Hi Scotty,
Hope you’re doing good. Wish you a very happy Christmas and new year.
I’m looking to buy a new suv and I was bit skeptical about which one to go with in this wide range of offerings. After some research and suggestions I feel like going either with 2021 Mazda CX-9 or new Kia Sorento, but again I was bit hesitant about kia’s 8speed DCT.
Please help me choose which suv to buy based on your abundant experience. I would really appreciate if you could able to give me few more options to consider besides those two I thought would be safe to buy.
Thanks
Bharath
As far as Mazda vs Kia, definitely the Mazda.
If you do not care about the driving experience and are just looking for an automotive appliance I would recommend the Highlander (as others have) or the Honda Pilot. If you have any interest a car that is at least somewhat fun to drive, the Mazda is far and away the best choice short of going to a premium brand.
Definitely, looking for that punch and fun in the drive.
If you have to choose between those, Get the Mazda. Just a suggestion:
You might like the Toyota Highlander.
Between those two, I definitely would go with the Mazda. Kia's DCTs tend to be quite jerky, especially as the car gets some miles on it. Also, you should strongly consider a new Toyota Highlander with a V6 engine. Those are around the same price as a CX-9 and are likely going to be more reliable than the Mazda in the long run. For a big SUV like that, I would certainly take a V6 instead of a turbo 4 cylinder, which all the new Mazda CX-9s use.
Between Mazda and Kia definetly Kia. Kia Sorentos were reliable like 10 15 years ago but then all the US made engines and GDi and DCTs came along and they are junk. I would not get a CX-9 because it is a new design in Mazda's lineup. It is a turbo 4 cylinder in a huge cx-9. I would really consider getting a CX-30 or CX-5 or even a newish condition 2014-2015 CX-9. The Kia should be good for 80 90k miles before anything major happens but the Mazda is a better vehicle. Just realize neither have that good a engine the Kia is poorly made the specific cx-9 has a turbo 4 cylinder.
I am on my third Kia/Hyundai. They are the same car internally. The Sorento has the third row of seats and is pretty roomy. I have the non turbo 2021 S trim and it has plenty of power. I am told that at high elevations such as Colorado you need the turbo version of the car. Just be for warned 10 years ago they had a 10 year warranty. Now it's 5. Every body raved about how reliable they were. That was because repairs were free and free repairs are soon forgotten. Now after 5 years the pain sets in. I had a 11 year old Santa Fe. The steering rack went bad for the second time in 5 years. The last time it was under warranty and soon forgotten. This time it was a painful $1800. The dealers are now offering to extend the warranty's but the extensions can run up to $5,000.00 extra to get up to that 10yr/100k that used to be free. The Hyundai/Kia's are more feature rich even in the lower trims where the more expensive Mazda's or Toyota's are the stripped down versions. A fully loaded Hyundai/Kia can be 20K less than the equivalent econobox in those other brands. So it's a toss up. I still think the value is in the Kia/Hyundai and I happen to like the Kia styling better.
Do your research and don't believe all the bait adds on line and in the papers. Be prepared to walk if you don't like what the dealers are telling you. I had a check in hand when a dealer sprung extra fees on me. I stood up and walked out. I went down the street and got the same car for 5K less than the first dealer.
