A Mazda CX-9, seen on a car market in Beijing in the winter of 2019. The good Mazda was in a good shape with a fresh looking body and with the original factory alloy wheels. The first generation Mazda CX-9 was made from 2006 until 2015, with facelifts in 2010 and 2013.
The Mazda that I saw is an early pre-facelift example, painted in black with darkened windows. Mazda sells the CX-9 as an import in China. However, they only started selling the CX-9 in 2013, after the second facelift. Any pre-2013 car is therefore unofficial import. Some cars arrived via the gray market and others may have entered China via diplomatic channels. The early Mazda CX-9 is therefore very rare on Chinese roads, and this particular car was the first one I had ever seen in Beijing.
The CX-9 was positioned as mid-size crossover SUV with a length of 5.075 meters. It was quite a luxurious car, loaded with goodies and with a nice interior with leather and wood.
The Mazda CX-9 had seven seats in a 2/3/2 configuration. The CX-9 hails from a time that Ford and Mazda were still very close, it was based on the Ford CD3 platform that also underpinned, among others, the Ford Edge, Mazda 6, Ford Fusion, and the Lincoln MKZ.
Power came from a 3.7 liter V6 petrol engine, with an output of 274 hp and 366 Nm. The motor was mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, sending horses to the front wheels.
Large MPV-like SUVs like the Mazda CX-9 are very popular in China, mainly for driving the extended family around. It is therefore a bit odd that Mazda doesn’t produce the CX-9 locally, although they do make the Mazda8 at FAW-Mazda and the Mazda CX-8 at Changan-Mazda.
The Mazda CX-9 had a progressive design for its time, with a streamlined body and clean lines. The Mazda logo on the grille was huge.
The CX-9; a special Mazda in China.