Compare the2023 Mazda CX-9VS 2023 Dodge Durango

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
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 Durango 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 Durango.

The CX-9’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Durango and is not available with SXT.

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 Durango 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 Durango doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the CX-9 and the Durango 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, daytime running lights, 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 Dodge Durango:

	CX-9	Durango
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	26%	34%
Leg Forces (l/r)	107/424 lbs.	339/364 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Mazda CX-9 is safer than the Durango:

	CX-9	Durango
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	1.3/.2 kN	5.3/2.5 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	6%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.37/.44	1.53/.59
Tibia forces R/L	1.8/.6 kN	1.9/1.4 kN

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 Dodge Durango:

	CX-9	Durango
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.4 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	98 lbs.	111 lbs.
Hip Force	195 lbs.	236 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	553 lbs.	714 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the CX-9 is 3.9% to 6.1% less likely to roll over than the Durango.

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 Durango is not a “Top Safety Pick.”

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the CX-9 has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Durango.

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 CX-9’s reliability 14 points higher than the Durango.

Engine

The CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 260) than the Durango’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6. The CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 260) than the Durango’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mazda CX-9 is faster than the Dodge Durango V6:

	CX-9	Durango
Zero to 30 MPH	2.3 sec	2.6 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	7.8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19 sec	20.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.5 sec	8.3 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.4 sec	4.2 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.7 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	132 MPH	117 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the CX-9 gets better mileage than the Durango:

			MPG
CX-9
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
Durango
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The CX-9 stops shorter than the Durango:

	CX-9	Durango
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	160 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The CX-9 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the CX-9 flat and controlled during cornering. The Durango’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-9 is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Durango.

The CX-9 Signature handles at .85 G’s, while the Durango GT pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-9 Signature executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the Durango GT 4x4 (26.7 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-9’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Durango’s (38.8 feet vs. 41 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-9 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Durango (8.8 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the CX-9 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Mazda CX-9 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 950 pounds less than the Dodge Durango.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the CX-9 Signature is quieter than the Durango GT 4x4:

	CX-9	Durango
At idle	37 dB	38 dB
Full-Throttle	71 dB	76 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	67 dB

Passenger Space

The CX-9 has .7 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more rear legroom, 1.9 inches more rear hip room, .4 inches more rear shoulder room and 2.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Durango.

The front step up height for the CX-9 is 1.4 inches lower than the Durango (18.3” vs. 19.7”). The CX-9’s rear step up height is .9 inches lower than the Durango’s (18.8” vs. 19.7”).

Cargo Capacity

The CX-9’s cargo area is larger than the Durango’s in almost every dimension:

	CX-9	Durango
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	21.5”/50.5”/84.9”	20”/50”/83”
Max Width	57.2”	49”
Min Width	40.2”	42.5”
Height	30.3”	36”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the CX-9 Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Durango doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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 Durango 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 Durango’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 Durango’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 Durango’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The CX-9’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Durango’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

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 Durango doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the CX-9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Durango doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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. The Durango doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the CX-9 is less expensive to operate than the Durango because it costs $127 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the CX-9 than the Durango, including $44 less for front brake pads, $180 less for a starter, $6 less for fuel injection and $114 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mazda CX-9, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Durango isn't recommended.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its August 2017 issue and they ranked the Mazda CX-9 Signature first. They ranked the Dodge Durango GT 4x4 fourth.

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