Wow what a fucking joke, more like the x5 or some shit or ml350

That is not an SUV ? it's an AWD minivan ???? I didnt know that 7 passenger kid hauler equates to Sport Utility Vehicle..... Can it tow a boat ? or go off road? ohhh nnooo thats not important I bet you can let your kid watch a DVD in the back seat !!!

Motor Trend what a bunch of retards... they drive an FJ Cruiser to the freaking grocery store and complain about the bumpy ride... Even though it's built for off -road enthusiasts....

Josh,

Remember that going to the grocery store is where most FJ's will spend their time, and if they can't do that well then they are useless as a serious form of transportation...hell most SUV are not much more than all wheel drive Minivans. they have taken the place of station wagons in the American culture, hauling around 1000 pounds of extra machinery that will almost never be needed by most people who own them and putting in all in a box that will never be as aerodynamic as a car, thereby wasting even more fuel in the process.

While I understand the attraction to these types of vehicles, they are all lousy daily drivers, taking more space to park, being able to haul more people then is ever placed in them (the US average is~1.1 people per vehicle). If people actually bought a car that actually fit their needs there would be a lot more subcompacts on the road (which can easily be fitted with all the gadgets and other crap people want).

As expensive toys SUVs are fine, but it is much better to have a great city car for most people (or use mass transit.)

Agree with Timothy: only maybe a tenth of all SUVs sold need to have 4wd or towing capacity, as they will spend the vast majority of their lives on the road and going in the grass for soccer practice does not qualify for either of those.

As to mass transit: if only in America people did not live in massively sprawled neighborhoods and were not adverse to the physical requirements of walking somewhere. Then, we could all live both vastly cheaper (would not need car payments and face it, one rail line is cheaper than 1000 cars), reduce waste and have better social lives (meeting people on trains can be fun, provided you put the freaks in their own car).

I think it is good that the CX-9 won over those other umm well trucks.

It is the most car like and if an article can influence someone to buy this over a tanky 4wd i'm all for it. Saves petrol and money. Better than people driving landcruisers around the city because most suv's never even get to see anything offroad.

@allen,

So true: first thing you loose is you driving license. So you have to take bus.
So who wants to take bus, unless you have to.

But with the big 3 now small, the public transport lobby has a chance to get funds allocated to de-stigmatise public transport (outside metro areas)

Josh: While not a hardcore SUV, it's not a minivan either. its a Crossover, and a very well executed one at that. Seems to have the best of both worlds. Tons of space, sporty to drive, plenty of power, and can tow moderate loads

"The optional tow package allows the CX-9 to pull trailers weighing as much as 3500 pounds in front- and all-wheel-drive variants. It features the typical receiver hitch, trailer wiring, and transmission cooler, but also adds a towing module to the computer program that'll watch and respond to various temperature parameters."

Timothy: I agree with you mostly. But there are plenty of us who really do need a true SUV. Carrying 4 guys and their snowboarding/mtn. biking/whatever gear and going on road trips is something I and most of my friends do regularly. But even I cannot find the car I really want, and least not in the US. For me, the ultimate would be a true minivan body on an SUV platform, like the Mitsubishi Delica in Japan...