kluger vs mazda cx9

[taymor]

hi all, has anyone done a comparision of new kluger grande vs mazda cx9? I would be interested to hear comments

[PC XT]

hi all, has anyone done a comparison of new kluger Grande vs Mazda cx9? I would be interested to hear comments

The Conclusion

The New Kluger Grande wins, I own one!

No seriously it will be good to see a Comparison and the Tribecca. The Toyota losses the first one, the Bottom line its the most expensive out of the three.

[Taka]

CX-9 cannot compare with the Grande 4WD unless they spec up. So it will only be good with a 4WD KX-S. So the spec are similar and Kluger is cheaper.

I think Kluger has hill descent and it is a better off roader that makes me feel better.

I think Mazda will have an edge in the city only car but once it goes off road or tow, I will def go for the Toyota. I am already bias, coz I own Mazdas for many years.

CX-9 should not be 2000kg towing cap, while the rest of the world is 3500lbs (1600kg), which is the same for CX-7; that is a bit sus on that.

[boleh]

I've driven both cars and done a lot of reading on them. In bullet points:

Kluger

+ Better fuel economy

+ Has FWD option (if you care)

+ Pricing starts lower at 39,990

+ Quicker off the line

+ Grande has overhead DVD and GPS

- Gearbox only a 5 speeder

- 3rd row is only for children

- 2nd row middle seat is not comfortable

- Styling too modest

- Interior is bland, while functional

- Although pricing starts lower than CX-9, you really have to move up to the KXS to match

- Reverse camera too small : 3.5"

- Nasty-looking fake wood trim in Grande

CX-9

+ Styling is an immediate standout

+ 6 speed Aisin is super smooth

+ You can actually attack corners at speed usually not achievable by vehicle this size

+ More upmarket interior, the Piano Black trimming adds elegance.

+ Reverse camera is 8" wide

+ Touch screen audio (apparently an Eclipse)

+ Extra safety credentials over the Kluger: Roll Stability Control

+ 3rd row seats are actually designed for adults

+ Other seats are cushy and more comfortable than the Kluger's

+ The Mazda flip key looks at home sitting on the posh cafe table at Chapel Street

- Fuel economy suffers a bit: 13l/100km

- Price starts from a high $49,990

- Luxury variant still misses out on GPS and Xenon (The GPS issue will be addressed soon)

- CX-9 is a new model having no predecessor and some may cast doubts on its reliability

Conclusion:

If you have less than 50K to spend, your only choice is the Kluger.

If you have more to spend, the CX9 is the obvious choice.

Edited December 29, 2007 by boleh

[Taka]

Good review. Agree with all points.

But I have to add about the CX-9:

RE: Styling: Yes it looks heaps good, but it so long that will take up the whole of the empty standard garage, and you may not have space to open the boot.

RE: Interior: CX-9 interior is not as durable as you look. The piano black plus silver trim on the side look great when they are new but it is very easy to get damaged. The demo model I have seen is always scratched badly. Yes it is good compare with the KX-S, but I think even the fake wood parts are better than the CX-9. At least they still look fake after some UV damage

RE: Display: I think the Red display is extremely hard to read in the CX-9, they are tilted down in an angle for a dwarf. Even I used to one everyday for the last 5 years. They are old looking even I started to have one 5 years ago in the Mazda 6, also RX-8, Mazda 3 and the new 2 too I think.

RE: Reverse camera. Yes it is a 9" display even in the classic model. BUT it is located in the side, left of the number plate and you have to adjust (left to right). Unless you are a fighter jet pilot. I think it is hard to do. 3" screen work better if you can tell where you are. (lucky I have a full size reverse :) )

RE: Conclusion: I think KX-R is a better choice for Kluger for the price, particularly you are looking at 2WD.

Between KX-S and CX-9 Luxury. I will choose CX-9 if you have space to park, don't plan to go offroad or the snow, and prepare not to complain about the fuel economy. It is actually a far superior car in the city. And audio rocks! Love the Bose.

[PC XT]

Good review even if from a Biased Mazda owner.

-The Mazda flip key looks at home sitting on the posh cafe table at Chapel Street (a ****** comment) No key less entry and auto tail gate on your Mazda then I gather? Down hill decent or hill hold?

-You can actually attack corners at speed usually not achievable by vehicle this size, sounds good whats is its ground clearance?

- Gearbox only a 5 speeder True do you need a six if ours is quicker and has better fuel economy? and is smooth too

- 3rd row is only for children, Crap fact! Is yours a split should be in ours!

- 2nd row middle seat is not comfortable 100% Agree worst part of the whole car

- Styling too modest- Interior is bland, Personal opinion while functional

-The Grande does not come with factory Xenon's either which it should for the price you pay My Xenons are in and working fine!

- CX-9 is a new model having no predecessor and some may cast doubts on its reliability

The final bullet is enough for me to confirm I made the right decision.

Time will tell

Edited December 29, 2007 by PC XT

[boleh]

Laden ground clearance is 147mm according to mazda.com.au. Not sure abt unladen clearance.

True its a shame that the CX9 lux does not come remote engine start as in US, but i was just saying the flip key looks good.

I think takahashi made a good point in the other thread abt the CX9 is more suited for city use (part time vs constant AWD in Kluger being another reason), while the Kluger has a bit more talent when the road gets rougher.

If one is looking for a people mover with no or little intention on going rough with the car.. the CX9 should be the one to go for as it carries 7 adults in total comfort. There is no surprise here as the CX9 is a bigger car (overall length: 5074 vs 4785mm). Yes, the 3rd row in the CX-9 are two cushy seats that split. This is different in the Kluger that has a single flat bench. Iam also impressed by the side and curtain airbags in the CX9 that stretches all 3 rows, while the Kluger only has the front and 2nd rows covered.

Vehicle merits aside.. Mazda tend to have better resale value too as there are less fleet..

I bought a Kluger KXR AWD because I couldnt afford the Mazda :( ...

Edited January 1, 2008 by boleh

[Taka]

I am also impressed by the side and curtain airbags in the CX9 that stretches all 3 rows, while the Kluger only has the front and 2nd rows covered.

I have good news for you boleh.

YOU HAVE A FULL SIZE CURTAIN AIRBAG.... FREE!

Since I am 100% sure I have curtain air bag fully to the end of the car.

In fact, it is in their brochure!

Edited January 1, 2008 by takahashi

[Tae]

If one is looking for a people mover with no or little intention on going rough with the car.. the CX9 should be the one to go for as it carries 7 adults in total comfort. There is no surprise here as the CX9 is a bigger car (overall length: 5074 vs 4785mm). Yes, the 3rd row in the CX-9 are two cushy seats that split. This is different in the Kluger that has a single flat bench.

If someone want an adult only people mover with no intention to go off road, they should go for Tarago .. you can have all the space you wanted.

On the other hand, Kluger has removable middle seat which makes access to third row a lot easier for child seats on both side of 2nd row. Another problem with CX-9 is the smaller 2nd row side windows, which is known to be too high for young kids to see anything, that leads to grumpy kids and that's real bad news..

Vehicle merits aside.. Mazda tend to have better resale value too as there are less fleet..

I bought a Kluger KXR AWD because I couldnt afford the Mazda :( ...

I thought Toyota actually has a better resale value in general. That's why it's the most popular brand. It's more reliable in long run and thus better resale.

Don't forget your KXR has fixed price service for 3 years too..

[boleh]

Tae,

This thread title is kluger vs cx9, else a Kia Carnival would also get the people-moving job done at half the price. Mazda do generally have slightly better resale value (%) than Toyota. check out glassguide, redbook, etc.

The fixed price service for up to 6 services is good, I might end up saving up $1.5k. but I'll also keep my fingers crossed that there'll be less klugers being sold to fleet buyers or else the resale value going down down down if your changing car again in less than 10 yrs

[Tae]

This thread title is kluger vs cx9, else a Kia Carnival would also get the people-moving job done at half the price. Mazda do generally have slightly better resale value (%) than Toyota. check out glassguide, redbook, etc.

the resale value from glass guide and Redbook for Toyota may be influenced by AU build cars? Since Kluger is imported. It should have a more comparable value to CX-9? Not sure..

but I'll also keep my fingers crossed that there'll be less klugers being sold to fleet buyers or else the resale value going down down down if your changing car again in less than 10 yrs

Fleet buyer doesn't mean cheaper resale automatically right? I haven't done any research but I thought it's the KM and condition that matters the most? Of course if there are a lot more Kluger in the market then resale might be cheaper.. But that must be numbers like Camry or commodore to make the difference.. If that's the case the maintenance should also be cheaper for the long run? Anyway, IMHO, in the end it's the condition of the vehicle that matters the most for the resale value.. B)

[AdrianQ]

Bought a Kluger Grande Today. Almost bought a CX9 though.

Spoke to a friend who bought a KXS via his fleet discount. Really cheap. That did worry me about what resale price I would be getting, when there are all these fleet discounts being traded in / resold in 3 yrs time.

Seems to be about $4k better than what a personal buyer can get. I think he ends up out of pocket $43k for his FWD KXS with roof racks, mudflaps, tint & mats.

[Taka]

Fleet manager are evil

Good point Adrian, as I plan to keep the car for a while. It is still the cheapest to run SUV in the market.

[blacklugar]

Laden ground clearance is 147mm according to mazda.com.au. Not sure abt unladen clearance.

True its a shame that the CX9 lux does not come remote engine start as in US, but i was just saying the flip key looks good.

I think takahashi made a good point in the other thread abt the CX9 is more suited for city use (part time vs constant AWD in Kluger being another reason), while the Kluger has a bit more talent when the road gets rougher.

If one is looking for a people mover with no or little intention on going rough with the car.. the CX9 should be the one to go for as it carries 7 adults in total comfort. There is no surprise here as the CX9 is a bigger car (overall length: 5074 vs 4785mm). Yes, the 3rd row in the CX-9 are two cushy seats that split. This is different in the Kluger that has a single flat bench. Iam also impressed by the side and curtain airbags in the CX9 that stretches all 3 rows, while the Kluger only has the front and 2nd rows covered.

Vehicle merits aside.. Mazda tend to have better resale value too as there are less fleet..

I bought a Kluger KXR AWD because I couldnt afford the Mazda :( ...

Love the new light on the miror..is that side indicator light?and is that will come to Australia as the 2009 model?

[Colonel]

I don't think the 3rd row seats on the Kluger is 'just for kids'. I took a ride in the 3rd row the other day and this is my assessment. (I'm 175cm tall).

1. It's not for tall people. My head was touching the roof. Any taller and I'd be kinking my neck.

2. Although there is good leg room, it is shallow (vertical depth) so your knees are up a bit.

3. It's definately wide enough to fit two adults comfortably as long as they are not both pretty obese.

4. The wheel hubs have a cup holder and also act as arm rests.. not too bad.

So in summary I'd say 175cm is about the limit of the size of person you would want in there.. Even at that size I don't think I'd want to be in there any longer than about an hour at a time because of the roof on my head.

For people who are 170cm or shorter there should be no issues at all. The only other thing about he rear seat is that it's quite bumpy as you are just over/behind the rear axel. So if you have anyone in the rear seats take care over speed bumps. So for that reason it's probably not too good an idea to have child seats installed in the 3rd row (although kids probably like bumps). On another note, there are A/C vents on the roof in the 3rd row so that at least makes the air very comfy.

So it's not just for kids, it's also for women (or men) under 170cm tall. Definatley not for putting a 185cm tall bloke. They will get a neck cramp pretty quickly. For anyone under 170cm it would be very comfy imo.

[Glug]

Before my Kluger Grande, my last few cars have been Mazdas, and I was quite taken by the CX9's looks but for me:

Options on top Kluger were much better than CX9 (not a big reason but nice to have)

Better feul economy.

Much better 4wd capablities (cx9 is an awd town car only)

Better power

Better towing

Better ground clearance/entry-exit clearance.

Also looked at the Tribeca, a lovely car which IMO was: smaller, towing ablity not as good, fuel enconomy not as good and an even smaller 3rd row saets.

Just my two cents worth.

[Colonel]

Also looked at the Tribeca, a lovely car which IMO was: smaller, towing ablity not as good, fuel enconomy not as good and an even smaller 3rd row saets.

I considered the Tribeca and took one for a test drive the other day. Nice, but about 10K more than a comparable Kluger.

[Blackkluger]

Ill be keeping mine for about 10years if it survives and i can afford tyres! LOL I'll get a new car for myself when my lease finishes in 3 yrs.

[whofan]

When I was recently in the middle of my car hunting I had a look at the CX-9, read a lot of internet reviews and saw one at a dealership.

The reviews all mentioned how the CX-9 underestimated the fuel consumption in their marketing... in reality it was around 15lt/100km.

I directly asked one salesman at the local dealership and he admitted a figure of 17 :o

The difference between 12 for Kluger and 15 for CX-9 over a year means the fuel bill difference is quite significant.

So not only a more expensive car to purchase but much more expensive to run.

I do however like the looks, I think it's quite striking, bold and very contemporary, but what price fashion

Edited March 30, 2010 by whofan

[elTanqueAU]

Hi All,

making up my mind between a Kluger KX-S and Mazda CX-9 Luxury

Usage: mainly onroad, a lot of driving interstate, but on hwys most of the time. Casual off road (I'm inclined to say no offroad, but once I have the car, I'll probably do some but nothing extreme). Might do towing but rare, I don't even have a trailer to tow.

I like the Mazda features: memory seats, 3rd row split, sunroof, etc. but I consider toyota more reliable. I definitely like the radio upgrade Hado has done to his Kluger, which is something I'll definitely do.

In terms of price they are very close (toyota Rec delivery price ~61600. mazda RDP 63000).

So basically, to all of you owners, why should I choose the Kluger over the CX-9?

[Hado]

Hi All,

making up my mind between a Kluger KX-S and Mazda CX-9 Luxury

Usage: mainly onroad, a lot of driving interstate, but on hwys most of the time. Casual off road (I'm inclined to say no offroad, but once I have the car, I'll probably do some but nothing extreme). Might do towing but rare, I don't even have a trailer to tow.

I like the Mazda features: memory seats, 3rd row split, sunroof, etc. but I consider toyota more reliable. I definitely like the radio upgrade Hado has done to his Kluger, which is something I'll definitely do.

In terms of price they are very close (toyota Rec delivery price ~61600. mazda RDP 63000).

So basically, to all of you owners, why should I choose the Kluger over the CX-9?

Calichin

I looked at the CX-9 and the main reasons I didn't buy one was because of reports about poor fuel economy and I couldn't get a new model in time for the tax savings available last year.

I had a discovery prior to the Kluger and I was sick of high fuel bills and road noise and gear whine - the Kluger is reasonably efficient, smooth and very quiet.

Sounds like an AWD KX-S would suit your needs.

Kind regards

Hado