Yahoo Autos 2021 Mazda CX-9 Signature Interior Review | A convincing move toward luxury
Mazda has been moving upmarket over the past few years, positioning itself closer to something like Acura than Honda, for instance. One of the clearest signs of this is in the Signature trim levels that combine a large number of features with high-end materials. To see how successful the Signature trim is at turning a Mazda into a near-luxury vehicle, we spent some time in the biggest and most expensive example the company offers, the 2021 Mazda CX-9 Signature.
Although the interior accoutrements are the real appeal of the Signature, Mazda does sprinkle a little extra flash on the outside, too. The 2021 model has a new, unique grille design that especially stands out at night with a subtle line of LED lights around the lower edge of the grille. It picks up 20-inch wheels and bigger dual exhaust tips, too. They're nice little details that help it stand out without shouting about the fact that it's the fanciest version.
Stepping inside, you get mostly the same old CX-9 interior, but decorated with some really superb trimmings. The most impressive is the Santos Rosewood that surrounds the shifter and the window controls on the doors. They're fairly thick pieces of wood that have a beautiful, deep brown color and feel soft and smooth to the touch. Close behind is the addition of real aluminum trim along the dashboard and on the doors by the handles. Then there are the Nappa leather seats with quilted stitching and contrast piping.
The second row of seats also get some love. Captain's chairs are the only option, and they're split by a center console that houses storage and the heated seat controls. It gives the row a slightly more executive feel. The third-row seats are left untouched and continue to be more of an occasional-use feature. Adults can fit back there with reasonable legroom and comfort that's dinged by the fact that the seats are basically on the floor, resulting in an odd seating position.
