Where’s the zoom-zoom? The nicely-weighted and responsive steering pleased, as did the stiff suspension and grippy 20-inch Bridgestone Dueler H/L rubber. Toss in the fadeless brakes, and you’ve got a winner, right? Not so fast. The traction control system on the CX-9 is an intrusive mess. It literally locked up one of the front tires coming out of a turn, and more than once activated after we’d exited a corner and started down a straight path. We tried turning the system off, but were disappointed to discover that it kicks back in above nine mph. There were brief glimpses of understeer before the techno gods took over, but otherwise the CX-9 suggested that a very capable and fun vehicle lurked behind all the electronic constraints.
