Compare the2024 Toyota Highlander HybridVS 2023 Mazda CX-9

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid 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.

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 Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The CX-9 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid and CX-9 have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum has Parking Support Brake (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 Highlander Hybrid’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 Highlander Hybrid 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, 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 Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Mazda CX-9:

	Highlander Hybrid	CX-9
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	328	337
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.4%	40%
Neck Stress	179 lbs.	183 lbs.
Neck Compression	90 lbs.	165 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, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Mazda CX-9:

	Highlander Hybrid	CX-9
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	55	88
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.4 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	98 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	208
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	54 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	582 lbs.

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

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid’s warranty.

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 Highlander Hybrid’s reliability 18 points higher than the CX-9.

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 Highlander Hybrid gets better mileage than the CX-9:

			MPG
Highlander Hybrid
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/35 hwy
		2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
CX-9
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Highlander Hybrid’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 Highlander Hybrid’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 Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Mazda CX-9 (5). This means the Highlander Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CX-9 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CX-9:

	Highlander Hybrid	CX-9
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	12.8 inches

The Highlander Hybrid’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 Highlander Hybrid stops shorter than the CX-9:

	Highlander Hybrid	CX-9
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Highlander Hybrid’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the CX-9’s (54.7% to 45.3%). This gives the Highlander Hybrid more stable handling and braking.

For better maneuverability, the Highlander Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the CX-9’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

Chassis

The Highlander Hybrid is 4.5 inches shorter than the CX-9, making the Highlander Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Highlander Hybrid 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.

Passenger Space

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

The Highlander Hybrid has 6.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the CX-9 (141.8 vs. 135.1).

The Highlander Hybrid has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, .5 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear shoulder room, .7 inches more third row headroom, 5.5 inches more third row hip room and 1.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the CX-9.

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

Cargo Capacity

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

	Highlander Hybrid	CX-9
Behind Third Seat	16 cubic feet	14.4 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	38.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	71.2 cubic feet

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

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Highlander Hybrid and the CX-9 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid’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 Highlander Hybrid’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the CX-9’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

When the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum 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 Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum 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.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Highlander Hybrid owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Highlander Hybrid will cost $375 to $2290 less than the CX-9 over a five-year period.

The Highlander Hybrid will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Highlander Hybrid will retain 55.94% to 57.42% 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 Highlander Hybrid will be $5971 to $7809 less than for the Mazda CX-9.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Highlander Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Mazda CX-9 by almost 10 to one during 2023.

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