With three all-new models in less than 12 months (four, if you count the Mazda2 sedan that’s sold here as the Scion iA), Mazda has indeed been busy. Following the CX-3 and MX-5 Miata launches, an all-new 2017 CX-9 wagon recently debuted at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. It replaces the previous CX-9 that had received little in the way of updates since its 2007 model-year launch. Beyond the sophisticated design and Mazda6-sedan-based platform, what impresses The Sleuth most is the car’s 287-pound weight reduction, despite adding 53 extra pounds of sound deadening material. Mazda also dumped the CX-9’s 273-horsepower V6 (270 pound-feet of torque) and installed a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder producing 250 horsepower (310 pound-feet of torque). Both front- and all-wheel-drive versions will be available when the CX-9 shows up this spring.
The new CX-9 is lighter and swaps out its V6 engine for a turbocharged four-cylinder.
