Its not that 9th gen was a bad car in anyway,
Its just that 8th gen had set the standard so high in terms of interior, exterior, drive, handling, performance, braking, that 9th gen did not feel like a worthy upgrade over it.
Yes, Honda quickly introduced the face lift internationally and even then, 9th gen only lasted 4 years (2012-2016), while 8th gen lasted full cycle, i.e. 6 years.