As long as a car drives right, I generally don’t mind so much if the interior’s covered in hard plastic. And as I discovered on a road trip to Santa Barbara yesterday, our long-term CX-9 certainly drives right -- the steering’s a bit light for my taste, but it’s quick and accurate, and I didn’t think it was possible for such a large vehicle to feel so buttoned-down on serpentine sections of the Pacific Coast Highway. So normally I’d be inclined to forgive the acres of hard plastic that adorn the CX-9’s dash and center console.
Unfortunately, I found that the rakish slope of said console causes the lower portion to impinge on driver knee-room, so that when I was cruising on the highway, the bony right side of my (sun-deprived) knee was in constant contact with the console's rock-hard edge...
I had two unappealing choices: live with the discomfort, or hold my leg in an unnaturally upright position for the duration of the trip. Though my dimensions are on the tall side of normal (6’1”, 32.5-inch inseam), I can’t imagine I’m the only person who’s had this problem.
Upright consoles tend to be less problematic because it’s typically the fleshy side of your calf muscle that rests against them, not the bony side of your knee. I like the aesthetically pleasing rake of the CX-9’s console, though. It just needs some kind of soft-touch material in the circled area for knee-cushioning purposes.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 9,146 miles
Upright consoles tend to be less problematic because it’s typically the fleshy side of your calf muscle that rests against them, not the bony side of your knee. I like the aesthetically pleasing rake of the CX-9’s console, though. It just needs some kind of soft-touch material in the circled area for knee-cushioning purposes.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 9,146 miles
cx7lover says:
06:52 PM, 03/ 7/08
On the upside, look at that panel fitment.
The CX-7 has plastic there too and I have no comfort issues, my knee isn't boney though.
awd_dreamin says:
06:57 PM, 03/ 7/08
My 350z has soft pads on each side so you can rest your knee, thats about the only thing nissan got right with that interior.
estreka says:
07:45 PM, 03/ 7/08
Sun-deprived indeed! ;-)
I know exactly what you mean. My S2K has a hard plastic surface where I rest my knee on long trips. It's so aggravating, too, because there's a soft leather surface just below the optimum spot.
mdpay says:
09:46 PM, 03/ 7/08
My Mazda3 did the same thing. It was my biggest complaint about the car and I'm only 5'8".
I think it comes from the ergonomic "dummies" (no pun intended) that get placed inside cars during development. The legs are outstretched in a perfect plane with no lateral tilt.
Unfortunately this is not a real world test.
1487 says:
08:05 AM, 03/ 8/08
The CX-9 has hard plastic everywhere (as does the CX-7) so this isnt a surprise. I'm just glad someone finally mentioned it for once because most reviews ignore the Chrysler like plastic quality of these vehicles since they handle well and are made by Mazda.
jaeger1 says:
12:27 PM, 03/ 8/08
Might I suggest pants?
cx7lover says:
12:40 PM, 03/ 8/08
1487 -
Get a grip, the plastic in the CX-7/9 is worlds better than any Chrysler interior. He wasn't even mentioning the quality of the plastic so why did you bring it up as if he was?
The CX-7 is good for the price and the CX-9 is great for the price.
benson2175 says:
05:29 PM, 03/ 8/08
Observe how nice and non defensive Mazda owners are being about this relatively minor gripe. No conspiracy theories no whining, no accusations of bias on the part of the editors. I noticed the same thing in other car's posts except of course for the Aura. Aura owners need to chill.
zoomzoom22 says:
05:33 PM, 03/ 8/08
1487-
I agree, to an extent. Mazda does use a lot of hard plastic in their interiors, but it is high quality and it all fits together well. The difference between Chrysler and Mazda is that Mazda mixes hard plastic with soft touch materials, and makes it look good in the process. You can't tell me that the CX9 interior isn't beautiful.
Chrysler uses acres of hard plastic that makes no excuses for what it is -- at least the plastics in the CX9 look and are high quality. I think chrysler is learning, however....the interior of the new Ram is awesome.
zoomzoom22 says:
05:36 PM, 03/ 8/08
benson-
HEY INSIDELINE:
IF THIS HAD BEEN A HONDA PRODUCT, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE MENTIONED THAT. YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT "HEY, THEY CAN'T BE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT" AND IGNORED IT! BUT NOOOOO, THIS IS A MAZDA SO YOU JUST HAD TO COMMENT ON THE LITTLE THINGS AND NOT WHAT MATTERS! HOW DARE YOU!!
just kidding :)
1487 says:
07:10 PM, 03/ 8/08
"Get a grip, the plastic in the CX-7/9 is worlds better than any Chrysler interior. He wasn't even mentioning the quality of the plastic so why did you bring it up as if he was?
The CX-7 is good for the price and the CX-9 is great for the price."
relax. Funny that Benson was just patting you on the back for not being defensive.
Benson,
Do you have anything to add to these forums besides Aura owner bashing? Thats a rhetorical question of course. Everything you post regardless of the vehicle in question seems to end up being some type of Aura related insult. You seem obsessed.
Chrysler interiors definitely look worse than Mazda interiors. The plastic in both brands is hard for the most part. I'm not going to get into trying to judge which hard plastics are "high quality" and which are not. I can just say that hard plastics are used in many brands, including Mazdas. What I cant figure out is why no one in the press seems to notice this.
chrishs2000 says:
09:48 AM, 03/ 9/08
Plastics and interior materials have been one of the items consistently downgraded by Japanese automakers...sit in a 1996 Civic and you'll find better panel fitment, better materials and better quality than a brand new Camry, Accord Or Mazda6.
My 2003 Accord 6MT has the best interior for style and ergonomics of any car in its class IMO, but the materials are completely disappointing compared to my old 1998 Accord. Thin plastics, no door armrest padding, glovebox fitment issues and not-so-soft soft touch surfaces. The 2008 Accord is even worse.
Compare this to the Big 3 (well, mainly GM) and it's the polar opposite. A Grand Prix of 1998 was an aesthetic, quality and material abomination on the inside while the new Malibu and Aura are 100 times better. The G6 is up there but not nearly as good as the Malibu/Aura.
billt9 says:
12:45 AM, 03/10/08
Is the CX-9 footwell narrow?
In the Murano, for a 5'9" driver, there's just no way my right leg even gets close to the lower console/right wall of the footwell.
1487 says:
06:03 AM, 03/10/08
chris2000,
I agree with most of what you said although not all import brands had soft touch interiors back in the day. Some have been mostly hard plastic for a long time now.
2002blksle says:
06:53 AM, 03/10/08
Built9-
I went to the Minneapolis car show on Sunday. The CX9 has a really wide console which creates a narrower space for the legs. I'm 5'11" and my leg touched the side as well but I liked the feeling of having the console high and wide. I felt nested and it was extremely easy to get comfortable. But I can see how anyone of more generous proportions could feel confined.
smalone says:
07:30 AM, 03/10/08
I'm a Mazda fan because of driving dynamics, but this seems to be a "brand issue." I'm not all that large, but in my Miata, the hard edge of the console intrudes right where my knee rests (aftermarket suppliers sell a stick-on knee pad for this reason). I recently sat in a Mazda3 -- same issue, and perhaps worse than the Miata.
noflash1 says:
10:22 AM, 03/10/08
This is a problem for me with my 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid's e-brake handle.
I was hoping someone in here had a diy fix. Anyone sell adhesive soft pads?
skw0123 says:
11:12 PM, 03/10/08
I haven't been bothered by the center console of my CX9, but haven't driven in shorts either. I expect this makes more of a difference than one might expect.
I was bothered by the lack of knee room in some other vehicles I sat in (mostly smaller CUV's like the RAV-4).
Big cars (CUV's, minivans, etc) have lots of hard plastic. The CX-9 Touring (which I also have) accentuates this somewhat by use of the "piano black" trim. I can't say I find it bothersome, and certainly think the CX-9 has a nicer interior than say, the last generation Acura MDX.