Compare the2024 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Mazda CX-9

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery 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.

Both the Discovery and CX-9 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The CX-9’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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

Both the Discovery and CX-9 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Discovery has Rear Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The CX-9’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Discovery and the CX-9 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The Land Rover Discovery weighs 456 to 736 pounds more than the Mazda CX-9. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Discovery 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.

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

The Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 46 more horsepower (296 vs. 250) than the CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 105 more horsepower (355 vs. 250) and 49 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 320) than the CX-9’s 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Mazda CX-9:

	Discovery	CX-9
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	7.3 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16.1 sec	20.6 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.9 sec	8.1 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.5 sec	5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	88 MPH

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Discovery’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.

The Discovery has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the CX-9 (23.8 vs. 19.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Land Rover Discovery, 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 Discovery’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-9:

	Discovery P300	Discovery P360	CX-9
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	14.4 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.8 inches	12.8 inches

The Discovery’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 Discovery stops much shorter than the CX-9:

	Discovery	CX-9
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the CX-9 (285/40R22 vs. 255/60R18).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CX-9 Touring’s standard 60 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the CX-9 Touring Plus/Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the CX-9 Touring. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the CX-9 Touring Plus/Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature.

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the CX-9, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard 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 Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Discovery is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the CX-9.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 2.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the CX-9 (11.1 vs. 8.8 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Discovery is 4.3 inches shorter than the CX-9, making the Discovery easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Discovery 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 Discovery has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 2.5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.5 inches more third row headroom, 3.8 inches more third row legroom and 1.9 inches more third row hip room than the CX-9.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The CX-9 doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

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

	Discovery	CX-9
Third Seat Folded	45 cubic feet	38.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	74.3 cubic feet	71.2 cubic feet

The Discovery 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 button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The CX-9 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Discovery. The CX-9 doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the CX-9’s (5925 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Mazda CX-9 is only 3500 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Discovery 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 Discovery 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 Discovery 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.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat in the CX-9 Touring Plus/Carbon Edition/Grand Touring/Signature, the Discovery SE has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Discovery’s standard easy entry system 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 Discovery and the CX-9 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Discovery 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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Discovery to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The CX-9 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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

When the Discovery 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 Discovery’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 Discovery has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Mazda doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the CX-9.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Discovery’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The CX-9 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Discovery Metropolitan offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the CX-9.

The Discovery’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The CX-9 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.