Compare the2024 Toyota SiennaVS 2023 Mazda CX-9

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Sienna 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 Sienna 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 Toyota Sienna has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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 Sienna has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Sienna and CX-9 have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Sienna has Rear Cross 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.

Compared to metal, the Sienna’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 Sienna and the CX-9 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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

	Sienna	CX-9
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	175	337
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	42 lbs.	165 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	448/220 lbs.	376/375 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 Toyota Sienna is safer than the Mazda CX-9:

	Sienna	CX-9
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	42	88
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	52	208
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	54 G’s
Hip Force	542 lbs.	582 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	31 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	499 lbs.	553 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 Sienna is 1.1% to 3.2% less likely to roll over than the CX-9.

The Toyota Sienna achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The CX-9 has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Sienna for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota 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 over 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sienna’s warranty.

Reliability

The battery on the Sienna is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Sienna’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The CX-9’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Mazda.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mazda is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Mazda is ranked 7th.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sienna
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/36 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/36 hwy
CX-9
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Sienna’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Sienna’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. The CX-9 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

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

Environmental Friendliness

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

Transmission

The Sienna has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Sienna	CX-9
Front Rotors	12.9 inches	12.6 inches

The Sienna’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 Sienna stops shorter than the CX-9:

	Sienna	CX-9
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sienna’s wheelbase is 5.2 inches longer than on the CX-9 (120.5 inches vs. 115.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sienna is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than on the CX-9.

Passenger Space

The Sienna has standard seating for 8 passengers; the CX-9 can only carry up to 7.

The Sienna has 27.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-9 (162.5 vs. 135.1).

The Sienna has .8 inches more front headroom, 2.9 inches more front hip room, 4.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, .5 inches more rear legroom, 8.8 inches more rear hip room, 4.6 inches more rear shoulder room, 2 inches more third row headroom, 9 inches more third row legroom, 8.7 inches more third row hip room and 5.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the CX-9.

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

Cargo Capacity

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

	Sienna	CX-9
Behind Third Seat	33.5 cubic feet	14.4 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	75.2 cubic feet	38.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	101 cubic feet	71.2 cubic feet

The Sienna has a standard Split & Stow 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.

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

Ergonomics

The Sienna XSE Premium/Limited/Platinum’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and 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 Sienna and the CX-9 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sienna 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 Sienna 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. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the CX-9 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Sienna’s standard sliding doors can be opened with less than three inches side clearance. The CX-9’s standard rear swing-out doors are bulky and make loading in tight spots difficult.

The Sienna’s power side sliding doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the van. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a power rear door.

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

When the Sienna with available tilt-down mirrors 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 Sienna’s optional 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 Sienna (except LE) offers an optional 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.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

The Sienna will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Sienna will retain 52.72% to 55.04% of its original price after five years, while the CX-9 only retains 47.66% to 48.67%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Sienna will be $3220 to $8912 less than for the Mazda CX-9.

Recommendations

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

The Toyota Sienna outsold the Mazda CX-9 by almost four to one during 2023.

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