It’s that time of year again, and in many places in the U.S. as well as around the world, people are gearing up for another cold winter. There are many cars on the market that can handle winter driving, and the 2021 Mazda CX-9 is one of the best choices. Here’s a look at why the 2021 Mazda CX-9 is such a good car for the winter. 

The standard winter features on the 2021 Mazda CX-9

According to U.S. News, the 2021 CX-9 is one of the best SUVs on the market when it comes to SUVs that can handle the snow. There were many reasons for that, and many of those reasons are standard on the CX-9.

For example, the CX-9 has 8.8 inches of ground clearance, and while this isn’t a class-leading amount of ground clearance, it is more than enough ground clearance to allow the CX-9 to handle snowy obstacles. 

Furthermore, the CX-9 can seat up to seven people comfortably with its three rows of seats, according to U.S. News. That’s because the CX-9 has tri-zone automatic climate control as standard, so every passenger can easily get warm.

In addition to that, the front seats are heated as standard, so the driver and whoever’s riding shotgun can get warm very quickly.

The optional winter features on the 2021 Mazda CX-9

With that being said, Mazda offers a lot more extra features for anyone who wants to equip their CX-9 to better handle winter. U.S. News wrote that not only is all-wheel drive available on the 2021 CX-9, but Mazda’s all-wheel drive also has some smart predictive technology behind it.

U.S. News said that Mazda’s all-wheel drive “anticipates slippery patches and automatically shifts torque to the tires for more grip in slush and snow.” On top of that, Mazda also offers traction assist so that the CX-9 can feel even smoother when it’s driving over rough terrain. 

Mazda also offers customers the ability to add heated second-row seats to their CX-9, as well as a heated steering wheel. These features will allow the CX-9 to warm up its passengers even faster than usual.

On top of that, Mazda also offers remote start on the CX-9. Remote start is actually a very useful feature for winter cars, as it allows owners to warm up their car in advance before anyone actually sets foot inside. 

Other great features of the 2021 Mazda CX-9

Overall, U.S. News gave the 2021 CX-9 an 8.3 out of 10, and this score made it one of the best SUVs in its class. That being said, the CX-9 starts at about $34,000, so it’s not the most affordable midsize SUV available. However, Mazda offers a lot of other standard features on the CX-9 that make it more than worth its price.

For example, the CX-9 only has one engine option, and it’s a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that gets 227-hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. This engine has a good amount of power for its size, according to U.S. News, but on top of that, it’s also very fuel-efficient.

The CX-9 gets an estiamted 22 MPG in the city and 28 MPG on highways, and the CX-9’s fuel economy is good for its segment. 

U.S. News also appreciated the CX-9’s interior, which it said was “handsome,” and “full of high-end materials.” In addition to all that, the CX-9 also has a 10.3-inch touch screen as standard, as well as a host of smart safety features that include forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, as well as adaptive cruise control.

All these things add up to the 2021 CX-9 being the perfect defense against stressful winter driving.