2019 Mazda CX-9: Interior & Cargo Space Review

While some manufacturers like to pass of their interiors as premium and classy by adding fancy bits of trim or choosing sprinkles of nice materials to plant around the cabin, the 2019 Mazda CX-9 stands out by offering a comprehensively comfortable and elegant cabin experience. A family car needs to pamper its passengers, and the CX-9 certainly does not disappoint. How good is it? We’ll be going into more detail in this mini-review.

What you will like: Premium materials, excellent fit and finish, NVH damping is great, and second row passenger space is good.

What you won’t like: Third row accommodations can be tight

What we like about Mazda is how they manage to create a clutter free dashboard experience and still choose materials that help elevate the interior quality. The CX-9 is a great example of how an unassuming interior hides thoughtful execution and design. We mean unassuming because it’s predominantly black in color, but a closer look reveals nice texture for the cushy soft touch plastics and leather seats. All scratchy and rough bits are left to the lower door panels, and that’s okay since your shoes will be doing most of the rubbing. Tastefully done aluminum plastic bits help add some contrast to the dashboard and doors, and the piano black plastic finish is only found at the base of the gear selector. The seats are fully adjustable and the steering wheel is tilting and telescoping, making it easy to find a comfortable driving position.

There’s a ton of storage areas to hide and keep small items, and you’ll find them in the door pockets, a recess at the base of the center console, and the center armrest. The rear passengers also get door pockets that can fit sizable bottles of water, and the back of the front seats have several pockets to store items, too. Unfortunately, the third row is a knee-up affair thanks to a sloping roofline, but these seats will do in a pinch or quick drives. Just don’t put a fully grown adult at the third row, and you should be okay. Overall, it’s an excellent interior that’s blessed with great design, nice materials, and even better execution. 

Cargo volume with seats up: 408 liters

Cargo volume with backrests folded: 1082 liters

Feel like doing a quick grocery run before heading home? Or maybe you need to stuff a bicycle in the back? Maybe some moving boxes? The Mazda CX-9 offers a good 1082 liters of space with the third row folded down, offering a number of possibilities for cargo options without much fuss. There’s a low load lip, and even some small areas to hide items underneath the trunk floor cover. With the third row in place, you still get a decent 408 liters of space, so a set of golf clubs or a stroller will be just fine.