Quick Drive: 2019 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring

Hello Everyone, You have probably NOTICED that I have not been posting much and especially this summer have not been posting any auto news. That will change as I move into the fall and get back to my hobby of my passion for the auto industry. What have I been doing you might be wondering. I had a major yard project that consumed every day all my spare time. I installed a 33,000 lb commercial grade retaining wall and a new heavy duty 6ft fence on my back yard. Last winter storms took down my fence that was part of the house when I bought it in 1999. The yard was also on an angle from 5ft height to the east to ground level on the west.  Since my wife and I have decided to eventually in 20 plus years retire here, I decided to level the yard, install a retaining wall and replace the fence. We love to garden so 1/3rd of the yard is at the higher level and the rest is ground level with the base of the house. After my company Trade Show, I came home on Friday May 24th 2024 and took delivery of 33,000 lbs of retaining wall stones, toppers and corner stones. As one can see, I did make a mistake in that I had them left double stacked and as such had to lift all the stones multiple times to get them down and stagged in the back yard. Each stone weights 90lbs, corner stones are 110lbs and the toppers are 45lbs. I also had 6 tree stumps to remove as these trees which where my neighbors had grown across the property line and would if left, over time rot and cause the wall to possibly shift and sink. I also ran into this huge green granite boulder which was buried again once I had removed the tree stumps. Here is a picture of the west side corner looking back, the excavation I did for prepping for 5/8th crushed rock bed and installation of the wall. With the crushed rock bed in place and packed down, I could also install the draining line and start to install the stones. From filling in the stones with crushed rock to building the corner, things progressed nicely I felt. To keep dirt from clogging the drain field behind the wall, I used commercial grade fabric that lets the water flow but holds the dirt back. Toppers are glued on after I cut them to give me a presentable corner. The green sticks you see is where I will have the galvanized fence post base installed into the wall with cement. Here is the section with the tree stumps removed and the wall built, dirt packed and all secure. Now comes the coring part to create the holes that will allow me to install the fence post bases. The toppers where the post go is not glued on yet. To do this, it takes a strong 18V drill, 5" core bit, water and strength. I used OZ-Posts bases which are great. Here is the upper section with them cemented in. The best thing about these is that in my lifetime I will never have to worry about having to replace them. If a tree falls and damages a section of the fence, easy to unscrew the posts and replace the section. Best part is I never have to worry about rotting as you install them up 1 inch to allow all water to run off the post and onto the topper and go away. With the bases installed and cured, I was able to install all the fence posts and start building. View from the neighbor's side of the finished wall/fence Finished view from my deck. I still have an interior wall to finish that will support the raised area where our garden will be and build an easy walk ramp up from the lower section. So, this is why you have not seen much posting from me or heard much from me over the last 5 months or so. Still have much to do, but at least the biggest part of getting the yard secured with a new wall / fence is done. I will be working on the rest of it over the fall/winter/spring. If ya have any questions hit me up, always happy to share my experience with ya. Yes, I lost 35lbs doing this project, nothing like a ton of manual labor to get into shape. 😂

Some very INTERESTING news for ya all: https://media.subaru.com/pressrelease/2165/117/subaru-announces-legacy-production-end-2025#:~:text=Production will end spring 2025,for the legendary Subaru Outback https://pressroom.cadillac.com/gmbx/us/en/cadillac/pressroom/news.detail.html/Pages/news/us/en/2024/sep/0912-escaladeiq.html https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/gm-to-white-collar-workers-get-with-the-ev-program-or-you-re-out/ar-AA1qkOzy?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=b2fe627e132e4bc6fd65ca1797013a7c&ei=16 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lucid-ceo-new-midsize-cars-ev-tech-make-lucid-a-long-term-play-like-tesla-and-amazon-164104412.html Cool Tech on 1 pedal driving https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/other/how-the-kia-ev3-reimagines-one-pedal-driving/ar-AA1qozR4?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=bcebf3729c414e03870ae37c7e3281b9&ei=22 1200 plus HP Corvette testing, the return of a ZR2?????? Chevrolet Corvette Zora Spied Testing, Could Have 1200-Plus HP (caranddriver.com) Hyundai / GM teaming up for collaboration on Auto's, Supply Chain and Clean Energy Technologies. Hyundai and GM Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Explore Collaboration on Vehicles, Supply Chain and Clean-Energy Technologies Digging these EV Go / GM charging stations they are opening EVgo and GM Take Charging to the Next Level with New Flagship Destinations Set to Optimize the Charging Experience Driving a Tesla, Kia will give you a big discount to change over to a Kia EV.  https://insideevs.com/news/733183/kia-ev6-ev9-price-cut-from-tesla/ Excited for this to come to the updated EV9, 600 Miles of range, Perfect!!! https://www.fastcompany.com/91177650/ev-600-miles-range-samsung-solid-state-battery Mercedes is moving to Solid State Batteries https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/mercedes-solid-sta Kia EV3 is going to be a smash hit for them and people I suspect will love it. 2025 Kia EV3 First Drive: An Affordable Electric Breakthrough (insideevs.com)

Like all companies, greed at the executive level along with a careless attitude of if no one notices, no one is complaining loud enough, who cares as long as I get my big bonus. America is going to have a massive shock in regards to companies that used to be the best failing. It is a sad state of affairs and narcissistic CEOs are not helping the situation.

INTERIOR PHOTOS The view into the cabin from the driver's front door The view into the cabin from the passenger's front door How configured when I picked it up - note a voltmeter inset with the tach and some interesting things near the speedometer; this is either new or specific to this LT 2, Premier, or other designation for an upline model This is how I set it up. Familiar and easy to operate infotainment and climate control panels The colors and finishes are very nice Sound by Bose A fairly spacious rear seat in the cream/lt. beige color leather(ette) with the darker accents on the belts, in the carpeting, and on the doors This is what this sunroof looks like from the inside

EXTERIOR PHOTOS This is the most flattering color I've yet to see for a Malibu. This sunroof in a rental car was a treat though I barely used it. Here's a stance we've seen for 8 or 9 years and those alloy wheels look good. While refueling it, I took an opportunity to take this photo:  you see this standout color, a light beige interior with darker accents, and even an interesting and less common color for the faux woodgrain that work together very well, making this a really likable unit.