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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

Mazda breaks New Territory
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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.

Daniel DeGasperi

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