountains behind. The goal is to offer a sporty, urban vibe, and none pulls this off better than the 2009 Mazda CX-9. It offers the tough-to-achieve blend of sport sedan and SUV that can corner and carry equally well. Like the smaller Mazda CX-7, the CX-9 is genuinely fun to drive yet still useful on a shopping trip or a family vacation. Of the two, the CX-7 may be a tad sportier, but its larger three-row, seven-passenger CX-9 stablemate, which shares its engine and much of its architecture with Ford's Edge and Lincoln's MKX, delivers a similar feel while upping the utility quotient considerably.

You'll Like This SUV If...	You May Not Like This SUV If...
If large three-row CUV practicality with a fair measure of Mazda "Zoom-Zoom" character might be your cup of tea, take a look at the 2009 Mazda CX-9. Its combination of sporty looks, eager performance and people and cargo capacity should impress you.	If your needs include a greater level of off-road prowess or heavier cargo and towing capability, one of many less sporty but more powerful and capable SUVs on the market would be a better choice.

A trip computer is made standard on all models, while Bluetooth phone capability is added to the Sport trim. In addition, the Sport trim can now be equipped with heated seats, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror is added to the Grand Touring.