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Mazda CX-9 Gets the Best Fuel Efficiency of Any Three-Row Non-Hybrid Crossover

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2016 Mazda CX-9

Mazda is very proud of its new CX-9 as the largest SUV in its new lineup. Now, it seems that it has another reason to be excited: the 2016 CX-9 has the best fuel efficiency of every other crossover of its kind—that is to say, gas-powered, three-row crossovers.

The 2016 CX-9 gets 22 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, using a new 2.5-liter turbocharged engine and a new Mazda transmission, placing it ahead of the likes of the Honda Pilot (19/27 mpg city/highway), Toyota Highlander (20/25 mpg city/highway), and Nissan Pathfinder (20/27 mpg city/highway). This number also beats the heck out of the last-generation CX-9’s fuel economy of 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.

So, how did the CX-9 jump to the top of the charts in one redesign? Partly, by dropping pounds—the new CX-9 is 300 pounds lighter than its predecessor, thanks to the smaller engine and new transmission as well as a number of techniques Mazda uses when giving its vehicles the SKYACTIV treatment.

In addition, the CX-9’s turbocharger will make use of a special exhaust-gas recirculation system to lower engine temperatures and reduce the need to inject extra fuel to the combustion chamber to help cool the engine. (Mazda seemed unsure whether this tied into the EPA estimate of the crossover’s efficiency, but it expects it to come into play during real world driving.)

With a starting price of $31,520, the 2016 CX-9 will go on sale starting this spring.

News Source: Car and Driver