|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
20 November 2006
Mazda's eagerly awaited CX-7 crossover has arrived in Australia.
A fascinating vehicle in that it takes yet an interesting new direction.
In the past, ‘crossover’ has been used to describe vehicles that
were a cross between a station wagon and a 4WD. Now Mazda has come up
with one that is a cross between that of a hot hatch and a 4WD.
Take the letters ‘C’ for crossover, ‘X’ as used in all
Mazda sports models, and ‘7’ for a medium sized vehicle in
Mazda terminology, and the result is this sporty looking hot hatch
that has decent all-road ability.
Note that we say all-road, because CX-7 really isn’t intended
to do any more than mild off-road running. You could conceivably
take it onto a beach, but most owners are unlikely to go beyond
dusty forest trails when exploring in their new Mazda.
Styling follows a similar theme to other recent vehicles in
this class, such as the Nissan Murano, which is larger and a
little more expensive than the Mazda; and the Lexus RX350, which
costs considerably more.
In the Mazda the shape works extremely well, being even bolder
than that of the aforementioned models. It appealed to all who saw
it during our first drives. The big grille reminds us of the
low-slung Mazda RX-8 sports, the steeply raked windscreen gives a
futuristic look and the tail-end treatment works exceptionally
well.
There are those who will buy the new Mazda CX-7 purely on its
appearance.
Mazda CX-7 has good interior space for four adults and a child.
There's plenty of legroom in all seats, but if you plan to
transport tall travellers check out the headroom under the sunroof
fitted in the upmarket version, the CX-7 Luxury.
Power for this sporting SUV comes from a variant of the
turbocharged four-cylinder engine recently introduced to Australia
in the Mazda6 MPS. In its CX-7 format it puts out 175 kW and a
hefty 350Nm. It has been tuned to give more grunt at lower speeds
as the CX-7 is substantially heavier than the ‘6 sedan.
Torque is sent through to all four wheels by way of a six-speed
automatic transmission. Mazda CX-7 uses a complex electronic
traction control system to give it the best in road grip. When not
being used on unsealed roads there's additional grip on the black
stuff, particularly in wet weather.
The automatic is a modern sequential unit and gives the driver
a fair bit of manual control. It doesn’t have too many automatic
overrides, for example it doesn’t change up by itself. Thus
letting the driver do the driving, and we really do prefer it that
way. If you want the CX-7 to do all its own gear-shifting simply
put it in ‘D’ for drive and it becomes a full automatic.
During our initial test drive program from Bathurst to the
Hunter Valley we found the automatic most willing to change down
to keep engine revs up. Therefore it works well in conjunction
with the turbo engine because it virtually cancels out the effects
of turbo lag.
The result is sporting performance from a willing drivetrain
that will please keen drivers. Especially those who want the
convenience of a roomy station wagon. However, the sporty slope of
the roof limits what can be carried in the way of bulky items as
the top of the rear hatch is almost over the rear-seat backrest.
On-road comfort and handing are more in line with that of a hot
hatch than an SUV. The higher than average centre of gravity isn’t
really obvious unless you are pushing really hard and few will
approach the limits of the chassis.
Mazda CX-7 is priced at $39,910 for the standard model and
$45,560 for the Luxury variant, the latter listing leather trim, a
sunroof and a powered driver’s amongst its extras.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
