MAZDA CX-9 AZAMI AWD

A standout performance in October’s seven-seater megatest suggested it has the stuff to hunt upmarket. On cost, this should be a walkover – at $63,390, the top-spec CX-9 is nearly $30K cheaper than BMW’S least costly X5 and has plenty over it in the active safety department, as well as seat heaters, powered sunroof and head-up display. 17/20

Slick new CX-9 interior marks a big step up, aligning it with its siblings and helping it take the fight to Europe. A class act in top-spec, it has the X5 firmly in sight. Second row flips easily to allow access to accommodating third row. Boot space behind it is small at 230 litres; increases to 810L with the kids’ 50/50 split/fold seats down. 16/20

Lively in the base front-drive CX-9, Mazda’s 2.5-litre turbo-petrol four loses a bit of urgency in the almost two-tonne Azami. It would be a ripper of a donk in a smaller MPS model, with its hearty 420Nm from 2000rpm and zesty 170kw (186kw on 98 RON). Economical for a petrol, both official (8.8L/100km) and real-world. 15/20

Big 20-inch wheels fail to diminish the CX-9’S fundamental comfort. It has a supple primary ride and remains planted on all but the patchiest surfaces; it helps that 50-profile amounts to a chunky sidewall when you’re rolling on 255s. CX-9 has a lot more sound-deadening than its predecessor; the things you don’t hear speak volumes. 17/20

If each new generation of SUV is a step away from the unwieldy lumps once endured, the CX-9 is a quantum leap. Its electrically assisted power steering is slick, with a terrific sense of connection, allied to a chassis (strut front, multilink rear) with the poise, adjustability and control to engage you to the point of forgetting the baby’s on board. 16/20