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What's New?
While many of the components beneath the five-door
body shell come from the Mazda6 sedan, this crossover
sport utility vehicle is an all-new addition to the
Mazda lineup (Ford also gets its own version of the
vehicle in the form of the Edge).
What's Not?
Underpinning the new Mazda CUV are components -
platform and especially powertrain - from the sportiest
version of the mid-sized Madza6, the Mazdaspeed6,
which offers up such things as a 244-horsepower 2.3-liter
turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
Five good things we can report about the 2007
Mazda CX-7:
* While not an econobox by any stretch of the imagination,
the CX-7 is the sort of crossover sport utility you'd
expect from a company that proclaims its "zoom-zoom"
nature.
You especially feel that power when you come off
the line and the powertrain snaps into action. The
engine offers 258 pound-feet of torque, with peak
torque achieved at just 2500 rpm, but with 99 percent
of that figure available all the way to 5000, where
the engine achieves its full horsepower potential.
The CX-7 we tested had all-wheel drive and weighed
in at almost two tons.
* The CX-7 design is more aggressively dynamic that
most other CUVs. The windshield is raked back at
a 66-degree angle and there are styling cues you'll
recognize from the RX-8 sports car on this sleek
little wagon.
* The interior offers nearly 70 inches of flat floor
for carrying cargo, or 39 inches with the second-row
seat in its upright position. By the way, folding
the 60/40 split seatbacks can be done simply by pulling
a lever located on the inside of the rear quarter
panels. This means that as you're loading stuff from
behind the car and find you need more room, you simply
pull the lever to fold down part of the seat and
expand your area - without having to stop what you're
doing and walk around to one of the side rear doors
to manipulate the seatback.
* There are several other very nice interior features,
including a motorcycle-styled gauge binnacle, a very
deep storage compartment in the center console (deep
and wide enough to hold a laptop computer, and it
locks as well), a good dot matrix pattern in the
windshield to block the sun around the rearview mirror,
and a wonderfully small steering wheel that looks
like it came right out of the Miata, Mazda's wonderful
little two-seat roadster.
* Standard equipment includes four-wheel disc brakes
with anti-lock technology, 18-inch alloy wheels with
235/60 tires, leather seating, eight-way power for
the driver's seat, a steering wheel that tilts, front,
side and curtain airbags, dynamic stability control
and traction control and a tire-pressure monitoring
system.
The only option on the CX-7 we drove was a moonroof/Bose
audio package that includes a six-CD changer and
nine-speed surround sound system.
On the other hand:
* The steeply raked windshield and a two-tiered
dash (Mazda calls it a "double-roof" structure)
will make cleaning the inside of the windshield a
very difficult task. We also thought there was a
lot more glare reflected into the windshield than
we like. And while we're at it, we'll repeat one
of our pet peeves about Mazdas: that its gauges are
very hard to read through Polarized sunglasses.
* The audio control panel is unlike any we've encountered
before and, as a result, will take some getting used
to. For example, instead of two big knobs there are
three, and the one in the middle not only turns the
audio system on or off, it also adjusts the volume.
The knob on the left that you might expect would
change volume actually changes stations. We never
really did figure out what the knob on the right
does.
* Don't be confused: Mazda may call this the CX-7,
but it seats only five people, not seven. By the
way, Mazda soon will launch the CX-9, which will
seat seven people, not nine.
Who should consider buying this vehicle?
Mazda says the CX-7 offers "zoom-zoom with
room." While it's not inexpensive, especially
compared to some of its CUV competitors, it comes
with a very strong and performance-oriented powertrain
and is very well equipped. There also are three trim
levels to consider: Sport, Touring (with standard
leather seating and other features) and Grand Touring
(with sport seats and more).
If you're an enthusiast but need the functionality
of a compact crossover wagon, the CX-7 has to be
near the top of your shopping list.
Countersteer, by Greg Rubenstein
I flat out liked this little SUV. I can't say I
loved it because I thought Mazda's selection of a
turbo-four an odd choice. Sure, it has plenty of
low-end grunt, but like the Mazdaspeed6, once past
4,000 rpm, the power seems to just fade away instead
of building to a crescendo. I'd like to see Mazda
offer the CX-7 with a V6.
Styling is spot on; it's modern and aerodynamic,
and does better with its corporate cues than the
over-the-top RX8. Inside, the driver's position looks
right out of a sports car, with comfortable if not
that supportive seats, good visibility and a terrific
steering wheel complete with multi-function buttons.
This cute ute's driving dynamics are first rate,
at least as SUVs go. It'll hold its own against many
sporty sedans, but pressed hard the high stance begins
to intrude with plenty of body lean. Our test car
came in a baby blue (Icy Blue according to Mazda)
that no self-respecting Car Guy would buy, though.
Please make mine Brilliant Blac
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