Give peace a chance (to come on boost)
When turbo power brings serenity, rather than sizzle
SERENITY is a good thing in a car. I say this with some authority, having driven everything from a Lotus Elise on a rainy freeway to a Toyota Landcruiser with kids and in-laws aboard on a long country Christmas run. Neither is much fun, although forced to choose the Elise would win out...
Those character-building experiences made me appreciate my last month in the CX-9 Azami that little bit more.
Sure, the kids were occasionally squawking and bickering, but otherwise peace prevailed. The distinct lack of tyre noise on a country road is a welcome change for a Mazda. After all, serenity is something Mazda owners haven’t always had, courtesy of an early2000s edict to strip weight (some of it sound deadening) and focus on dynamics.
Being designed primarily for those freewayloving Yanks, the CX-9 comes suitably attired for the 60mph cruise, ably hushing the hum from the 20-inch Bridgestones. It’s impressively quiet, making everything from a Sunday morning croissant run to a high-speed cruise that little more relaxed.
But it’s the 2.5-litre turbo that contributes most to the peacefulness of the CX-9’S cabin. Having a full 420Nm under your right hoof from 2000rpm means there’s rarely a need to delve beyond that beautiful bulge of torquey goodness. Gentle squeeze, turbo quickly wakes up and off you go, the six-speed auto swiftly slotting through its cogs to maintain that torque focus.
Sure, there’s more on tap if you tramp the throttle – enough to briefly spin the front wheels before the computer diverts drive rearward – but that’s only needed when you really want to smash the trafficlight grand prix.
It also makes the Sport button for the transmission largely redundant for all but a backroad fang. Sure, it sharpens responses, but the insistence of the transmission to drop down a ratio bypasses the torquey low to mid range in the hunt for high-rev power.
That relaxed, low-rev acceleration also helps with decent – rather than exceptional – economy. This month’s 12.2L/100km was slightly up on the 11.1L/100km average, but it was achieved in mostly suburban running.
Thirst could head north from here, though; I’ve ditched the 98-octane for regular unleaded to see what it does to real-world performance and consumption.
One thing’s for sure: it won’t impact the serenity of what is a supremely relaxed and comfy family cruiser. And the quietest Mazda in decades.