Two '09 EX-Ls here, built several weeks apart and both around 150k miles ± a few thousand. Mine is driven less during the year (I partly work from home), but it goes on at least one long road trip each summer, if not two. The other gets maybe 50-60 miles daily in commuting.
Pros: Finally, comfortable front seats. Good visibility. Comfortable ride for an SUV, as long as the tires are of good quality. Traction control and 4WD are the best--they plow through any snow we've had these in. (Although we don't get much snow here anymore.) It is not suitable for off-roading, but it is not impossible--I just took mine on some rough unpaved trails through Utah with no issues.
Cons: Where do I start? Within the past two years, I have fixed/replaced the same major items on both '09s--AC compressors, starters, struts. (With the compressors, the electric clutch actuator failed but I felt it better to start with a fresh compressor in both, so we weren't paying for another similar repair a year or two later.) I replaced the alternator on mine just before my last trip west--I wasn't confident it was charging as it should, and I had just replaced the battery as well. The other '09 has already had two door lock actuators go bad. Engine power is adequate in the city but anemic in the mountains--there are a few places where it barely keeps up with traffic, and forget trying to pass or merge into faster traffic. The seat leather is good, but the door armrest leather is known to wrinkle very easily (there was a TSB for these, in fact). The "Check Fuel Cap" message has hit both of ours--it's the purge control solenoid that needs replacing when this happens. (Don't waste money on a new fuel cap.) My front suspension is noisy at the moment--I'm waiting on new lower control arms and ball joints (the rubber has dried and worn in the control arms, and it's easier to buy these as an assembled unit on the aftermarket).
I would write these off to age, but, this has all happened within the past two years, and I've had to replace a lot more parts on these than I have my old '97 which is still on most of the original parts (except for wear items and rubber), and a 2004 Civic that far as I know, has only needed an alternator (as I broke the battery post terminal on the old one). So they've still been good to drive, but not problem-free, the problems coming sooner than the other Hondas I have owned throughout the years. If you frequent these forums, you'll notice many of these same issues, so these are not uncommon failures. I've gotten to the point now where I order two of everything--if a part has failed on one, I'll buy the same part for the other.
If you can DIY, you'll save a ton of money. I unfortunately had to pay for the dealer to replace the starter in one of the '09s since the temperatures were in the single digits and there was no way I could have done this in the driveway. My AC compressor went out somewhere in Minnesota or South Dakota two years ago, and we had to change part of our trip a few days later to stop in Salt Lake City to get it replaced. But damn...is that thing icy cold now!!
(In fact, it seems the coldest when temperatures are near 100°F outside--we
freeze!)
The factory radio was no great item and the plastic speakers weren't very good, so I upgraded the system in my '09 with a Pioneer 4200NEX head unit, 4-channel Class D power amp, Morel speakers in the pillars and doors, and a Focal bombA subwoofer (imported from Europe at half the cost of Crutchfield) for the rear. I have also upsized the tires from 225/65R17 to 235/65R17. The slightly larger diameter corrects the ~3% speed error in the speedometer, and gives a very slight lift (almost unnoticeable), with no rubbing. It also fills the wheelwell nicely.
