Our good friends at Mazda had the first press event of the second day of the 2006 New York International Auto Show press preview. Fortunately, there was enough real news being presented that it cut through our hangover nicely. First up was the debut of the all-new crossover CX-9. A seven-passenger SUV, the CX-9 looks like a bigger brother to the CX-7 we recently previewed and will soon be driving-but the two vehicles are not related.
Power for the CX-9 comes from a 3.5-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel-drive is standard; all-wheel-drive optional. The interior has a definite upscale feel, too. If it drives anything like the nimble Mazda cars we’ve been getting used to, this could well be the most fun seven-seat SUV out there.
