In a Nutshell: A step down from the Tribute in utility and practicality; a slight step up in sportiness... but not quite "Zoom-Zoom".

Mazda's first SUV, the Navajo, introduced in 1991, was an almost identically rebadged version of the 2-door Ford Explorer Sport...by then, Ford had bought out a rather large stake in Mazda and was starting to dictate a lot of their design and marketing features. Ford, after buying Mazda, would not allow them to design or sell any more American-market pickup trucks or an SUV of their own design... a pity, since the very successful, pre-1991 Mazda B-series trucks, which beat out even the then-rust-plagued Toyota pickups in the 1990 J.D Power truck satisfaction ratings, were extremely reliable and well-built for the time. So, the 1991 and later B-Series trucks ended up being Ford Ranger clones, and the Navajo ended up being an Explorer Sport, though, of course , that was not necessarily a bad thing. Ford has always built reasonably good trucks that sold in huge numbers, with a fanatically loyal owner base, but the Ranger and Explorer, while not poorly built by any means (if you excuse the tendency of the Firestone-tired ones to flip over from tire failure), could not quite the equal the pre-1991 B-Series build quality. So the 1990's vintage Mazda trucks and SUV's, being almost identical Ford clones, were OK but not quite as reliable as the '80's vintage ones. Consumer Reports, like they did with the the Fords, basically gave them an average repair record.

Then, in 2000-2001, in response to the wildly successful Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Subaru Forester/Outback, Ford introduced the popular Escape, their first fairly small, car-based, unibody SUV with AWD. Mazda, of course, got what Ford allowed them to have... the Tribute... but this time, Mazda was allowed a little more styling and engineering freedom. The Tribute, drivetrain-wise, was an exact clone of the Escape, but despite using the same unibody platform and body shape, the Tribute had a slightly different suspension,steering, front and rear-end styling, and a different dash and steering wheel. The Tribute, not surprisingly, in the Mazda "Kansei" tradition, emphasized handling and steering at the expense of the Escape's slightly better ride comfort. But, of course, despite the Mazda advertising ( and the silly Zoom-Zoom ad theme ) it was not a sports machine by any means.....just a slightly less frumpy Escape, although it did give Mazda its first experience in car-based AWD, which was, clearly, more and more, the wave of the future, and allowed Mazda technicians to get the training they needed with this type of drivetrain.

So now, with the demise of the Escape/Tribute for 2007 and the introduction of the all-new Ford Edge, comes the equally all-new, third-generation Mazda SUV... the CX-7, a radical departure, style-wise, from the former boxy Tribute. The Edge shares some features with both the Mazda CX-7 and the slightly larger CX-9, but, according to the Mazda people ( and this is their word, not mine ), the Edge served as the platform for the CX-9, more so than the CX-7. The CX-7, like a number of other Ford and Mazda products, gets much of its platform and basic engineering from the sporty Mazda6 sedan... so it is more of a pure Mazda then its Navajo and tribute predecessors ( of course the Mazda6 sedan itself has some Ford influence, and also serves as a platform for the Mazda MPV minivan ). With the exception, of course, of the Miata and RX-8 sports cars, the days of the 100% pure Mazdas are long gone.

After looking at the new CX-7 closely and reviewing and test-driving it, I have mixed feelings about it. Overall, for my driving tastes, I did not feel quite as home in it as I did the superb new Hyundai Santa Fe that I reviewed last weekend. The CX-7 was stiffer-riding, and though still fairly quiet, not as hushed as the Santa Fe. Its suspension ( even after I got the tire pressures right...more on this later ) did not soak up bumps as readily, nor was the steering particularly responsive, considering the sport-oriented suspension. The wedge-shaped body styling and upswept beltline compromises headroom and visibility compared to its Tribute predecessor, and I am generally not a fan of its Acura RDX-like interior styling either.

But... there were a number of good features on this vehicle to like as well. The powerful turbo 4 had good response and acceleration, even with the automatic transmission and weight/drag of AWD, the paint job was superb... hard to tell from a Lexus, the interior fit-and-finish was good except for a few exceptions ( more on this later), the automatic transmission has a feature I've suggested to auto companies for years... and have not seen it until now ( stay tuned ), the rear seat area has some clever design features, and the gauges and stalk controls,l ike on most new vehicles, are generally well-done.

Three different versions of the CX-7 are offered in the American market for 2007....the Sport, Touring, and Grand Touring. All three share the same engine and auto-manual transmission ( no pure manual transmission is offered ) and come in either FWD or AWD versions. The FWD ones, of course, are a little cheaper, starting around 23K.....AWD versions start at 25K. Since the CL member who requested this review lives in FL, perhaps he would be more interested in the FWD model, but my experience is that AWD helps a lot in the rain, too, not just snow.

And, speaking of price, Mazda seems to have an odd invoicing system... I don't recall having seen it before. On the computer printout of the vehicle that I get and keep for my records ( NOT the window sticker ), Mazda listed both the invoice and retail for the vehicle itself and all of the options. In the "Invoice" column was a "WASHINGTON, DC ASSESSMENT" charge 0f $319. This did NOT affect the vehicle's factory retail price, which, of course, was the usual addition of base price, options, and freight. It appeared to be a sum that Mazda itself charges dealerships at the wholesale/invoice level in this Washington-Baltimore area...why, I have no idea. I didn't ask about it, for several reasons, but it will be interesting to see if dealerships try and pass this charge on to customers when the deal-bargaining is made. Some of you potential D.C.-area Mazda customers might want to ask about it... it may or may affect the actual price you pay.


Well, now that you have an overview and history of the CX-7, let's, as always, look at it in greater detail:




Model Reviewed: 2007 Mazda CX-7 Sport AWD

Base Price: $25,450

Major Options:

Fog Lights: $250

Autodim Mirror/Compass/Homelink: $250

8-Way Power Driver's Seat with Lumbar: $350

Power Moonroof/Bose/6 CD Changer: $1585

Preferred Equipment Package $295

Transportation $595

Factory Invoice "Washington, DC Assessment"......NOT figured in list price: $319


List Price as Reviewed: $28,775

Exterior Color: Electric Blue Mica

Interior: Sand ( beige ) cloth with two-tone dash and door panels.

Drivetrain: Transverse-mounted, turbocharged and intercooled 2.3 L in-line 4, 244 HP@ 5000, torque 258 ft. lbs @ 2500 RPM

6-speed automatic with manual shift-gate and dash indicators.

Active Torque-Split All-Wheel-Drive system.


PLUSSES:

Good basic enginering platform from the Mazda6 sedan.

Mazda's 5/60 drivetrain warranty now compatible with many other manufacturers.

Good low-end torque from the turbo 2.3L four.

Well-done brakes.

Handling relatively free of body roll.

Most controls and gauges simple and well-done.

Excellent paint job.

Several nice (IMO) exterior colors offered....Electric Blue, Copper Red, Blue Ice, Black Cherry Mica,
and White Pearl Mica. The rest? Well.........

Clever interior rear-seat features.

Well-done hardware inside and out.

Reasonably good stereo.

Spare tire inside the vehicle rather than underneath like some SUV's.

6 speeds for the automatic transmission, and manual-shift gate.

Digital indicators show you what gear you are in, even in the full-automatic mode.

Fairly good sound insulation.

Reversible rear-cargo-floor panel keeps carpet surface clean without the rubber cover.


MINUSES:

"Zoom-Zoom" Mazda slogan rather inane and inappropriate for a people-mover.

Turbo 2.3 L four requires expensive premium gas and synthetic or turbo-approved oil.

AWD system, like most non-Subaru AWD systems, relatively complex.

Ridiculous plastic engine cover hampers even checking the oil.

Somewhat slower steering response than typical for Mazda sedans and sports cars.

Wedge-shaped styling and interior not quite my cup of tea....and hampers visibility.

El Cheapo plastic interior door panels, despite the two-tone.

Full-size donut instead of a real spare tire.

Awkward, step-on left-foot parking brake.

Poorly-designed rear wiper arm does not allow easy blade changes.

THREE different exterior silver/gray paint colors ( like on some Dodges ) IMO, not necessary.

No wood-tone trim available inside, in any trim package.

Manual-shift mode for the automatic, like BMW's, works backwards from that of most other manufacturers.

Lacks a third-row seat like its Mazda5 and CX-9 brothers.

Weird, unusual invoice pricing system.

Unimpressive rear seating surface.


The first impression of this vehicle, as you walk up to it, is the STRONG resemblance to its slightly larger CX-9 brother and a slightly weaker resemblance to the smaller Mazda5, which differs more in the rear end and in sliding rear side doors. The Mazda5, like the Chrysler Pacifica, also has 2+2+2 seating for 6, where the larger CX-7 seats only 5. ( the even larger CX-9 seats 7 witha 3rd-row seat ). Anyhow, the new CX-7 body, as mentioned, bears a strong resemblance to the rest of the 2007 Mazda SUV line. Like the CX-9, its styling is a BIG departure from the relatively boxy and conservative Tribute, and trades that conservative design for an ultra-sleek, wedge-shaped, up-swept-beltline, and a grille and bulging, seperate-arched fenders that were obviously influenced by the RX-8. The difference, literaly, between the Tribute and this vehicle, style-wise, like the transformation of the Acura MDX and the addition of the RDX for 2007, is just like night and day... it is THAT drastic. You will not, repeat, NOT, mistake this vehicle for a Tribute, ever. In fact, the CX-7, CX-9, 2007 Acura MDX, and the also all-new, smaller Acura RDX all share more or less the same exterior and interior styling, although the Acuras generally have better fit-and-finish in all but the paint job....the CX-7's paint is every bit as good as Acura's, and is in borderline Lexus territory. Now......whether this kind of styling is to your tastes or not is another story. I, myself, am not a big fan of it, but its aerodynamic benefits, of course, are hard to argue against... it is a lot easier for a wedge to move through the air than a shoe box. And, at higher speeds, all else equal, that means less wind noise, less aerodynamic drag, and less work for the engine, translating into less wasted power and better mileage, obut also more work for the brakes... the Slick-O-Matic body shape mean less slowing down while coasting.

The body hardware and sheet metal are also well-done, with a solid, well-attached-on feel. The doors close with a reasonably solid sound on the outside, and with a nice solid THUNK as you pull the front doors closed from the inside. The exterior mirrors, hardware, and trim are all well-done and well-assembled.

OK....get in. Unfortunately, the Wal-Mart dime-store two-tone plastic on the inside door panels remind you that the bean-counters also had at least some say. The rest of the front-seating area, though, was nicely done, although I am personally not a fan of the metallic silver and hi-tech look prevalent in the cabin and so popular in new vehicles today. I generally prefer wood trim ( not available in the CX-7 ). Still, the interior fit-and-finish is generally well-done, especially if you like that sort of stying. And it is done rather tastefully, though the stereo controls in the center of the dash ( in non-NAV versions ) are a little busy and take a couple of minutes to figure out ( NOTHING like with BMW's I-Drive, though ). The stereo buttons and knobs are in the center of the dash, but, like on the Toyota Avalon, the digital readouts for the stereo and clock are way forward at the base of the windshield....that's another design I'm generally not a fan of.

In a bow to the "Zoom-Zoom" Mazda image, the primary gauges and steering wheel appear to have been taken right out of the Miata, which, of course, means that they have the same driver-friendly look and feel as in the Miata. However, this is no sports car.....more on this in a minute. The rest of the switches and controls up front are well-done, though the stereo controls, as mentioned, are a little overstyled and could be easier to use. The interior hardware is all first-rate...nothing feels like it is going to come off in your hands when you grab it, except, as mentioned, the cheap-plastic door panels. Headroom up front, however, especially with the optional sunroof, was noticeably worse than in the Tribute....an obvious penalty of the new, low, space-ship style roofline. I had to power the front seat all the way down in the CX-7 and recline the seat a little for my ubiquitous baseball cap to clear the low ceiling.

In the rear, I was not impressed at all with the seating surface, which was rock-hard and generally felt like a wooden park bench. Nor was I overly impressed with the cloth Mazda uses to upholster these seats with. I generally don't care for leather seats, for a variety of reasons, but I would consider getting them in this vehicle ( you have to step up to the Touring and Grand Touring Models to get the standard leather...it is not available in the Sport model). Headroom, like up front, was not very generous....the rear sweep-down of the roofline impacts noticeably for tall people. Rear foot and kneeroom was not particularly good for tall people either, but a clever and ingenious device in the front seatbacks keeps it from being worse. Both front seatbacks are both scalloped out and covered with a piece of cloth that matches the rest of the upholstery...so instead of having your knees jammed up against the seatback in front of you, the scalloping gives you an extra couple of inches of room. I'd like to see this feature made standard in more vehicles... providing, of course, that the thinner front seatbacks don't compromise seat rigidity in an accident.

In the rear cargo area,( which, due to the low roof, is not particularly large ) is another very clever device.......seatback-release levers built into the rear walls, which not only lease the 50/50 rear seats, but, when you pull the lever, a spring-loaded device actually forces the individual seats down flat...you don't even have to push them or touch them in any way, as long as the two front seats are up far enough for them to clear. Simple but ingenious... it's like having the power-operated seat releases in big, expensive SUV's like the Escalade and Navigator, but of course, without the motor or added complexity. Also of note, in the rear cargo area, is a reversible floor cover that flips over to put a plastic side upward and keep the carpeted area face-down when you don't want to get it dirty. Just why this feature is included in a vehicle that already has the usual molded, custom-fit rubber cargo-floor cover standard is beyond me...but it is there if you want it. A cargo net, an inside-the-car, full-size donut spare ( as opposed to some SUV's that hang the spare under the rear of the vehicle ), and the usual removable window-shade cover complete the list of cargo-area conveniences.

Start it up with a conventional key, and the turbo 4 springs to life with smoothness, refinement, and a low noise level at idle. With today's effective liquid-filled engine mounts and other noise and vibration-damping devices, it is getting increasingly rare in modern cars to find engines that are noisy or rough at idle, except for obvious, purpose-built exceptions like Porsches and American muscle-car V8's. The 2.3 L Turbo 4 has plenty of low-end torque... something you don't see in a lot of in many Mazda engines....and will shove you back in your seat, starting at around 2500 RPM ( at the engine's 258 ft.-lb. torque peak ). Zoom-Zoom advertising has at least some truth here in the engine. Even the drag of the automatic transmission and the AWD system doesn't seem to sap much power.

The transmission, unlike previous harsh-shifting Mazda automatics, especially as they aged a little, is virtually seamless. 6 speeds are included... unusual in this price range... and the manual-shift function is equally seamless, with a nice, precision-feel shift lever. A NICE feature of this transmission, and something I have suggested to auto companies for years, is a lighted dash indicator for which gear you are in that does NOT go out when you are in the full-automatic mode, when it is often difficult to guess wich gear you are in. This is a feature, IMO, that is long overdue... I'm glad Mazda has finally put it n a production car. Now, if automakers would just put it on manual, clutch-operated transmissions as well. Guessing which gear you are in with a manual, on a bad downshift, could mean a
ruined engine from going over redline.

The ride, in the Mazda tradition, was a little on the firm side...excessively so until I got my tire gauge out and let the 44 psi in the tires out... back down to the 32 psi front/rear they were SUPPOSED to be. Yep... one MORE red-faced, embarrassed salesman and manager who ASSURED me that the tires were properly inspected at PDI. And we WONDER why so many people have such a low opinion of car salespeople.

Once properly adjusted where they were supposed to be, the tires were much more forgiving, and the ride was more tolerable, but still a little on the stiff side. Of course, in the Mazda "Kansei" driver-centered engineering tradition ( known as the Poor Man's BMW ), you more or less expect a firm ride, so this vehicle was nothing out of the ordinary for a Mazda product.

However, I DID expect a little more steering response from a Mazda-engineered product. Like I said earlier, this is no Miata, and I didn't expect it to quite handle like one, but, considering the relative stiffness of the suspension, tires, and chassis, and especially the effective lack of body roll, I did expect a little quicker steering response. It's not bad, mind you......certainly quicker than in many pickup trucks and traditional American luxury vehicles like the Town Car and big Buicks, but just not quite what I expected, especially with the Zoom-Zoom ad
campaign Mazda that likes to flaunt so much. True, this is a vehicle that is not meant to be a 5-door Miata, but a people-mover, cargo carrier, and foul-weather machine, but still, IMO the steering response, while not bad, is not up to the image that Mazda places on this vehicle.

The brakes were fine... no noticeable pedal-placement problems with my big size-15 clown-shoes like I have in many other vehicles. The pedal was smooth, with little or no sponginess, evenness of response, no nose dive, and reasonable, if somewhat less than Porsche-like, response.

The verdict:

Not a vehicle for me, style-wise, inside or out, but good fit-and-finish, more Mazda-like road manners than previous, Ford-engineered Mazda SUV's, a very well-done engine/transmission combination, good foul-weather traction in the AWD version ( and even the FWD should have reasonably good traction as well ) a reasonable price for the level of equipment offered and fit-and-finish, though a few interior features, as mentioned, are cheaply done, and the odd invoice structure may affect out-the-door pricing. The seond-row seat limits the CX-7 to 5 people, ( three small ones in back wth the less-than-ideal rear seats), but a walk across the showroom to the CX-9 will solve that problem if you need the third seat. The smaller, less expensive Mazda5 is also worth considering if you are on a budget or need better fuel economy, but with a non-turbo 4 and seats inside for 6 people, my guess, even though I did not review it or test-drive it, is that the engine would be overburdened fully loaded or in hilly terrain.