What Is It?
2007 Mazda CX-7
What's Special About It?
According to Iwao Koizumi, the chief designer of Mazda's new crossover, the CX-7 was designed to "excite U.S. customers through its dynamic look." It's a typical design goal that usually gets lost in the shuffle somewhere between comfort, convenience and a half-dozen airbags. After seeing the CX-7 in person, however, it looks like Koizumi came through on his promise.
With a shape that is virtually unchanged from the MX Crossport concept, the CX-7 is one of the better-looking crossover vehicles we've seen in awhile. The low nose, wide track and big wheel flares give it a look that's closer to Mazda's RX-8 sports car than the MPV minivan. Compared to its competitor, the Nissan Murano, the CX-7 is slightly shorter and lower despite having nearly as much passenger space.
Mazda not only gave the CX-7 a unique look, it gets a unique drivetrain as well. Instead of a midsize V6 like most of its competitors, the CX-7 comes standard with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is the same power plant used in the Mazdaspeed 6 sport sedan but a few changes leave it with slightly reduced horsepower and torque numbers of 244 and 256, respectively. Despite the smaller displacement, the CX-7's EPA numbers of 19 city and 24 highway are similar to Nissan's V6-powered Murano (20/25). Based on a unibody car platform, the CX-7 will be available with either front- or all-wheel drive when it goes on sale in the spring.
Three trim levels will be available. The base model will include typical features like air conditioning, keyless entry and six airbags along with more advanced features like stability and traction control. Midgrade CX-7s add leather heated seats and a retractable cargo cover while top-of-the-line Grand Touring models get automatic climate control and HID headlamps.
Like the exterior, the cabin looks more like a sports car than an SUV. It's driver-oriented with individual gauge clusters and the rest of the auxiliary controls pushed to the center stack. Unlike the small fold-down navigation screen used in the Mazda 6 sedan, the CX-7 will offer a much larger setup that sits front and center. The second-row seats offer slightly more legroom than the Murano, but with only 58 cubic feet of available cargo space the CX-7 can't match the Murano's 82 cubic feet.
What's Edmunds' Take?
There's nothing groundbreaking about the CX-7 in terms of its features, specs or size, but put it next to just about any other crossover on the market and 9 out of 10 people will pick the Mazda on looks alone. Add that to Mazda's reputation for building fun-to-drive vehicles and the CX-7 could be a winner for Mazda. — Ed Hellwig
2007 Mazda CX-7
What's Special About It?
According to Iwao Koizumi, the chief designer of Mazda's new crossover, the CX-7 was designed to "excite U.S. customers through its dynamic look." It's a typical design goal that usually gets lost in the shuffle somewhere between comfort, convenience and a half-dozen airbags. After seeing the CX-7 in person, however, it looks like Koizumi came through on his promise.
With a shape that is virtually unchanged from the MX Crossport concept, the CX-7 is one of the better-looking crossover vehicles we've seen in awhile. The low nose, wide track and big wheel flares give it a look that's closer to Mazda's RX-8 sports car than the MPV minivan. Compared to its competitor, the Nissan Murano, the CX-7 is slightly shorter and lower despite having nearly as much passenger space.
Mazda not only gave the CX-7 a unique look, it gets a unique drivetrain as well. Instead of a midsize V6 like most of its competitors, the CX-7 comes standard with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is the same power plant used in the Mazdaspeed 6 sport sedan but a few changes leave it with slightly reduced horsepower and torque numbers of 244 and 256, respectively. Despite the smaller displacement, the CX-7's EPA numbers of 19 city and 24 highway are similar to Nissan's V6-powered Murano (20/25). Based on a unibody car platform, the CX-7 will be available with either front- or all-wheel drive when it goes on sale in the spring.
Three trim levels will be available. The base model will include typical features like air conditioning, keyless entry and six airbags along with more advanced features like stability and traction control. Midgrade CX-7s add leather heated seats and a retractable cargo cover while top-of-the-line Grand Touring models get automatic climate control and HID headlamps.
Like the exterior, the cabin looks more like a sports car than an SUV. It's driver-oriented with individual gauge clusters and the rest of the auxiliary controls pushed to the center stack. Unlike the small fold-down navigation screen used in the Mazda 6 sedan, the CX-7 will offer a much larger setup that sits front and center. The second-row seats offer slightly more legroom than the Murano, but with only 58 cubic feet of available cargo space the CX-7 can't match the Murano's 82 cubic feet.
What's Edmunds' Take?
There's nothing groundbreaking about the CX-7 in terms of its features, specs or size, but put it next to just about any other crossover on the market and 9 out of 10 people will pick the Mazda on looks alone. Add that to Mazda's reputation for building fun-to-drive vehicles and the CX-7 could be a winner for Mazda. — Ed Hellwig
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