Planning ahead for winter tires...
...Does anyone know for sure if other makes wheels will fit? I know the bolt circle is 5x114.3mm (5x4.5"), and the offset is something around +45 mm. I need to measure the wheel center bore. I see older CX-9 wheels, Infinity wheels, and others on eBay. I want to buy good take-off OEM wheels in the summer for winter tires. Widths from 7.5" to 8.5" will be OK, and wheel diameters from 17" to 20" will be OK. The standard tires are about 30" outside diameter, so a winter tire with a 245 or 255 mm body width and the suitable aspect ratio (60%, 55%, etc.) to get within 2% of that 30" O.D. will work fine.

The bolt circle is the number of lug holes and the diameter of the circle through the center of the holes. Thus, 5x114.3 is five lugs on a 114.3 mm circle (4.5"). The offset is how far the inside surface of the center is out or in from the center of the rim. +45 mm is one common size for front wheel drive cars...the inside surface of the center of the wheel is 45 mm out from the center of the wheel's rim. Rear wheel drive wheels might have a small negative offset, and trailer wheels are often zero offset. The center bore is the diameter of the hole machined in the center of the wheel.

 

I test drove one after the usual suspects and I liked it a lot. Yes it lacks some features i would prefer, most notably cooled seats, but my biggest issue was the narrow footwell and not enough width for my knees. That center stack is very wide. I'm going to sit in one again to see if I can live with it.

 

I picked up my CX-9 Signature over the 4th of July and from a comfort and driving perspective, I love it. Machine Gray Metallic, and I personally love the interior. My wife has an Expedition EL King Ranch, so we are used to the leather colors. The rosewood adds a real nice touch.

I was actually on vacation and was visiting an area away from home and just went to the local dealership to drive one to pass the time. I'd been looking at luxury SUVs and wanted to either include or exclude the CX-9. It was a plus that they happened to have the Signature in Machine Gray on the lot. Lucky me! So, after driving it, I was hooked. No question that this was the vehicle that I wanted. Got it that weekend. MSRP was around $45,500 and got it for $44,500 and I convinced them to throw in a trailer hitch. Personally, I think that the price as fair especially since there wasn't another Machine Gray Signature available in the state that weekend. The only drawback was that now my wife and I both had to drive a vehicle home from vacation.
However, since I have had it, I have learned a few things. Now, this is my fault because I didn't research it that well and was taken in by the beauty of the car itself, but again, it is 2016 and this is the "ultimate" package, so I made some assumptions (and you know what that means). I moved to the CX-9 from a 2013 Ford Escape Titanium. I loved the Escape, but just wanted something "with more class". The CX-9 definitely fits that bill. The new technology of crash avoidance, lane departure, head's up display (unless you're wearing polarized sunglasses), and auto adjusting cruise control, are awesome, but I miss a lot of what was standard on my Escape in 2013 which cost me $10K less.

Items like the following:

• No remote start - period. Really? In 2016? On a top of the line package? If you want remote start, you either need an extra key fob (not even sure if you can do this on a 2016), or the Mazda Mobile Start system. $500+ option with a $65 per year renewal. I have it, and it works (slow response time, but that is another post)
• No split screen display options. Display options are either the radio information (in text only), the map or a bunch of icons. That's it. It's one or the other. I guess it keeps you from looking at it while you're driving.
• No live traffic feed on the map during nav - it uses "historical". That's nice, but really of no practical value. (Live traffic was a subscription feature on my Escape through SiriusXM but worth the money).
• No Seat / Mirror memory settings associated with key fob.
• No AC outlet anywhere (but I do like the USB ports in the rear seat armrest).
• Big issue, no way to control the flow of the center vents. You can point them to a degree, but you can't throttle or close them. You can do the sides, but not the center. Basics.
• The rear view camera is kind of "fish eyed" and it difficult to see certain things. I think it is because they wanted to give you a wider field of vision, but it reduces the effectiveness of the camera. Also does not display the projected travel path, just straight.
• No assisted / hands free parallel parking (didn't expect it, but the Escape had it).
• No 3rd seat AC vents (didn't have 3rd seat on Escape).

I've also had issues with the SiriusXM radio reception. I use it a lot and it was never a problem on any of my past vehicles, but I drop connections consistently driving the same routes. Hopefully it is a correctable issue and not a class problem.

Now, that being said, here's the good stuff:

• The heads up display is awesome. It not only displays the speed, but also the cruise control setting. And if you are using the Navigation, it also displays the speed limit, navigation directions and road names and distances to next turn. That's pretty sweet. (But, polarized sunglasses make it hard to read.)
• The lane departure system is nice and will teach you to use your turn signals for lane changes if you've fallen away from that (like me). If you try to change lanes without your signal, it tries to correct you.
• The Smart Brake Support and the Distance Recognition Support System for the adaptable Cruise Control are both great features, but I wonder what it will do to brake life.
• One sweet thing I found out this weekend while driving country roads at night was the high beam control that automatically switches off your brights if headlights are approaching. Not perfect as it will also react to thinks like post lamps and such if they are bright enough and at the right spot.

Don't get me wrong, I love my CX-9, and Mazda makes a fine automobile. I've had 2 Miata's in the past ('91 and '06) and wanted another one but I have 7 grandsons and need to be able to transport at least most of them when they come to visit. I guess I was just spoiled with the features on my previous car and when you are used to something, when it isn't there you notice quickly and it's irritating. It just seems that Mazda is falling behind the pack when it comes things like this. It's great to have the I-ActiveSense technology but why sacrifice the basics. But again, it is a fine driving machine. Solid, quiet and extremely comfortable.
I'll get used to it and enjoy the drive while I do.

 

There is no subwoofer adjustment on the new cx9. just bass, treble, balance and fade.

 

Thank you for sharing. some points:

The radio show GPS info at the top (street names).
I really miss an option to Mirror our smartphone into the big 8 inch screen. Will be nice to show the Waze and other apps in the Mazda Connect system. I hope they added this in a firmware update option.
The mirror cannot be adjusted by using the memory buttons but the seat possition and HUD settings can be adjusted by the memory buttons or keys, according to the manual.
The back camera screen looks amazing. My wife have the new Rogue with perimeter view and the Mazda video quality, color and view is 200% better! I miss the lines where we can check where the SUV goes.

Just curious, what kind of AC devices you want to connect to the SUV?. I believe the AC 12volt ports available and the 4 x 2.0 amps USB connections are good enough.

Note: I have GT with HUD and see the GPS arrows but no names on the HUD. Will double check.

 

I guess I need to check on the memory / key thing. In my old, and my wife's car, the settings are mapped to a specific key fob, so when you unlock or start the car with that fob, the seat gets adjusted for that user. Very nice.
As far as the AC devices, my wife likes to have it available just in case she needs to touch up her hair (dryer, curling iron). Yeah, I know . . .

With the Heads Up display, I did see street names periodically show up, but not there all the time. Didn't keep enough track to see when. Maybe at a mile out from the turn or something? Just keep an eye on it, you'll see it.

 

From the manual: this is how you you setup the memory position on the seats using the keys:

Programming

1. Make sure the parking brake is on.
2. Make sure the selector lever is in the P position.
3. Start the engine.
4. Adjust the seat and the active driving display to the desired driving position.
5. Press the SET button on the seat until a beep sound is heard one time.
6. Perform one of the following settings within 5 seconds of completing step 4
above:

Programming using a button on the side of the seat
Press the button you want to program, either button 1 or 2, until a beep
sound is heard one time.
Programming using the key
Press the key button until a beep sound is heard one time.

NOTE
If a beep sound is heard three times, the operation is canceled.

 

Regarding the AC devices: dryer and curling iron cannot be connected to AC outlets in cars, I think because this are high consumption devices. You can damage the inverter.

 

Thanks. Missed the part about the key fob.

 

Yeah probably. But it works fine in my wife's Expedition and it worked in my Escape. Just sayin'.