thanks magic.
The CX-9 & CX-7 are in their 2nd year ... 07 was first time out I believe.
I am not a big Ford fan so that dings the Mazda for me even though I think the Mazda must do their (or some/most) of their design/engineering with their own group b/c it's a pretty well suited cuv.
I had thought of an '07 Tribeca and that still might be a possibility but I do like the more conservative front end (and I read a lot of comments that people don't too so I know the argument and actually appreciate it); however, that wouldn't be my deciding factor.
One thing that did cause me some concern and this is probably minor but will have to be adjusted too is the steering wheel in the Tribeca seems farther out and there's no telescoping of the steering column/wheel - just up/down. I found myself trying to get comfortable by scooting the seat up (but then legs felt a little cramped or uncomfortable) but my hands felt better on the steering wheel. I think that's still minor though. The CX-9 did telescope in/out and I liked that ...
CX-9 seemed just a bit nicer on the inside but seriously, it's really a toss up. I think the CX-9 also seemed roomier on the inside from side-to-side room ...
What I liked about the Tribeca was interior seemed just a bit nicer in terms of ****pit etc. Liked it even though CX-9 is really nice too. Tribeca will probably be maybe slightly less in $s. And, I haven't gotten to see a 7-passenger yet but depending on which one is best in the back seat and 3rd row, I think that might be the deciding factor...
Ford has the engine ... I really don't know the history of the Subarus but the sales guys were touting the Boxer engine in the Tribeca and it seems really nice to me too. Also, I like the fact that you can get a DVD+NAVI in the Tribeca with a sunroof and in the CX-9, you can get DVD or Sunroof (ie, from factory ... which is what I want).
I guess the AWD is something I really don't know the differences on between the two but it seems the Subarus are known for their AWD and I have read that the Acuras RDX/MDX(?s) might be a little new on engineering but the Subys are proven. I don't know... AWD isn't the saving grace either but would be nice to have and the Suby and CX-9 both drove well with their versions.
Well, I still don't know... I had started comparing the CX-9, Acadia/Enclave/Outlook, Pilot, MDX ... and really, out of those, I liked the MDX first but it's $$s so then the CX-9 ranked best for me. But, Subaru has been advertising on tv a little bit and got me interested in their cuv and it's really a nice looking, driving cuv.
thx. pbvtx