Mazda CX-9

North America’s 2008 truck of the year is heading to Russia. The CX-9 enjoyed its European debut today in Moscow and is another sporty SUV crossover from Mazda which seems to confirm the Japanese brands intent on its future within the sector.

The sleek, roomy SUV is the first Mazda to feature a three row bench and has enough space to comfortably seat six. A lot of emphasis has been placed on delivering a superior ride in the CX-9, with new measures taken to ensure a quieter cabin, plenty of leg and head room paired with a powerful, smooth engine.

Under the bonnet is a 3.7-litre V6 unit, mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that also has a manual shift mode - and this is curretnly the only engine avaialble. It delivers 366Nm of torque, 273bhp and a 0-62mph time of 10.1 seconds, with CO2 emissions at 309g/Km.

Mazda have placed a large emphasis on safety in the CX-9, and it performs impressively, winning America’s top award making it one of the safest SUV’s around.

Mazda have confirmed the CX-9 will go sale in Russia from September this year, but it doesn't look like the oversized SUV it will make it to the UK.

BACK TO AUTO EXPRESS' MOSCOW MOTOR SHOW HOMEPAGE