Mazda CX-9 vs Toyota Kluger vs Kia Sorento 2018 review

All three of these are big SUVs,– but there’s a massive difference in exterior dimensions. Note: things are about to get geeky for a few paragraphs.

The Mazda is, it has to be said, huge. It measures 5075mm long (on a 2930mm wheelbase), 1969mm wide and 1747mm tall. 

That makes it considerably bigger than the Kia, which is just 4800mm long (on a 2780mm wheelbase), 1890mm wide and 1690mm tall. It’s the city-friendly option, that’s for sure. The Toyota splits the difference, measuring 4890mm long (with a 2790mm wheelbase), 1925mm wide and 1730mm tall. 

None of them offer the dimensions - internal or external - of the Nissan Pathfinder, which has a massive cabin area but is also a bit of a barge on the road. By the same token, all three are larger inside than the Hyundai Santa Fe, which is a great all-rounder with plenty of good features but is a little tighter in the third-row than its rivals and lacks third-row airbag protection.

What does all that mean in terms of cabin space? 

The Mazda is the roomiest of these three vehicles for adults and kids alike, with easily enough space to squeeze five fully grown bodies on board. It is worth mentioning that the Mazda is the only one of these three with a large transmission tunnel intrusion in the middle of the second row, but the CX-9’s big shortcoming is a lack of third-row air vents - not ideal on a hot day.

Next best is the Kia, which is just a touch tighter in the back than the Mazda, which is understandable, because physically it’s so much smaller.

The Toyota has the biggest door apertures of these three, and a good platform for your feet that helps make it simpler to scramble into the back row. But once you’re in there, the knee and toe room is pretty poor, despite reasonable headroom and good visibility (the boxier shape and bigger windows in the third-row are welcome). 

If we consider the stated boot capacity of each of these seven-seat SUVs, the Mazda is the decisive victor. The CX-9 has a claimed boot size of 810 litres (all boot measurements are using the VDA method) with five seats up, and that drops to 230L with seven seats in play. But you will need to watch your head on the boot door if you’re tall; the curvaceous design could cause a headache, literally.

The Kia – again, despite its dimensions – manages to be second-best for claimed capacity, with a boot space of 605L with five seats up and 142L with seven in place.

On paper, the Toyota is the worst with five seats in place (529L) but ranks in the middle when it comes to seven-seats-up space (195L). In reality, you’re going to struggle to fit, say, a pram/stroller in the boot if you’re using all three rows, and the usable space is limited in each case. Buy one of those roof pods if you need more room… or, seriously this time, consider a people-mover like the pragmatic Kia Carnival!

As for child-seat anchor points, the Toyota and Kia both have options for the second-row only, with three top-tether and two ISOFIX anchors. The Mazda adds third-row seating options, with an additional two top-tether points (five in total).

The Toyota smashes its competition for cupholder storage, likely because it’s the only US-built car here: it has 12 cup/bottle caddies across its three rows, where the Kia and Mazda have a few less each.

The Toyota feels the most functional up front, with a very handy shelf that runs across the dashboard and includes a clever little port-hole for your phone cables to be stuck through. It also has a massive centre console, but doesn’t have dual-zone climate control - the other two do.

The thing that doesn’t do the Toyota any favours in this company is its fiddly 6.1-inch touchscreen (which doesn’t look that big) media system. It has Bluetooth phone and audio streaming that connects and reconnects reasonably easily (so long as you’re not attempting to initiate a connection at speed) but the menus on-screen can be hard to decipher, and the buttons at the edge make the monitor look even smaller than it is. 

The Mazda has a better media system with a very handy rotary dial controller and volume knob between the front seats – the two of which combine to offer a much more intuitive user experience at speed.

Still, its screen isn’t overly special – with a 7.0-inch monitor, it is the midpoint here, and not as impressive as other models in the CX-9 range, which have larger displays – and we noticed the MZD Connect system can be slow to load and glitchy with its Bluetooth phone connections (specifically with an iPhone) at times.

Storage in the CX-9 isn’t as good up front as the other two models here, but it looks smarter and more high-end than both of its competitors.

The Kia’s media screen is bigger than the other two - an 8.0-inch unit - and it betters them both with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. It is a reasonably easy system to get used to, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to disable the speed-camera warnings… that could be a blessing in disguise for some, I guess.

The Kia offers strong storage up front, including a good-sized bin in front of the gear-shifter and a decent centre console. And its cabin finishes are smart and stylish – the wraparound section that spans from the front doors all the way around the dashboard in an Audi/Jaguar-esque way is particularly pretty. It would be even better if it stood out more amongst the mass of black plastics on the Si show.

There are two different takes on petrol propulsion here. The CX-9 has a downsized turbocharged engine, where the others have larger capacity, non-turbocharged V6 engines.

The Mazda uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol that pushes out 170kW of power and a huge 420Nm of torque. The engine is teamed to a six-speed automatic, and can be had in front or all-wheel drive.

The Kia is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol with 206kW of power and 336Nm of torque. The model was updated for 2018 with a new engine mated to a new transmission - an eight-speed auto, with front-wheel drive only. The brilliant 2.2-litre turbo diesel drivetrain in the Sorento range offers the added assuredness of AWD, and neither of its compatriots here can boast the offer of diesel power, either.

The Toyota also uses a 3.5-litre V6 petrol, but outguns the others for outright power with 218kW, while torque is rated at 350Nm. Toyota’s 2017 update for the Kluger also saw it adopt an eight-speed automatic, and you can have front or all-wheel drive.

None of these cars have paddle-shifters, but each has a drive mode that will alter the transmission to make it feel sportier. The Kia, though, has a few different drive modes that also effect the steering.

All three can tow up to 2000kg with a braked trailer, and the Toyota can handle 700kg without brakes while the Mazda and Kia can do 750kg.

We've got three big SUVs here, all with very different driving characters. 

The Mazda – as you may expect of the ‘Zoom Zoom’ brand – has a more driver-focused tune to its steering and suspension. The steering at higher speeds is direct and nicely weighted, but at low speeds it can be heavy and a little slow, by comparison.

Its suspension, too, is aimed at control at the slight expense of comfort – the ride is a little firmer over sharp edges than its rivals, but it will out-handle both of them in a series of twisting corners. It’s a shame Mazda fits the FWD models with rubbish Yokohama Geolandar rubber, which doesn’t allow you to exploit the chassis as much as you could.

The CX-9’s turbo engine’s extra torque is certainly advantageous in a lot of ways. It feels less stressed to drive than either of the V6 engines, particularly at lower speeds – the turbo takes a lot of hassle out of things, pulling you and your family away from the lights quickly, with its snappy but not clumsy six-speed auto getting the gear choice right almost every time. In the V6s you might feel like you’re wringing their necks, where the turbo whooshes away with less fuss, using the low- to mid-rev range sweetspot readily. 

If you’re buying a seven-seater as more than just an appliance, it is the pick. We’d get rid of those tyres, though…

The front-wheel drive Kluger isn’t as assuring to drive as the all-wheel drive version, because its front tyres can squeal really easily, and you’ll notice the steering wheel tugging to the side in your hands under acceleration (that’s called torque steer, and the Kluger suffers it worse than the other vehicles here).

On the plus side, the steering is very light at urban speeds, making reverse-parallel moves and multi-storey car parks simple.  

Its V6 engine is punchy and likes to rev, but the eight-speed auto can be caught out when you’re on and off the throttle. It isn’t such an issue at higher speeds, but around town it can be a little confused.

The Kluger’s ride isn’t as comfortable as the Mazda – in fact, below 50km/h it can be downright annoying. The suspension just doesn’t settle very well over bumpy surfaces, but it is reasonably composed on the highway. The Kluger exhibited more road and wind noise than its competitors, too (yes, the Mazda is quieter).

The Sorento nails the brief for road manners, which is no surprise, given the brand has invested heavily in making sure that its suspension and steering systems are tailored to suit Australian conditions.

The steering is light but accurate, and very nicely weighted at high and low speeds. The Kia’s suspension offers the best combination of ride comfort and body control, dealing with bad surfaces and big bumps very well. But, like the Mazda, it was let down by pretty hopeless rubber – the Nexen N Priz tyres under its arches were the worst on test, scrubbing out in corners more than its competitors, and squealing under throttle at times, too.

While the engine isn’t as potent as either of its rivals on paper, it offers impressive smoothness and is actually really rapid under hard acceleration.

The Kia mightn’t excite as much as the Mazda, but for this test, and the intended buyer, it is a fantastically well executed thing.

A resounding smackdown from Kia here. It has a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty program, which also includes roadside assist for that same period if you maintain your car at a Kia workshop.

The servicing plan for the Sorento is terrific, too, with maintenance due every 12 months or 15,000km, and capped-price servicing for seven years/105,000km. To keep things simple against its rivals, we calculated the annual costs over three years, and it worked out the cheapest at $333/yr.

The Mazda requires services every 12 months/10,000km, with the average annual cost over three years averaging out at $343. It can’t match the Kia for warranty, either: it runs three years/unlimited kilometres.

While people typically think Toyota and affordable ownership are synonymous, the fact is that the Kluger is the dearest of these three based on a three-year run, because it needs maintenance every six months or 10,000km, at $180 per visit. The average annual cost, then, is $360. And it has the least impressive warranty plan – three years/100,000km. 

Further to all that, you have to pay extra for Mazda and Toyota roadside assist. See? Told you the Kia delivered a smackdown.