Mazda CX-9 vs Ram Promaster City: which is more reliable?
The Mazda CX-9 is clearly ahead of the Ram Promaster City on the federal record: 84/100 against 73/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Mazda CX-9
- 11 model years scored
- 885 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2012 (50/100)
Ram Promaster City
- 8 model years scored
- 234 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2016 (44/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: CX-9 against Promaster City
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Mazda CX-9
- Engine — 302 complaints
- Service Brakes — 284 complaints
- Power Train — 87 complaints
Ram Promaster City
- Engine — 78 complaints
- Electrical System — 69 complaints
- Power Train — 57 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Mazda CX-9: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020….
Ram Promaster City — avoid: 2015, 2016, 2017.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Mazda CX-9 prices at about $34,200 and a Ram Promaster City at about $34,200 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Mazda CX-9 or the Ram Promaster City more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mazda CX-9 scores 84/100 against the Ram Promaster City's 73/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Mazda CX-9 carries about 7 complaints per year on the road against 3 for the Ram Promaster City.
Which Mazda CX-9 and Ram Promaster City years should I avoid?
Mazda CX-9: no year scores below 45. Ram Promaster City: 2015, 2016, 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Mazda CX-9 and the Ram Promaster City?
The largest complaint group on the Mazda CX-9 is Engine (302 complaints); on the Ram Promaster City it is Engine (78).
Is the Mazda CX-9 or the Ram Promaster City cheaper to own?
A recent used Mazda CX-9 prices at about $34,200 and a Ram Promaster City at about $34,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.