Compare the2023 Lexus GXVS 2023 Mazda CX-9

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/12/21

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Lexus GX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mazda CX-9 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The GX’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The CX-9 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Lexus GX are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mazda CX-9 doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the GX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Lexus GX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CX-9 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GX has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the GX’s standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The CX-9 doesn’t offer Downhill Assist Control.

Compared to metal, the GX’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Mazda CX-9 has a metal gas tank.

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

The Lexus GX weighs 717 to 783 pounds more than the Mazda CX-9. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The GX comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The CX-9’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the GX 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mazda covers the CX-9. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the CX-9 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The GX’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the CX-9’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the GX’s reliability 15 points higher than the CX-9.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the GX second among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The CX-9 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mazda is rated lower.

Engine

The GX’s 4.6 DOHC V8 produces 51 more horsepower (301 vs. 250) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (329 vs. 320) than the CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lexus GX is faster than the Mazda CX-9:

	GX	CX-9
Zero to 30 MPH	2.3 sec	2.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	12.2 sec	13.4 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.8 sec	4.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	15.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.7 MPH	87.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The GX has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the CX-9 (23 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GX’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-9:

	GX	CX-9
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.6 inches

The GX’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CX-9 are solid, not vented.

The GX stops much shorter than the CX-9:

	GX	CX-9
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GX has larger tires than the CX-9 (265/60R18 vs. 255/60R18).

The Lexus GX’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mazda CX-9 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The GX has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The CX-9 doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The GX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The CX-9’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GX 460 Luxury has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The GX’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the CX-9’s (54.7% to 45.3%). This gives the GX more stable handling and braking.

Chassis

The GX is 7.3 inches shorter than the CX-9, making the GX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The GX has .7 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 3 inches more third row hip room and 1.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the CX-9.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GX’s middle seats and third row seats (except Base/Black Line Edition) recline. The CX-9’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The GX’s cargo area provides more volume than the CX-9.

	GX	CX-9
Third Seat Folded	46.7 cubic feet	38.2 cubic feet

The GX has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The CX-9 doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the GX’s (except Base/Black Line) optional third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The CX-9 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the GX. The CX-9 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The GX’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the right swing out door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The CX-9’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

The GX’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the CX-9’s (6500 vs. 3500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The GX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CX-9 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the GX is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the CX-9. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The GX has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The CX-9 doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Mazda. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 41% lower rating, Mazda is ranked 11th.

Ergonomics

The GX’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The CX-9 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the GX and the CX-9 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the GX is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CX-9 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

If the windows are left open on the GX the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the CX-9 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Consumer Reports rated the GX’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the CX-9’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The GX offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The CX-9 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

When the GX is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The CX-9’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The CX-9 has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GX has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the GX owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the GX will cost $465 to $2020 less than the CX-9 over a five-year period.

The GX will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the GX will retain 46.1% to 47.91% of its original price after five years, while the CX-9 only retains 42.92% to 44.59%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GX is less expensive to operate than the CX-9 because typical repairs cost much less on the GX than the CX-9, including $615 less for a water pump, $41 less for front brake pads and $195 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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

The Lexus GX outsold the Mazda CX-9 by 881 units during 2020.

See Available Inventory