2007 Mazda CX-7

Sport-utility-vehicles used to be just boxes on wheels, more suited to climbing over tree stumps than making short work of switchbacks roads. But those days are fading fast, and emphasizing “sport” over “utility” is definitely a trend. Now, few brands have a closer link to great on-road performance than Mazda. And they claim that this new CX-7 Sport-Utility also comes with plenty of zoom-zoom. But, if sport goes up, does utility come down?
The 2007 Mazda CX-7 certainly doesn’t look like your typical middle weight sport-utility vehicle.  The CX-7’s fine curves are not-so-subtle reminders of Mazda’s trademark “soul of a sports car” is the core of the brand’s marketing theme.
So the more than fleeting resemblance to the RX-8 is no accident.  A gapping grille, rakish hood, and super fast windshield upfront, and small hatch top spoiler and oversized dual exhaust at the rear, are only the highlights of this crossover’s unusually sporty-car looks.
Indeed, sitting on sharp 18-inch alloys, about the only thing truck-like about this crossover is its long wheelbase of 108.3 inch wheelbase.

The artfully designed body is atop a unique chassis suspension components derived from the agile Mazda 3 and Mazda 5. For heavier duty the all-independent setup has been beefed up and recalibrated.

But it’s under the hood where we find the zoom-zoom that makes the CX-7 a true performance SUV.  This direct-injected 2.3 liter turbocharged and intercooled 4-cylinder comes almost directly from the highly entertaining Mazda Speed 6. It freely relinquishing 244 horsepower, that’s over 100 horses per liter, and 258 pound/feet of torque.  The Sport AT automatic transmission, with its well spaced gearing, provides a manual shift mode.  An “icing-on-the-cake” feature intended to sweeten the CX-7 driving experience. 

But the price for such prowess are unspectacular fuel economy estimates of 19 city / 24 highway. We managed 20 miles per gallon in normal driving on Premium gas. Traction control is standard with front wheel drive.  While the optional automatic all-wheel drive system can transfer up to 50% of the torque to the rear when needed.

No wonder it moves the CX-7 from 0 to 60 in a most untruck like 7.7 seconds.  And through the quarter mile in 15.8 seconds at 87 miles per hour. While handling is not quite sports car crisp, it is very responsive, with a great connection to the driver. Turn in is rapid with near effortless cornering. That is until understeer rears its ugly head. It also comes on quickly, causing you the back off before you get this utility in over its head. 

Dynamic Stability Control is another CX-7 standard, providing an added sense of security as this crossover displays far better balance than rivals like the Toyota Highlander and Nissan Murano.

As you may expect, braking is also aggressive with front and rear ventilated ABS disc brakes.  Stops from 60 to 0 averaged a good 123 feet. Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and BrakeAssist are also standard.

Crossing into the nicely equipped 5-passenger cabin further reinforces the notion that the CX-7 is not just another cute-UTE. The twin cockpit layout, with highly styled forms accented by titanium trim, looks far more show car than people mover. The deep, bezeled instruments uses red lighting for instant attention. It is all very…well…sporty!

Front seats falls short of true sport buckets, however, but they are comfortable. Fabrics are high grade, with power adjust, heat, and leather available.  The well-crafted cabin can also be fitted with options like a 6-disc CD-changer, Bose Surround Sound System, satellite navigation, and backup camera.

A flat-folding 60/40 split rear seatback adds the necessary flexibility. Cargo room is ample at 29.9 cubic feet seats up, and 58.6 cubic feet seats down. A nice touch is a reversible floor panel with carpet on one side and durable composite on the other.

A state-of-the-art crash structure is augmented with front side impact airbags, as well as front and rear curtain airbags with rollover protection. Tire-Pressure Monitoring is included too.

Available in three trim levels, the front drive CX-7 Sport starts at $24,310. Add $1,700 for a Sport with all-wheel drive. Step up to Touring trim for $26,060. While $28,560 takes home an all-wheel drive CX-7 Grand Touring. You can pay thousands more for similar-sized utilities and end up with fewer features and a lot less fun.

The CX-7 is not a sport-utility for everyone. It is not the biggest, and it’s clearly intended more for bad weather than bad roads. But, when the roads are high and dry, no people mover provides more driving satisfaction than the 2007 Mazda CX-7.

There is a trade-off with more sport indeed leading to less utility. But it is a balance we think anyone with Zoom Zoom in their hearts will love.