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2008 Mazda CX-9

CX-9
Engineered with Mazda's “Soul of a Sports car” signature, CX-9 deftly blends sporty driving spirit with seven-passenger SUV practicality. New for the 2008 model year is a Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) system, which helps see and prevent the unexpected. The BSM system is designed to assist the driver by monitoring the detection areas on both sides of the vehicle to the rear and will alert the driver to possible vehicles in these areas.

To combine excellent acceleration and high fuel mileage, CX-9 includes an Aisin-supplied 6-speed Sport AT automatic transmission with manual-mode as standard equipment. Front-wheel drive is standard with Mazda's Active Torque Split All-Wheel Drive optionally available. Mazda's CX-9 is powered by a 273 hp 3.7-liter DOHC V6 engine. 

2008 Mazda Tribute

Tribute
Just as its Ford Escape brethren got a new look, the Mazda Tribute has received some styling tweaks, including a new grille and interior, plus a rear window that now looks more like the Escape's. The outside of the Tribute lost its crossbar and the Mazda logo has moved up, while the headlights and taillights are new.

The windows taper and ascend toward the rear, in line with what many smaller SUVs are doing these days. Tribute buyers get the choice of two engines, a 153-horsepower, 2.3-liter 4-cylinder or a 200-hp, 3.0-liter V-6. The base Tribute comes with a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.

2009 Mazda RX-8

RX-8
Mazda has freshened the design of its 2009 RX-8 and added a high-performance R3 package to the lineup, though the engine and interior haven't changed all that much. Power is unchanged for 2009, which will make this light facelift that much less of a draw to showrooms. And not changing the interior can be forgiven because the RX-8 was already ahead of its time in terms of affordable quality and style. The R3 trim level offers a more aggressive suspension, impressive-looking 19-inch wheels, a spoiler and some body enhancements.

Mazda