Review: 2017 Cadillac CT6 Twin Turbo AWD - This Big New American Car Ain't No Big Ol American Car

Barge-like handling. Yacht-like responses. The nimble, light-on-its-toes feeling of a Winnebago.

These are the kinds of terms used in the past, sometimes endearingly, to describe the handling of large Cadillacs. 

THE GOOD + Looks like $150,000 + Outstanding 3.0L TT V6 + Proper interior space + Handles like a CTS + 34-speaker Panaray audio

THE BAD – Doesn't feel like $87,000 – 8-spd easily kerfuffled – Very stiff ride for full-size lux – Most of the buttons suck – CUE

For a time, it didn't matter whether the terms were spoken endearingly or in anger. Cadillac was the standard of the world. Cadillac buyers didn't want the steering feel of a Lotus Elan or the delicacy of an MG Midget. 

Cadillac buyers wanted space, a whiff of exclusivity, torque, and pillowtop comfort. 

But then Cadillac rested on its laurels. While Cadillac was still fighting Lincoln, European luxury gradually ate into the Detroit luxury brands' North American territory. 

Then along came Lexus, a Japanese brand which added peerless reliability to a blend of technology and refinement unlike anything anyone had ever seen before.

Cadillac was caught flat-footed. Sales in its home market were nearly cut in half between 1986 and 1996. Then, after a decent resurgence in the early part of this century, sales plunged by a quarter between 2005 and 2015.

Cadillac wasn't playing its old game, nor was Cadillac good enough to play the game that the imports were dominating. Kept afloat by successful SUVs and crossovers, Cadillac's car portfolio was steadily improving but was nevertheless perceived by luxury car buyers as an afterthought.

Yet Cadillac persists. As a result, augmenting the largely ignored ATS, CTS, ELR, and XTS is this flagship, the 2017 Cadillac CT6. It's not a replacement for all those front-wheel-drive wreath and crest airport limos of the past (or present.) It's not intended to evolve into your great aunt Ethel's future hearse. It's a big, traditional, American luxury car. 

Or perhaps, not so traditional. Barge-like? Yacht-like? Winnebagoesque? Not exactly. The new Cadillac CT6 3.0 Twin Turbo has much of the visual presence of a traditional Cadillac flagship: long, low, wide, and extravagant. But its on-road behaviour is something altogether different.

WHAT IS IT?
Similar though their names may be, this is not a replacement for the Cadillac CTS, a smaller sedan that more directly tackles the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, and Audi A6. The CT6 does, however, tread some middle ground, with pricing that resembles those German midsize cars and dimensions that resemble their bigger brethren: S-Class, 7-Series, A8.

2017 CADILLAC CT6 3.0TT Base Price: $61,915 * As-Tested Price: $87,115 * Colour: Black Assembly: Detroit, Michigan Drive Type: all-wheel drive Transmission: 8-speed automatic Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V6 Horsepower: 404 @ 5700 rpm Torque: 400 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm Curb Weight: 4165 pounds Length: 204.0 inches Width: 74.0 inches Height: 57.9 inches Wheelbase: 122.4 inches Tires: Pirelli Sottozero Tire Size: 245/40R20 Passenger Volume: 3433 litres Cargo Volume: 433 litres EPA City: 18 mpg EPA Hwy: 26 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 13.0 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 9.1 L/100km Observed: 18.8 mpg Observed: 12.5 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $2050 in fees.

In rear-wheel-drive form, the 2017 Cadillac CT6 is offered with a 265-horsepower 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder in base and Luxury trim levels. All-wheel-drive CT6s, starting at $66,240, come standard with the 335-horsepower 3.6L V6 in base, Luxury, Premium Luxury, and Platinum iterations, with the Platinum reaching $97,290 before options. 

We drove a 2017 Cadillac CT6 with the 404-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6. The base price with the twin-turbo engine, in Luxury guise, is $75,775. There's also a $79,010 Premium Luxury and a top-tier Platinum trim at $101,890. 

Our 3.0TT AWD Luxury model was reinforced with a $4255 34-speaker Bose Panaray sound system; an Active Chassis Package ($3895) that included magnetic ride control, active rear steering, and 20-inch wheels; an Enhanced Vision & Comfort Package ($2515) with a rearview mirror camera, panoramic sunroof, cooled front seats, and heated rear seats; plus $825 Stellar Black paint. 

Grand total: $87,115, which GM Canada currently discounts by $2000.

HOW BIG IS IT?
Cars come bigger, but not by much.

Nearly nine inches longer, two inches wider, and an inch taller than the Cadillac CTS, the 2017 Cadillac CT6 makes extensive use of aluminum to keep its weight in check. Compared with the CTS V Sport we tested in 2014, this CT6 is only 181 pounds heavier.

The Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic, the standard among full-size luxury cars, is marginally longer, wider, and taller than the CT6. It also weighs 15% more.

DOES IT WORK?
Prepared though this and other reviews may make you, you'll still be surprised at just how well the 204-inch-long Cadillac CT6 takes a corner. It's not just the lack of body roll and grip, it's the degree to which the car won't become unsettled mid-corner and the ease with which a swift change of direction is met with instant response. The steering isn't nearly as lively as the CTS's, but there's generally little sense of extra girth in this bigger sedan. 

Take note, however, that all CT6's won't handle the same way. This car's 20-inch wheels and low-profile tires are part of it, but the Active Chassis Package also includes rear steering, which improves agility. The rear wheels turn in the same direction as the fronts at higher speeds, albeit only mildly, instead of turning the opposite direction as they do at slower speeds when the goal is to decrease the turning radius. 

Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Magnetic ride control is part of the same package, but it doesn't make the CT6 a decidedly relaxed rough road companion. (On the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, all the roads are rough.) Just pliant enough in Tour mode, the Cadillac CT6's rear end simply rides too stiffly for a car of this type in Sport mode. 

The payoff, of course, is the exceptionally responsive handling. Sport mode also gives provides sharper throttle response and better weighting for the steering. Cadillac needs to permit these functions to be selected independently, so the shocks could remain in Tour's more relaxed setting while other systems remain in Sport.

With or without Sport mode's greater responsiveness, the 3.0L twin-turbo V6 is a beast. Lag is nonexistent, torque is abundant all across the rev range, and what sound makes its way into the quiet cabin is the kind that cause you to keep the throttle pinned.

It'd be helpful if the V6 wasn't mated to this eight-speed automatic. Perfectly acceptable when the CT6 is being hustled, lighter throttle applications and slower speeds often send the CT6's transmission into a fit of confusion, ending in a harsh shift. Also lacking refinement is an stop-start system that is dreadfully conspicuous. 

The CT6's cabin isn't faultless either. While the rear quarters are by no means in want of space, the CT6's centre rear tunnel is massive. Further abaft, the trunk has a slim opening, and an odd trunk shape limits space to 433 litres, less cargo volume than you'd get in a Camry. 

Those interior traits are obvious before you've left the dealer lot on a test drive. Less predictable is the inconsistent functionality that became a hallmark of our week with the $87,115 CT6. The mode button that selects Tour, Sport, and Snow modes responded, at best, a quarter of the time. Bluetooth was unresponsive. Regardless of driveway angle, the driver's door never wanted to stay open, no matter the position. The Cadillac User Experience touchpad appears to be an afterthought for an automaker that's struggled to earn CUE toushcreen plaudits – just use a proper knob/wheel like the Germans. Many of the capacitive touch buttons remain difficult to use, with a Home button that rarely wanted to take the screen home. Even in the gauge cluster, tasks were sometimes completed lethargically. 

At a lower price point, these faults might be overlooked. At another brand, where resale value and long-term reputations counter quality woes, these faults might be overlooked. But if these issues crept up on a test drive with a Cadillac sales representative within minutes of leaving a showroom that doesn't quite offer the upmarket experience of a BMW store, the CT6's exceptional driving manners won't effectively counteract the idiosyncrasies.

Then again, the 34-speaker – yes, thirty-four – Bose Panaray sound system will make a performance at Berlin's Konzerthaus sound comparatively underwhelming – and turn touchpad troubles trivial.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
In Canada, not really. The first CT6s were imported from Michigan in April. Only 250 have been sold since. 

For every CT6 sold in Canada, the nine-times-larger U.S. market has taken possession of 37. 

Mercedes-Benz Canada sells nearly 90 copies of the much more costly S-Class every month.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
Let's assume you want a big sedan but don't want to pay more than $100,000, a psychological breaking point. This rules out the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, and Porsche Panamera. 

But the Audi A8 3.0T starts just below $90,000 and the 340-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ starts just above $90,000. Those cars are likely to hold value better and provide a superior dealer experience. The CT6, optioned up to match those lofty price points, will be better equipped, better to drive, and quite possibly better to look at. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
To reach this $87,115 price point, you'll need to add $11,490 worth of options to the CT6's 3.0TT AWD Luxury trim level. 

And yet many of those options were central to our enjoyment of this car, central to the getting a truly luxurious experience. If the only thing that matters is performance, we'd direct you to superior performance in a less costly, slightly smaller Cadillac CTS.

As for the CT6, we would be inclined to accept less power in the CT6 3.6 Premium Luxury with the Bose Panaray sound system and the accompanying Comfort Package for a $79,655 total, or $77,655 with current discounts.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
This is not a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham.

Thank goodness.

In a prior era, an era of Fleetwoods and DeVilles and Eldorados, it would have never seemed conceivable that the best driver's cars in a variety of luxury car segments would be Cadillacs. 

But do Cadillac sedan buyers, those that remain, want Cadillac to be a better BMW?

The full-size Cadillac CT6 shines brighter and brighter as the road becomes twistier and twistier, as traffic dissipates, as the sun comes up. 

Is that when a proper Cadillac – particularly a full-size, 17-foot-long Cadillac – ought to shine? Or should a proper Cadillac display unruffled manners on rough city streets; should it be easily operable and eminently refined?

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Cadillac CT6 Sales Figures
2014 Cadillac CTS V Sport Driven Review
2017 Mercedes-Benz E300 4Matic Driven Review
2016 Cadillac Escalade Platinum Driven Review
2013 Tesla Model S P85 Driven Review

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Conventional automotive sports sedan theories suggest that the buyer who wants this much athleticism will inevitably pursue a smaller car, a CTS or perhaps an ATS. The buyer of a full-size luxury sedan, a veritable limo, surely doesn't need a bona fide sports sedan.

Or does he? What's so wrong with Cadillac overachieving? What's so bad about an automaker that manages to create a lightweight full-size luxury sedan that merges the best of both worlds? The CT6 is a big Cadillac that works out at the gym in the afternoon and then changes into a tuxedo for an evening gala.

Cadillac has succeeded at bringing midsize verve into the full-size category, at merging full-size presence with midsize vigor. I won't fault Cadillac for allowing me to have fun in a category all too often reserved for stodgy stoicism.

Now Cadillac has to fix the niggling faults, the technological foibles and build peculiarities, if the CT6's price point is going to reach to $87,000 and beyond. There's little room for imperfection in this stratosphere.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The CT6 was supplied by GM Canada's press office.

2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe Review - Yes, Mercedes-Benz Still Builds Coupes With Two Doors

A fixed roof, seats for two or perhaps four in a squeeze, and two doors. 

THE GOOD + Turbo torque + Classy exterior + Classier interior + Sporty when prompted + Burmester audio is amazing

THE BAD – Sunroof sounds unhealthy – Centre screen looks cheap – Unintuitive shifter is silly – No keyless access? – Blanked-out buttons?

Two doors.

Two. Doors.

The definition of the automotive coupe, or coupé if your French sensibilities prefer, has been commandeered over the last dozen years by the very company that builds the car pictured here. 

Spun off from the E-Class sedan, the CLS sedan was and is labelled as a coupe by Mercedes-Benz because of its coupe-like styling. But the CLS has four passenger doors. 

The concept has flown even further from the roost with so-called SUV coupes: the BMW X6 and X4 and Mercedes-Benz's GLE and GLC Coupes, all of which feature four full passenger doors and a rear liftgate. 

Real coupes nevertheless forge on. Real coupes continue to project an aura of joie de vivre, of carpe diem, of bon viveur the likes of which no sedan, not even a sedan with excessive fastbackness, can ever dream of replicating. 

Which brings us to this real coupe: the 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic.

WHAT IS IT?
Mercedes-Benz has been selling the C-Class, a successor to your circa-1990 divorce lawyer's Mercedes-Benz 190E, since the fourth-quarter of 1993. Alongside the second and third C-Class sedans, Mercedes-Benz marketed a coupe called the CLK which sat closer to the E-Class in Mercedes-Benz's lineup. The C-Class nameplate also spawned its own coupe derivative during the third generation's run. Now, in concert with the fourth-generation Alabama-built C-Class sedan we originally tested in November 2014, Mercedes-Benz has launched yet another coupe. 

2017 MERCEDES-BENZ C300 4MATIC COUPE Base Price: $50,175 * As-Tested Price: $57,715 * Colour: Brilliant Blue Assembly: Tuscaloosa, Alabama Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 7-speed automatic Engine: 2.0L turbocharged DOHC 16-valve I-4 Horsepower: 241 @ 5500 rpm Torque: 273 lb-ft @ 1300 rpm Curb Weight: 3770 pounds Length: 184.5 inches Width: 71.3 inches Height: 55.3 inches Wheelbase: 111.8 inches Tires: Continental ProContact GX SSR Tire Size: 245/40R18 Passenger Volume: 2237 litres Cargo Volume: 297 litres EPA City: 23 mpg EPA Hwy: 30 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 10.4 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.0 L/100km Observed: 23.5 mpg Observed: 10.0 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $2075 in fees.

To begin its run, the 2017 C-Class Coupe will be sold as the Mercedes-Benz C300 and Mercedes-AMG C43, both with 4Matic all-wheel drive, and as the full-bore rear-wheel drive AMG C63 and AMG C63 S. The AMG-badged cars are fitted with, respectively, a twin-turbo 362-horsepower V6 (mated to a 9-speed automatic) and a twin-turbo 4.0L 503-horsepower V8 joined to a 7-speed AMG Speedshift 7-speed automatic. 

Our test car, however, held under its hood a modest 2.0L turbocharged inline four-cylinder producing 241 horsepower and a substantial 273 lb-ft of torque just off idle at 1300 rpm. The 7-speed automatic is standard equipment. 

Added to our 2017 C300 4Matic: $250 dark ash wood open-pore trim, $890 brilliant blue metallic paint, a $1000 Burmester surround sound system, and two packages worth a total of $5400. 

The $3400 premium package adds navigation, LED lighting, and a rearview camera. 

The $2000 sport package adds more leather to the dashboard, some AMG styling elements inside and out, and 18-inch wheels.

HOW BIG IS IT?
In Canada, there will soon be four C-Class bodystyles. The traditional sedan has already been joined by this coupe, which will also spawn a convertible variant. There'll also soon be a wagon that Mercedes-Benz won't be selling in the United States. Compared with its sedan donor car, the coupe version of this fourth-generation W205 Mercedes-Benz C-Class rides on the same wheelbase, is identically long and wide, but is 1.5 inches shorter at the roof 

Compared with the segment standard bearer from BMW, the 428i xDrive, the C300 4Matic is a hair under two inches longer, half an inch slimmer across the hips, half an inch taller, and rides on a wheelbase that stretches 1.2 inches farther. The 4-Series' trunk, however, is a substantial 50% larger, and official specs say the BMW's interior is 14% bigger, as well.

DOES IT WORK?
Not in the way that many other recently introduced Mercedes-Benzes also fail to work. The 2017 Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe has the same tacked-on screen that looks and feels cheaper than a cut-price iPad rival. The shifter is a silly little column-mounted stalk that doesn't make much sense from a usability standpoint and would be mocked for Korean cheapness if installed in a Hyundai Accent. One key quality concern crept up, as well, because the C300's sunroof sounded like it was crunching gravel when opening or closing. As a result, we opened – and closed – the sunroof just the once. 

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

Mercedes-Benz's well-done door-mounted seat controls are joined by the heated seat button and a blanked-out switch for, at this price point, necessary ventilated seats. And Mercedes-Benz still demands big money for options that should be standard equipment. Even at $57,715, you'll need to pull a key fob from your pocket to unlock the C300's doors; you'll need to insert and twist that key to start the car. You don't need to do that in a $25,855 Kia Forte Koup, which knows you've approached and needs only a single finger prod to ignite. Mercedes-Benz Canada demands $6400 in options on top of the C300's $50,175 base price in order to gain hands-free access. 

For Mercedes-Benz in 2016, this list of complaints is nothing new.

Nor is praise for the C300's torque-rich 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder new. Appreciation for the C300's otherwise elegant and classy interior? Par for the course. Indeed, the interior is further strengthened by our test car's stunning saddle brown leather draped over superb seats. The ride and handling balance? Spot on, and Mercedes-Benz scores a bigger victory here because the Agility Select's Dynamic button dramatically alters the character of the car. 

Hasty throttle response and quick shifts with weighty controls provide a far more sporting experience in the Sport+ setting than you'd expect having only encountered the C300 Coupe in Normal mode, while the dull responses in Eco mode are perfect if Oma Müller is squeezed into the back seat. 

The power figures produced by the 2.0L turbo aren't jaw-dropping on paper, but the C300's plentiful torque is available so far down the rev range that you're never left out of the meat of the powerband. As an overtaking machine on a rural two-lane, the 2017 C300 Coupe is more capable than 241 horsepower lead you to believe. It would be nice if the 7-speed automatic was a more cooperative partner when you most want to forget a transmission is necessary: around town or driving home from the grocery store. Fortunately, it's far more willing when you demand greater performance.

Two doors definitely makes a coupe, but the removal of a sedan's rear apertures does not make automatically make a sports car. If you want crazy performance, look elsewhere in the Mercedes-Benz lineup; perhaps elsewhere in the C-Class lineup. Instead, the C300 4Matic Coupe works well as a comfortable and refined cruiser with sporting potential.

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Mercedes-Benz does not break down U.S. or Canadian sales figures by bodystyle. The overall C-Class lineup is currently Canada's top-selling premium vehicle line, though volume is down 17% this year. 

In the United States, the C-Class family ranks first among premium cars; second (behind the Lexus RX) among premium vehicle sales in 2016's first-half.

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sales Figures
2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC300 4Matic Driven Review
2016 Honda Civic Coupe Touring 1.5T Driven Review
2016 Lexus RC350 F Sport Driven Review

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Using U.S. inventory as a rough guide, approximately 17% of the C-Classes in stock at the moment are coupes. If that ratio holds true for sales volume, Mercedes-Benz USA would have sold 6300 C-Class Coupes in the first-half of 2016. Lexus sold 5292 RCs during the same period; Audi sold 4334 A5s as they ready the current car's replacement. BMW, with a much more extensive 4-Series lineup (including a definition-ignoring four-door Gran Coupe) produced 19,276 first-half sales.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
There are a handful of interesting options lined up directly against the C-Class Coupe. BMW's 4-Series is the most obvious. The Audi A5 has proven to be a popular choice since launching in 2007. There are Japanese competitors from Lexus (RC) and Infiniti (Q60), the latter of which will be all-new shortly, along with a new Audi A5.

We would also suggest a downsized alternative from BMW if performance is a key component of your choice. With all-wheel drive, the BMW M235i is less expensive than this C300 4Matic. 

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
With $7540 in options, our Mercedes-Benz-supplied test car was specified awkwardly. It's a $57,715 Mercedes-Benz coupe with no keyless access, no pushbutton start, and no cooled seats – only the button which should operate the cooled seats. Skip the special paint, open-pore dark ash wood trim, and Burmester audio and it's more tenable at $55,575, but we think the C300 4Matic is likely best at either its base price of $50,175 or slathered with even more options to become a true luxury coupe.

We'd consider keeping the $2000 sport package and the $3400 premium package, adding the $1000 Burmester hi-fi, and selecting the $3000 premium plus package for a grand total of $59,575, a whisker under $60K.

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WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
In a maket that's gone crazy for vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz's own GLE-Class SUV, the top-selling premium brand utility vehicle in Canada, relatively impractical coupes with snug rear seats and tight trunks are far out of the mainstream.

Yet with premium price tags and the ability to share platforms with sedans and crossovers, numerous luxury automakers continue to fight for a relative handful of sales in this coupe category. Is the Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic Coupe better than the BMW 428i, Audi A5 2.0T, and Lexus RC300? 

Yes. And no. 

We're not hedging. But the cars are markedly different. Mercedes-Benz nailed the C300 Coupe's elegance quotient, crafting a $57,715 car that feels like it should cost $67,715. Upgrading a few key interior components, installing a transmission that's happier at low revs, and improving the options list would serve to clarify the C-Class Coupe's position in the luxury coupe hierarchy.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The C300 was supplied by Mercedes-Benz Canada's press office.

2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature Review: Mazda At Its Best

Mazda is learning lessons.

The third-generation Mazda 6 is is hugely agile and interactive, gorgeous outside, and handsome inside.

THE GOOD + Strong Mazda dynamics + Torquey powerplant + Big second row space + Not the typical choice + Hugely attractive

THE BAD – Dreadful A/C – Tiny third row – Missing key equipment – LATCH access sucks – Whole lotta money

It's also dreadfully unpopular, a genuine marketplace flop. The 6 offers no high-power engine, rides stiffly, and lacks the dramatic reduction in noise, vibration, and harshness we've come to expect even from mainstream family vehicles in 2016.

Mazda's second effort at the three-row crossover, the second incarnation of the CX-9, couldn't succeed purely on the merits of a pretty face and on-road poise. 

The price point is too high, competitors have come too far, and the first-generation CX-9 was so rare that built-in loyalty remains a scarcely existent force for the automaker's most expensive product.

The 2016 Mazda CX-9, however, is not merely Mazda's version of a jacked-up 6 wagon. The Mazda CX-9 is surprisingly agile, gorgeous inside and out, plenty powerful, rides smoothly, and is sufficiently quiet inside.

Yet given the nameplate's history, that's no guarantee of popularity for the second-generation Mazda CX-9.

WHAT IS IT?
As the aptly-named Mazda MPV was entering its final years, Mazda began to implement a new three-row strategy. The six-seat Mazda 5 would appeal to buyers who wanted something small but appreciated a minivan's sliding doors. 

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

2016 MAZDA CX-9 SIGNATURE Base Price: $37,295 * As-Tested Price: $52,395 * Colour: Machine Grey Metallic Assembly: Hiroshima, Japan Drive Type: all-wheel-drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 2.5L DOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Horsepower: 250 @ 5000 rpm Torque: 310 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm Curb Weight: 4301 pounds Length: 199.4 inches Width: 77.5 inches Height: 69.0 inches Wheelbase: 115.3 inches Tires: Falken Ziex CT50 Tire Size: 255/50/R20 Passenger Volume: 3825 litres Cargo Volume: 407 litres C/V Behind 2nd Row: 1082 litres Max. Cargo Volume: 2017 litres EPA City: 21 mpg EPA Hwy: 27 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 11.2 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.8 L/100km Observed: 22.0 mpg Observed: 10.7 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1995 in fees.

The less affordable Mazda CX-9, which arrived in 2007, would tackle established family crossovers such as the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander. Tackle it did not. The CX-9 remained hugely rare. Through the end of 2015, fewer than 13,000 had been sold in Canada. Ford Canada sold 15,615 Explorers in 2015 alone.

A long nine years later, Mazda is finally replacing the first-generation CX-9 with an all-new vehicle. Including delivery fees, Canadian pricing begins at $37,295 for the base CX-9 GS. All-wheel-drive, which is standard on every other CX-9, adds $2500. 

The 2016 Mazda CX-9 GS-L – think leather and sunroof – is priced at $43,495. Jumping $4000 to $47,495 gets you a CX-9 GT. 

Our test specimen is a 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature. The powertrain is identical to that in every other all-wheel-drive CX-9, but the price jumps to $52,095. $300 worth of Machine Grey Metallic paint is the only option. There are, in fact, no equipment options available on any of Mazda Canada's CX-9 trim levels.

HOW BIG IS IT?
Compare the second-gen 2016 Mazda CX-9 with two vehicles to get a better idea of its dimensions. 

Canada's top-selling three-row utility vehicle, the Toyota Highlander, is 8.3 inches shorter than the CX-9, bumper to bumper. That's not an insignificant number. But the Highlander provides 11% more cargo volume behind the second row of seats and 6% more space for people. The volume differential feels far more substantial than that.

Smaller than the CX-9, of course, is Mazda's own CX-5, Canada's seventh-best-selling utility vehicle overall. The dimensional gap is significant: Mazda's big CX-9 is 21 inches longer than the CX-5, five inches wider, and three inches taller on a wheelbase stretching nine inches farther. Cargo volume behind the CX-9's roomier second row is 12% greater.

DOES IT WORK?
Mazda, at its best, is an automaker that mixes its lightweight philosophy, dynamic excellence, and stylistic talent with the refinement heretofore seen only at Mazda's rival automakers. The CX-9 works because it's every inch a Mazda, and then some.

The new second-generation 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature is 258 pounds lighter than the top-trim version of Mazda's first-generation CX-9. The CX-9 majors in on-road balance, not merely the capable Mazda 6-like handling but also firm-yet-compliant ride quality over Nova Scotia's awful coastal roads. And there seems to be little disagreement over the new CX-9's level of exterior and interior elegance.

But you anticipated all that. You expected a new family crossover from Mazda to look good, drive nicely, and be lighter and thus wildly more efficient than the CX-9 of 2007-2015, which consumed 28% more fuel in city driving than the 2016 CX-9. 

Expectations for Mazda's level of refinement and the availability of power, on the other hand, were lower. Criticized in all corners for road and wind noise, cabin vibration, and stiff rides, Mazda put such criticisms to bed when it came time to release the second CX-9. There is, it must be stated, an underlying sense of the engine, in part because Mazda successfully squashed road and wind noise, in part because a small, turbocharged, direct injection four-cylinder is by nature an irritant, and hushing such a powerplant isn't easy. 

Otherwise, the CX-9 Signature's cabin is the tour de force one demands from a Mazda priced above $50,000, nearly $10,000 beyond the base price of Canada's top-selling premium brand utility vehicle, the Audi Q5. Material quality is high, the sense of solidity is palpable, and the design is sensible and intuitive. 

Truthfully, Mazda Connect should be quicker. The centre tunnel's rosewood trim created a ledge that interfered with my right knee's comfort. Visibility is by no means excellent. And even at $52,395, there are no ventilated seats and no panoramic sunroof. The keyless proximity access was finicky. These are not major complaints in an otherwise exemplary interior.

Under the hood, there's only the slightest hint of off-the-line lag, and then the 2.5T makes its presence known as a torque monster, with power available in abundance from 2000 rpm northward, shuffling power through the transmission's six speeds with alacrity.

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Alas, the CX-9 can only barely be considered a three-row vehicle. Those two rear-most seats are clearly intended for occasional use by humans unblessed with legs.

What's worse, the air-conditioning in our tester – a brand spankin' new CX-9 nobody else has yet driven – was not remotely up to snuff, so useless we have to assume that the problem was unique to our CX-9 Signature and not a CX-9-wide issue. On Saturday, for instance, a 25°C day, running the fan speed on high with the temperature set on its coolest setting was not sufficient even after 45 minutes in the car. In our long-term Honda Odyssey immediately thereafter, six or seven minutes with the temperature set at 19.5°C and the fan speed on its second-lowest setting required turning the fan speed down so we didn't get a chill. 

And yet.

Yes, and yet, despite a handful of mostly minor character flaws, the 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature stands head and shoulders above its rivals because of in-motion greatness and the overarching feeling of special.

You don't get special in a Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, or Nissan Pathfinder. 

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
The new CX-9 had only just begun arriving in Mazda's Canadian showrooms when this Signature model was dropped off at GCBC Towers. Nevertheless, because of a brief stretch of availability at the end of May, Mazda Canada made May 2016 the CX-9's best May ever. 

308 sales doesn't sound like much, because it isn't, but we'll get a better grasp of CX-9 popularity as availability improves in the coming months.

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
If you need genuine third-row usefulness or worry that our air-conditioning experience won't be unique to our test example, yes, you should look elsewhere. 

We're big fans of the Hyundai Santa Fe XL. The Toyota Highlander is currently Canada's best-selling three-row utility vehicle, selling on the strength of its resale value, intelligent cabin design, and reputation for reliability. 

You'll perhaps feel compelled to check out the more family-friendly Honda Pilot and the Ford Explorer, a long-time marketplace favourite, too. You perhaps owe it to yourself to consider the Ford Flex and Kia Sorento, as well.

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Mazda CX-9 Sales Figures
2016 Mazda 6 GT Driven Review
2016 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited Driven Review
2016 Kia Sorento SX Turbo Driven Review
2015 Hyundai Santa Fe XL Limited Driven Review

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HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
Mazda's Signature trim level make the 2016 CX-9 nicer, but it doesn't really make it better in many tangible ways. If you want a very luxurious Mazda CX-9 we suggest saving $3000 and opting instead for the 2016 Mazda CX-9 GT with the safety-centric Technology Package. 

20-inch alloys, upgraded audio, navigation, memory seats, blind spot monitoring: it's all still there. 

Meanwhile, The least expensive all-wheel-drive version of the 2016 Mazda CX-9 is the $39,795 GS.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
We put more than double the amount of mileage on the 2016 Mazda CX-9 Signature than we typically do on a manufacturer-supplied press car. We didn't have to do so; we weren't overrun by vital long drives. We chose to.

Yet pleasant on-road manners, the kind of behaviour that always leads objective car writers to give credit, is par for the course at Mazda. The second-generation CX-9 excels because Mazda further refined the invisible bits in order to cancel out noise and vibration, the CX-9 excels because of Mazda's addition of plentiful torque, and because Mazda removed the stiff and sometimes objectionable ride of less costly Mazdas. 

It's not perfect, certainly not for families who would otherwise end up in a high-lux minivan. But there are a handful of details which, if remedied, would make the 2016 Mazda CX-9 the undeniable class leader. After an enthusiastic test drive, many prospective customers will justifiably feel certain the CX-9 is already the indisputable leader of the midsize crossover pack.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The CX-9 was supplied by Mazda Canada's press office.

2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT 1.5T Review – Downright Competitive

Times have changed. Expectations have been altered.

A decade ago, in 2006, GM Canada sold more than 18,000 Chevrolet Malibus and more than 18,000 Pontiac G6s.

THE GOOD + Terrific ride and handling + Cooperative transmission + Straightforward interior + Roomy back seat + Rather stylish, no?

THE BAD – No seat bolstering – Interior's hard plastics – The competition is excellent – 1.5T isn't a wonder – Poor visibility

Not only is GM Canada no longer the force it was then – GM's Canadian market share is currently 13.1%, down from 25.9% in 2006 – but the midsize sedan market has taken a tumble.

The Malibu and its rivals, a list which no longer includes the G6 from GM's defunct Pontiac brand, will struggle to generate 100,000 Canadian sales in 2016, a 40% drop over the course of a decade.

Under the midsize segment's cloud, GM is releasing an all-new Malibu. The intermediate car market may be shrinking both north and south of the border, but it's still a vast and highly competitive market in the United States. 

GM could sell more than a quarter-million Malibus in the U.S. this year.

There's no point giving up on such volume simply because 460,000 buyers will choose a GM small SUV/crossover instead; particularly now that GM has completely sorted out how to make a midsize sedan handle and ride very, very well, indeed.

WHAT IS IT?
General Motors began building Chevrolet Malibus in 1964, took a 14-year break, and then reinstated the nameplate in 1997. This Malibu, however, is not the Malibu of 1964.

2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU LT 1.5T Base Price: $23,495 * As-Tested Price: $32,080 * Colour: Blue Velvet Assembly: Kansas City, Kansas Drive Type: front-wheel-drive Transmission: 6-speed automatic Engine: 1.5L DOHC 16-valve turbocharged I-4 Horsepower: 160 @ 5700 rpm Torque: 184 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm Curb Weight: 3126 pounds Length: 193.8 inches Width: 73.0 inches Height: 57.6 inches Wheelbase: 111.4 inches Tires: Continental ProContact TX Tire Size: 245/45R18 Passenger Volume: 2914 litres Cargo Volume: 447 litres EPA City: 27 mpg EPA Hwy: 37 mpg NRCAN OEE City: 6.3 L/100km NRCAN OEE Hwy: 8.7 L/100km Observed: 28.3 mpg Observed: 8.3 L/100km * Canadian dollars, includes $1750 in fees.

Nine generations on, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is a successor to the poorly received and short-lived eighth-generation Malibu of 2013-2015, a car GM quickly refreshed and has now quickly replaced. Righting wrongs is not a bad business strategy.

In Canada, 2016 Chevrolet Malibu pricing starts at $23,495 for the Malibu L: 16-inch covers on steel wheels, no backup camera, no heated seats. 

That car, the upgraded $25,995 Malibu LS, and the $26,995 LT we're driving make progress with a turbocharged 1.5L four-cylinder producing 163 horsepower. 

There's also a Malibu Hybrid, which cuts fuel consumption to 5.1 L/100km but lifts the price to $30,700. 

The $33,795 Malibu Premier comes standard with a 2.0L turbo producing 250 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque, an engine which consumes 18% more fuel than the 1.5T.

Our 2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT was optioned up with the $1995 True North Package, a $1995 Leather Package, and a $995 Convenience & Technology Package for a $32,080 total, fees included. 

HOW BIG IS IT?
The ninth-gen, 2016 Malibu may look as big as Chevrolet's true big sedan, the Impala. But it's not.

Not quite. The Impala stretches 7.5 inches farther, bumper to bumper. Total interior volume isn't that different, but the Impala's trunk is 19% larger. On the other end of the Chevrolet equation, the Cruze, also new for 2016, is ten inches shorter than the Malibu, bumper to bumper, and carves out 6% less cargo space and 9% less passenger volume.

The Malibu's top-selling rival, Toyota's Camry, is smaller than the Malibu, as well. At 190.9 inches long, the Camry is 2.9 inches shorter. The Toyota is also 1.3 inches lower. Official specs say the Malibu offers a slightly larger trunk and a slightly larger interior. A typical 4-cylinder Camry tips the scales with 174 extra pounds compared with the featherweight Malibu.

DOES IT WORK?
No automaker sells more midsize cars in North America than Toyota. The Toyota Camry doesn't make hay by providing mainstream car buyers with an upmarket, luxurious interior full of premium textures and materials inherited from its Lexus ES sibling. But while the Camry lacks the interior style and material quality we're increasingly seeing from rivals as varied as Mazda, Chrysler, Honda, and Volkswagen, Toyota can fall back on a peerless reliability record and acceptable levels of execution in every other facet.

Unlike the Mazda 6 GT we drove last week, the Chevrolet Malibu – like the Toyota Camry – does not have a cabin made to rival entry-level luxury brand sedans. The door plastics are so hard you won't want to rest your elbow there. The seats aren't sufficiently bolstered. The climate controls are far too basic (and blissfully straightforward) to resemble anything a luxury brand would offer. Manual shift mode is engaged, stupidly, via a button on the top of the shifter. GM persists with rubbery switches on the steering wheel that may suggest durable ruggedness but also convey a strong sense of Little Tikes. 

Worsening the interior are A-pillars which slope so sharply and thicken at the bottom so severely that visibility is rather poor. It's quiet in here, and there's space in the back that simply didn't exist in the 2013-2015 Malibu, but even at $32,080, the Malibu isn't nice. Apple CarPlay, a sunroof, and 4G LTE in-car WiFi can't change that. 

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Until you're in motion, a $32,080 Malibu feels like it should be priced at about $27,990. But then the Malibu shows where modern GM is at its best. The 2016 Malibu rides so sedately and in such silence that it's hard to believe it could become an engaging handler, but Chevrolet's chassis developers crafted a Malibu with quick and properly weighted steering, terrific mid-corner balance, and a rear end that wants to be part of the game. 

Brake feel is spot on, and the bigger 18-inch wheels and wide tires of our tester enhance grip but don't impair ride quality one whit. Credit for the dynamic excellence is owed mostly to the Malibu's extraordinarily light weight structure. At 3126 pounds, this Malibu weighs 340 pounds less than the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited we tested; 527 pounds less than the last-gen Malibu about which we were so critical.

With weight reduction in place and in search of greater fuel efficiency figures, GM installed a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine with only 160 horsepower in the Malibu. Somewhat buzzy at low rpm and not especially full of gumption off the line, the 1.5T's 184 lb-ft of torque becomes apparent once revs climb and an overtake is required. 

When it comes to tiny turbocharged four-bangers, we prefer the Volkswagen Jetta's impeccably smooth 1.4T but would respond more favourably to the 2016 Malibu's 1.5T if we witnessed impressive fuel economy figures. The week prior, a 2.5L naturally aspirated 2.5L in the Mazda 6 consumed only 7.3 L/100km of mostly urban driving. The Malibu needed 8.3.

All Photo Credits: Timothy Cain ©www.GoodCarBadCar.net

IS ANYONE BUYING IT?
Indeed they are. Through the first five months of 2016, the Chevrolet Malibu is Canada's third-best-selling midsize car thanks to a 22% year-over-year sales increase in a category that's down 16%. The Malibu is on track for 2016 to end as the nameplate's best year since 2010.

South of the border, U.S. sales of the Chevrolet Malibu are up 28% in a midsize category that's down 6%. At this stage of 2015, the Malibu trailed the fifth-ranked Chrysler 200 by more than 6700 sales. One year later, through five months, the fifth-ranked Malibu leads the eighth-ranked Chrysler by more than 71,000 units. 

SHOULD I BUY SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD?
There's no shortage of viable alternatives. The Toyota Camry, North America's best-selling midsize car, offers legendary reliability and a huge rear seat. The Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Nissan Altima all offer a lot of kit for the money. The Ford Fusion might be a touch too small in the rear seat, but it's at least as pleasant to drive as this Malibu and offers a wide variety of configurations. 

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Historic Monthly & Yearly Chevolet Malibu Sales Figures
2015 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ Driven Review
2015 Toyota Camry XSE V6 Driven Review
2016 Honda Accord Touring Driven Review
2015 Ford Fusion Titanium AWD Driven Review

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The Honda Accord, meanwhile, is GCBC's favourite midsize car, blending space and a healthy degree of athleticism with superior build quality and buttery smooth powerplants.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
The way GM Canada's press office built this specific Malibu represents a pleasant but not unaffordable midsize Chevrolet, but you could leave off the $1995 True North Edition if you don't need 18-inch wheels, MyLink with navigation, and a sunroof. 

With fees, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT 1.5T at $30,085 is a quiet, high-content, surprisingly fun to drive, relatively efficient, and roomy sedan that holds its own against its competitive set. And there'll be incentives soon enough.

WHAT'S THE VERDICT?
It's become increasingly common for upper-trim midsize cars to feel decidedly premium; premium enough to embarrass high-priced luxury brand sedans. 

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu won't do that. The interior lacks any sort of design wow factor, for starters, and doesn't have the material quality to measure up to its class leaders, let alone entry-level sports sedans from upmarket brands.

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu does, however, find its chance to shine when the car is in motion. Given that the overwhelming majority of moments spent by a typical owner with his or her car occur when the car is in motion, this is excellent news.

Somehow, General Motors built a large, comfort-oriented driver's car that never shouts about it, never seeks out the adulation which accompanies such a reputation, and never demands that it's driver accept punishment in payment for its understated athletic talents. 

For the midsize car buyer who appreciates the new car's style, does not look askance at the reputation carved out by the nameplate's recent history, and does not demand a perfect interior, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu LT 1.5T is a downright competitive alternative to the segment leaders.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. The Malibu was supplied by GM Canada's press office.