Anonymous wrote:How long do you want to keep it? Less than 5 years I'd say Mazda. More than 5 years I'd say Toyota.

OP here. Why do you say this? I haven't seen any major issues with the 2016+ CX9's. Most issues are with the 2015 and prior.

But to answer your question my current car is about 7.5 years old that's roughly how long I'd like to keep this one.

Both are nice Mom cars

We just chose a CX-9 over the Highlander. Like you, I thought it handled better and I prefer it’s exterior. I am the main driver of the car so the memory mirror thing didn’t bother me. Kids love the captains chairs in the back. The back row is quite small but we’ll only ever use it for local trips so NBD.

I really don’t think you can go wrong with either car.

How long do you want to keep it? Less than 5 years I'd say Mazda. More than 5 years I'd say Toyota.

CX-9. Much better looking SUV and not everybody has one.

Highlander.

Not even a contest.

Toyota

We've narrowed it down to these two. We know the third rows are small in both which is fine with us. I'm stuck and can't decide!

Toyota:

Pros - I like the interior better, better screen, better place to put my phone and a better center console. The side mirrors are linked to the seat memory position, which is good since we both drive the car. Slightly more leg room in the second row compared to Mazda. 2nd year of the new model, so not brand new but not being redesigned any time soon which I assume is good for resale down the road.

Cons - I could feel the transmission changing gears a little more, steering a little looser, don't like the exterior quite as much (but still like it fine.)

Mazda:

Pros - I like the exterior better and think it drives/handles better overall.

Cons - no memory side mirrors, near the end of the model run (has been out since 2016) so will start to look dated when the new one comes out and may affect resale but who knows.