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The CX-9’s sleek look is supplanted by the interior’s geometric forms. Vertical wood inserts contrast nicely with the horizontal metal trim. The wide and deep center console may rob some leg room, but it does cocoon the front occupants, creating a sports car effect. The controls are all clearly decipherable and divided into audio and ventilation. The CX-9 features a dual-zone climate control with rear controls, but the vents are limited to a pair sprouting from the center tunnel for the second row.

As expected in a Mazda, the best seat in the house is the driver’s. The dashboard is executed with an upscale effect, but there are still some hard (but durable) plastics around. The three-spoke steering wheel is a combination of thick leather and piano-black lacquer finish with toggle switches for the audio and cruise control functions. The gauges are large and bathed in blue with red markings and needles. High-quality black leather covers all the seats as well as the steering wheel and shift knob.

The gaping air intake suggests a turbocharger under the hood, but the CX-9 actually relies on a pumped up V6 engine. With variable-valve timing and 3.7-liters of displacement, it provides a healthy punch of 274 horsepower and 366 Nm of torque. The initial takeoff is smooth and easy, and there’s always a healthy reserve of power with just the dip of the throttle. The six-speed automatic is closely-spaced, allowing for unobtrusive power delivery. Cruise control is standard (a joy when you’re sticking to the 100 km/h speed limit on the 85-kilometer plus-plus North Luzon Expressway). There’s even a manual shift override function that allows redlining if you feel sporty enough.

Pushing the CX-9 to its limits, your mind will instantly tell you that you’re in a sports sedan. But thanks to the high ride height and panoramic view of the road ahead, the CX-9 is firmly cemented in the SUV genre. Thanks to a fancy computer-controlled center coupling and rear differential system, this is one of the most agile vehicles on the road today, let alone for its class. There’s minimal slack in the steering and small inputs are rewarded with immediate response from the chassis. Despite the length, the car turns almost in a dime, but parking sensors should have come standard. The highway-oriented tires, modest approach angles and low-hanging exhaust pipes limits the CX-9’s off-roading credentials to no worse than grass or the gravel driveway. But that’s no problem if you live in the city.

At a price tag just one thousand pesos shy of P 2.6-million, the CX-9 psychologically undercuts its rivals. The CX-9 is Mazda’s most expensive product, and as such, serves as the company’s flagship car. While this isn’t the sort of price range you’re used to seeing Mazdas in, the level of performance, sophistication and engineering means it can compete with vehicles twice its price. The CX-9 provides the experience of driving a sports sedan with the space of an SUV and the comfort of an MPV—something that’s quite difficult to achieve. One of the downsides of having a sports car is that you can only bring one significant other along for the ride. With the Mazda CX-9, a total of seven can enjoy the ride.