Compare the2024 Honda PilotVS 2023 Mazda CX-9

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Mazda CX-9 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row 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 Pilot 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 Honda Pilot 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.

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

Both the Pilot 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Pilot for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CX-9.

There are almost 2 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated below average.

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 35 more horsepower (285 vs. 250) than the CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Mazda CX-9:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Pilot’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The CX-9 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CX-9 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (7 out of 10) than the Mazda CX-9 (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CX-9 every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the CX-9.

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

The Pilot stops much shorter than the CX-9:

For better traction, the Pilot TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-9 (265/60R18 vs. 255/60R18).

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The CX-9 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the CX-9.

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

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the CX-9’s (37.7 feet vs. 38.8 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the CX-9’s (37.8 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 400 pounds less than the Mazda CX-9.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The CX-9 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The CX-9 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the CX-9 can only carry up to 7.

The Pilot has 23.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-9 (158.4 vs. 135.1).

The Pilot has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front hip room, 4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.9 inches more third row headroom, 2.8 inches more third row legroom, 4.5 inches more third row hip room and 6.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the CX-9.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pilot’s middle and third row seats recline. The CX-9’s third row seats don’t recline.

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

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Mazda CX-9 is limited to 3500 pounds. The Pilot 4WD offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Pilot 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 Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, 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 Pilot and the CX-9 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Pilot 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.

The Pilot’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The CX-9’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

When the Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite 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 Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite’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 Pilot TrailSport/Elite has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, 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.

The Pilot is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Pilot third among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The CX-9 isn’t in the top three.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Mazda CX-9 by almost three to one during 2022.