Mazda’s transformation of its U.S. lineup is complete, and the CX-9 three-row crossover is the latest model to be completely redesigned under the new “Skyactiv” ethos. This bit of marketing hyperbole represents Mazda’s aggressive weight-savings design techniques and fuel-efficient engine technologies, and every vehicle introduced under the Skyactiv banner has offered very competitive fuel economy. The 2016 CX-9 and its just-released EPA fuel-economy estimates are no different, as they put the CX-9 at the top of the gas-powered, three-row crossover heap.

The CX-9 is EPA-rated at 22 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive drops 1 mpg from each of those figures. That places the Mazda above the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Nissan Pathfinder. The front-wheel-drive Ford Explorer matches the front-drive CX-9’s 28 mpg on the highway, but that’s only with its optional turbocharged four-cylinder engine?the V-6 models and all-wheel-drive versions all fall short of the Mazda. The 2016 Kia Sorento, with its base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and front-wheel drive, manages to top the CX-9’s highway fuel economy by 1 mpg?however, a third-row seat is optional in that model with that engine, meaning that the EPA fuel-economy figures likely only account for the lighter two-row iteration; in any case, the Kia’s 24 mpg combined figure is lower than the CX-9’s, as is...