Daily Driver Recommendations for the Wife

OP is replacing a sedan, so I suggested a sedan. Mine's been fantastic, and trouble-free for 90K miles. My 2010 Mazda 3 and 2012 Mazda 5 were also totally reliable, which is why I've stayed with them.

I can't speak to the CX9. I don't drive/need an SUV, and despite public popularity, I don't recommend any of them to anyone.
That's why the first car I suggested was a sedan

But with the way they try to build everything on one platform nowadays, it wouldn't surprise me if some of the issues I'm seeing on my Mazda may also show up in smaller or larger sized mazda/fords