Mazda breaks New Territory

Mazda has put the squeeze on Territory, Kluger and Captiva, with new front-drive CX-9 variants starting from just $44,425.

The Japanese-built full-size SUV previously started at over $50K for the base all-wheel-drive Classic, and was consequently unable to match the sales of its cheaper rivals.

The base two-wheel-drive Classic undercuts a Territory TS by less than $500, and includes 18-inch alloy wheels, auto headlamps, cruise control, three-zone climate control, power windows and mirrors plus a leather trimmed steering wheel and gear shift knob. The 204kW/367Nm 3.5-litre V6 and six-speed auto drivetrain remains standard.

A Luxury front-driver is also available for $51,725, with 20-inch alloy wheels, sunroof, heated power mirrors, power-adjustable leather seats with 3-position memory function and a premium Bose audio system with 10 speakers.

Fuel consumption of both front-drive CX-9s is 11.0L/100km, compared to 11.2L/100km for the remaining all-wheel-drive Luxury ($56,225) and Grand Touring ($62,106) variants.

Mazda shifted 4096 CX-9s last year, less than half that of Kluger (13,117), Territory (11,558) and Captiva (11,175). With aggressive new pricing, Mazda no doubt hopes to close that gap considerably this year.