$47,890 as tested

The 2015 Mazda CX-9 is not nearly the freshest seven-seat crossover on the market, but with nips and tucks over the years from Mazda in the design and interior departments, it still looks and feels like a modern contender in this class. Its 3.7-litre V6 engine is slightly larger than most of its competitors, and handling for this long rig is notably flat for its class, befitting Mazda’s enthusiast-friendly ethos. But the CX-9 is unfortunately thirstier than most, with an overall average of 14.3/10.6 L/100 km for the all-wheel drive model, compared to other three-row AWD rivals like the ’16 Honda Pilot and Nissan Pathfinder V6, the latter of which achieves 12.4/9.0 L/100km figures.