StreetUnitMike
10-28-2006, 03:19 PM
The Mazda CX-9 is a crossover SUV to be built alongside the smaller Mazda CX-7. It will offer third-row seating, replacing the Mazda MPV for North America, and will be built exclusively for North America. The CX-9 was unveiled on April 13, 2006 at the New York International Auto Show. It will be manufactured at Mazda's Ujina 1 plant in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan and will go on sale in early 2007. The CX-9 will compete with the redesigned Toyota Highlander and Nissan Murano, the new Hyundai Veracruz and the Honda Pilot, as well as GM's Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
The CX-9 is built on the stretched CD3 platform used by the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. Although it is similar in appearance to the smaller Mazda CX-7, the CX-9 will share little of that vehicle's platform components. It is a front-wheel drive vehicle with an optional all-wheel drive system.
The CX-9 is the first Mazda to use the 3.5 L Ford "Cyclone" V6, called the "MZI" in Mazda guise. Mazda claims that the MZI will generate "more than 250 horsepower", and Ford has announced that the same engine will produce 265 hp (198 kW) and 250 ft·lbf (339 N·m) in the Edge. The CX-9 will also use the Ford/GM 6F automatic transmission with a console-mounted shifter in a complex Mercedes-Benz-like gate.
The CX-9 is built on the stretched CD3 platform used by the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. Although it is similar in appearance to the smaller Mazda CX-7, the CX-9 will share little of that vehicle's platform components. It is a front-wheel drive vehicle with an optional all-wheel drive system.
The CX-9 is the first Mazda to use the 3.5 L Ford "Cyclone" V6, called the "MZI" in Mazda guise. Mazda claims that the MZI will generate "more than 250 horsepower", and Ford has announced that the same engine will produce 265 hp (198 kW) and 250 ft·lbf (339 N·m) in the Edge. The CX-9 will also use the Ford/GM 6F automatic transmission with a console-mounted shifter in a complex Mercedes-Benz-like gate.