Below that is a relatively small but easy to read touchscreen surrounded by a few hard buttons and a couple of knobs. It handles the audio system, the phone and the navigation systems as well as your backup camera.
 2013 Mazda CX-9 GT AWD. Click image to enlarge |
The Bose system, which sounds very good, feeds off of AM, FM, satellite, CD, aux, USB, Bluetooth and Pandora sources. Under the screen is a dual-zone automatic climate control system.
The massive center console is a big visual divider – it comes up quite high and takes up a significant amount of real estate. On it are the shift lever, two huge cupholders under a flip-away lid and an armrest.
You get a power liftgate at the back, and a power tilt/slide sunroof overhead.
There’s a bit of driver assistance tech here – an excellent blind spot monitoring system as well as parking assistance.
Entry is keyless, and in an interesting twist, Mazda puts a faux key in the steering column – it’s not a push-start ignition – there’s a knob in the steering column that you twist like a normal key, it’s just not removable. Unique approach, but it works well.
Getting into the second row is easy – the doors open very wide and the step-in height is very accessible. Unfortunately, those wide-opening doors aren’t much fun in a parking lot.
The seats are very comfortable. There are three seats, three seatbelts and three headrests. The area feels very spacious and head- and legroom are amazing. You can actually stretch out if you want to, thanks to the reclining seats. Fitting three kids across is no problem and there are two sets of LATCH connectors for their seats. A third adult (in the middle) will likely be uncomfortable for the long haul.
 2013 Mazda CX-9 GT AWD. Click image to enlarge |
There are small door bins, two seatback map pockets, overhead reading lights and the middle seatback folds down to create an armrest with two cupholders and a lidded storage bin.
At the back of the centre console is an automatic climate control system for a separate rear climate zone.
The seats also slide forward and back. As practical as that is, Mazda’s solution for the sliding seats issue is to provide tracks for them on the floor. Well, those tracks extend forward into your foot space. They’re open and exposed, meaning any sand, dirt, grit, spilled milk and food bits from your kids and other passengers will head straight for those open rails and will be difficult to clean out afterwards. I’m not sure I like the thinking behind that.
The third row offers two seats, two headrests and two seatbelts. Obviously it’s not as spacious as the second row. Headroom is just okay, but perfectly fine for kids. The seats themselves are surprisingly comfortable, especially compared to the afterthoughts that many third-row-seating areas are.
Legroom back there is tight for adults. Also, if you need enough room for adults to sit back there, you’ll need to slide the second row so far forward that it becomes too tight for adults.
 2013 Mazda CX-9 GT AWD. Click image to enlarge |
There are a few storage options around the cabin. A small rubberized tray under the centre stack (including a 12V plug), acceptable door bins, a smallish glove compartment and a useful storage space under the armrest’s clamshell lid. It’s carpeted and includes another 12V plug, as well as your USB and auxiliary ports.
The real space is in the trunk. You’ll find a reasonably useful 487 L of room behind the third row. Strangely, Mazda doesn’t release figures for the cargo volume with the third row folded, which would be the most common configuration, in my experience. But, it’s good to know that if you folded both the second and third rows down, you could have your houseguests crash in the resulting 2,851 L apartment. Room for rent!
