Mazda and Ford have enjoyed a good working relationship for decades, going back to the ‘70s when Ford used Mazda’s compact

A good looking crossover SUV, the sleek Mazda CX-9 is also extremely accommodating. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

pickup truck to re-badge as its then-popular Courier. It’s a business relationship that continues to this day, although polarities have now shifted and Mazda’s B-Series is little more than a rebranded Ranger while it’s Tribute is, likewise, a reworked Escape. The utilitarian and almost archaic nature of the B-Series might be a bit of an irritation to zoom-zoom zealots, but some of Ford’s involvement with the Japanese brand has been truly enlightening.

For instance, the fabulous new Mazda6 shares some Ford architecture along with drivetrain mechanicals, as does the CX-9 crossover SUV I’m testing this week. The CX-9, which has been given a nice refresh for 2010, shares its architectural roots with the blue oval brand’s Edge, but to look at it and even to drive it you wouldn’t think there’s all that much in common.

It looks great from all angles. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

Both are great CUVs, but the Mazda feels a little lighter on its feet despite offering a third row for up to seven passengers, and the detailing inside is, well, nicer.

Granted Edge hit the market first and before the blue oval folks really started getting their interiors top-notch, like the Flex, Taurus and new Fusion, but Mazda’s done a good job making the CX-9 more premium than pauper. Sure there are some harder plastic panels, atop the dash and strangely on the rear door caps that butt up against the windows, the front sills are soft-touch, but all-round there’s

A truly upscale experience inside, the CX-9 rivals some premium branded crossovers. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

quality materials, good workmanship, nicely detailed and well damped switchgear, plus a lot of high-end features.

My tester was a well equipped GT model, that even before options comes with leather seats and trim, a powered glass sunroof, a four-way power passenger seat to go with the eight-way powered driver’s seat that’s standard with the CX-9 in base GS trim, plus the GT’s powered driver’s seat lumbar support, driver's side three-way memory, a proximity sensing Intelligent Key System, second-row armrest with an integrated storage box, wood interior accents, heated mirrors with integrated turn signals, blue indirect lighting, fog lights in the revised front fascia (and particularly good looking fogs thanks to the update),

A stylish dash layout is also ergonomically designed for comfort and ease of use. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

xenon headlamps, and 20-inch alloy rims inside 245/50R20 all-season rubber. My CX-9 also included the Luxury Package that consists of a 6-CD Bose audio system with Sirius satellite radio, a blind spot monitoring system, powered tailgate, navigation system with a touch-screen display that, for 2010, is slightly larger than before, and a rearview camera that now has a wider viewing angle. A rear entertainment system can be added to, but it deletes the sunroof, so make your choice.

The base GS model, incidentally, can be optioned out with that sunroof, and gets such standard amenities as three-zone front and rear air conditioning, a CD/MP3 audio system with auxiliary input jack and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, a tilt and

A full assortment of top-tier features can be had. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

telescopic steering wheel with integrated redundant audio controls, power locks with keyless entry, power windows with one-touch down for the two front occupants, heated mirrors, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, an exterior temperature gauge, electroluminescent gauges, front and rear stabilizer bars, a roof spoiler, privacy glass, heated seats, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, garage door opener, trip computer, towing package and 18-inch alloy wheels rolling on 245/60R18 all-season tires.

All CX-9’s get the top powertrain, which is a 3.7-litre V6 making 273hp at 6,250 rpm and 270 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm and connecting through to a 6-speed automatic with manual mode but no steering wheel paddles. Standard with my GT is an active torque split all-wheel drive system that puts power to the front wheels most of the time, but torques the rear wheels when tire slip is felt. It’s optional with the normally front-drive GS.

That front-drive model is slightly better on fuel, achieving 13.4L/100km in the city and 9.1 on the highway, while the all-wheel drive version gets and estimated 14.0 and 9.6 respectively, thankfully using cheaper regular unleaded fuel.

First and foremost in most peoples’ minds when anteing up for an SUV is interior roominess plus passenger and cargo flexibility. To this end the CX-9 is a really well thought out crossover, with a second-row seat that slides fore and aft up to 12 cm (4.7 inches) and reclines, plus it tilts forward to lie flat in a 60/40 configuration, flush with the 50/50 split-folding third-row seats that do likewise, and also tumbles forward to make

A fully flexible passenger/cargo configuration, the CX-9's load carrying capacity is surprising! (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

ample room for entry and exit to that rearmost row. And the back forty isn’t bad either, with ample leg, shoulder and headroom for my 5’8” frame, although I could see taller folks getting a bit cramped up if forced to ride back there for long. In my experience, these third-row seats are normally just for the friends of your kids anyway, and they’ll probably be begging you to sit back there.

Cargo capacity behind the third row is surprisingly good at 487 litres (17.1 cu ft), which to put into perspective is considerably larger than the trunks of most midsize sedans. Fold all the seats down and a minivan-like 2,851 litres (100.6 cu ft) of space opens up for your gear. Towing capacity for the CX-9 is the usual 1,588 kg (3,500 lbs).

All CX-9s

All that luxury, performance and interior room too, the CX-9 is a crowd pleaser. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

get standard four-wheel discs with ABS, pus dual front, front side-thorax and side-curtain airbags, the latter for all three rows of window passengers. Traction and stability control come standard too, which is par for the course in this segment.

Assembled in Hiroshima, Japan, the CX-9 takes architecture sharing very seriously, and fortunately the time and money spent to differentiate this model from Ford’s Edge has created a crossover that is uniquely Mazda and fully capable of living up to the brand’s Zoom-Zoom image. Its surprising roominess flies in the face of its sporty styling, the two don’t usually go hand in glove, and overall level of quality, features and styling start making a person question why they should pay more for a premium brand.

Truly, Mazda as a brand is starting to blur the lines between entry-level and premium, with this CX-9 a worthy flagship.