A Station Wagon for an SUV Era

2007 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring

2007 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring (Ford - Ford via Wieck)

NEW YORK Size matters at the Sutton House garage. You pay $10 more a night to park a sport-utility vehicle than you pay to park a car. I was parking the 2007 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring, and that was a problem.

"You know you pay $10 extra for that one?" an attendant asked as I handed him the key.

"No, I don't," I replied.

"Yes, you do," he said. "You got a SUV."

"It's no SUV," I said. "It's a wagon, you know, a crossover utility vehicle on a car platform."

I spoke rapidly with authority. I caught the attendant off guard. He was backing down. But he regained composure and rallied.

"It looks like a SUV to me," he said.

I tried the homie approach.

"Man, that's whack," I said. "Check it out."

I opened the driver's door and showed him the CX-9 Grand Touring's interior -- leather seats, elegantly long door handles with wood and brushed aluminum accents, a center console that looked like a super-slick home entertainment center.

I opened the left rear door. That was a mistake. The CX-9, available with front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, has three rows of seats -- more than some full-size SUVs. The attendant smirked. I knew what he was thinking: SUV.

He was a short fellow -- about my height, 5 feet 5 inches tall. But I could touch the top of the CX-9 without standing tiptoe. I told the attendant to touch the top. He did, also without standing tiptoe. He smiled. I understood.