Compare the2023 Mazda CX-9VS 2022 Honda Pilot

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-9 Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature has standard Rear Smart City Brake Support that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the CX-9. But it costs extra on the Pilot.

The CX-9 Grand Touring/Signature has a standard 360° View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Pilot only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The CX-9 Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Pilot doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-9 and the Pilot have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda CX-9 is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	CX-9	Pilot
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	165 lbs.	478 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	376/375 lbs.	478/436 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda CX-9 is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	CX-9	Pilot
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	88	109
Chest Movement	.4 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	98 lbs.	101 lbs.
Hip Force	195 lbs.	269 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	233
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	15 inches	15 inches
HIC	249	406
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	45 G’s
Hip Force	553 lbs.	838 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mazda CX-9 is much safer than the Pilot:

	CX-9	Pilot
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	106	206
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	1.14 in	1.22 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	5 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	647 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	178 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Torso Max Deflection	1.06 in	2.05 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	625 lbs.	759 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the CX-9 is .5% to 2.4% less likely to roll over than the Pilot.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the CX-9 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pilot last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2018.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the CX-9’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Pilot’s camshafts. If the Pilot’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the CX-9 has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Pilot’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. With 3 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Honda.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

Engine

The CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 58 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 262) than the Pilot’s 3.5 SOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-9 gets better fuel mileage than the Pilot 4WD (20 city/26 hwy vs. 19 city/26 hwy).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mazda CX-9 higher (5 out of 10) than the Honda Pilot (3). This means the CX-9 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Pilot every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-9 stops shorter than the Pilot:

	CX-9	Pilot
70 to 0 MPH	178 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	153 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the CX-9 has larger tires than the Pilot (255/60R18 vs. 245/60R18).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-9’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Pilot (115.3 inches vs. 111 inches).

The CX-9’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (54.7% to 45.3%) than the Pilot’s (56.1% to 43.9%). This gives the CX-9 more stable handling and braking.

The CX-9 Signature handles at .85 G’s, while the Pilot Elite 4WD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-9 Signature executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Pilot Elite 4WD (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-9’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Pilot’s (38.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-9 has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Pilot (8.8 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the CX-9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the CX-9 Signature is quieter than the Pilot Elite 4WD:

	CX-9	Pilot
At idle	37 dB	37 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	78 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	67 dB

Passenger Space

The CX-9 has .1 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear hip room than the Pilot.

Ergonomics

The CX-9 Grand Touring/Signature has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Pilot doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The CX-9’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Pilot’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The CX-9’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Pilot’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The CX-9’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Pilot’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the CX-9 Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Pilot doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The CX-9’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Pilot’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-9 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Pilot SE/Elite//Black Edition offers wireless charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-9 is less expensive to operate than the Pilot because typical repairs cost much less on the CX-9 than the Pilot, including $39 less for a muffler, $201 less for a starter, $57 less for fuel injection and $56 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Mazda CX-9 and the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its August 2017 issue and they ranked the Mazda CX-9 Signature first. They ranked the Honda Pilot Elite 4WD fifth.