I did a similar comparison back in 2020 and ended up with a 2021 GT. Like it, but did since test drive the VW Atlas which is quite similar in price, but has noticeably more interior space - especially in the rear seats.

The tailgate also opens higher on the VW Atlas - on the Mazda CX9 I still bang my head from time to time because it doesn’t open very high. I’m 5’11”.

As a parent, I am envious of friends with the Atlas.

The extra interior space comes from the shorter hood/front end. The Mazda looks great, but its front end takes up roughly 1 foot more space / length than the VW. The VW puts this space to use in the interior cabin - rear seat space and third row

My understanding is that the auto stop feature you talk about is a federally mandated feature - maybe not Canada specifically but US regs which just automatically get adopted here in Canada (and elsewhere around the world).

Manufacturers are required to/ encouraged to have it.

So all companies and the compatible competition have the same function/feature and it always requires a button push to disable on each drive.