With the CX-7, Mazda has called the bluff of those SUV critics who insist they wouldn’t consider an SUV until somebody built one that drove and handled like a sporty car, and sold it for a reasonable price.
And judging from CX-7 sales — in the very healthy 3,500-a-month neighborhood — a lot of those potential customers have anted up. This is an SUV for people who would not be caught dead in a Chevrolet Suburban, or probably even a Mazda Tribute. “Always the soul of a sports car,” says the CX-7’s window sticker, and that’s plausible.
It begins under the hood with a turbocharged 2.3-liter, 244-horsepower four-cylinder engine, matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. Base price for the front-wheel-drive CX-7 is around $24,000, and this is a bargain, as regardless of the trim level, all CX-7s have that same spirited engine and transmission.
The test CX-7 was a Grand Touring all-wheel-drive model, and it started at $28,000, and topped out at just more than $30,000 with freight and a few options, including a power sunroof, Sirius satellite radio and an upgraded 240-watt Bose sound system.
The all-wheel-drive is a nice feature, especially if you live in a world of frequently slick roads. Don’t for a moment confuse the CX-7 all-wheel-drive with a more conventional SUV’s four-wheel-drive, as the CX-7 is no off-roader. It lacks ground clearance, low-range gearing and underbelly protection from rocks and such. Really, average drivers likely couldn’t tell the FWD from the AWD model, as it operates seamlessly, and comes into play only when you need the extra traction. The CX-7 has electronic stability control and traction control, and that’s all most drivers need.
Indeed, our CX-7 was very well-equipped, with leather upholstery, heated front seats, xenon headlamps and side and side-curtain airbags. There’s still more plastic in the interior than I’d like (plastic that looks like plastic, anyway), but it’s a comfortable cockpit up front, and it isn’t bad for rear-seat passengers. If you need a third-row seat, there’s the larger Mazda CX-9, but that’s a different vehicle.
On the road, the CX-7 definitely handles far better than the average SUV, with negligible body lean and quick steering. To get that degree of nimbleness, you sacrifice some ride quality; smooth roads are fine, but rough pavement can get tiresome. The big 18-inch tires, on alloy wheels, generate moderate road noise.
It’s tough to fault the engine and transmission: Power is plentiful, delivered smoothly. Fuel mileage is nothing special at an EPA-rated 18 miles per gallon city, 24 mpg highway, premium gas preferred.
Mileage, though, is likely low on a CX-7 buyer’s criteria. That customer wants performance, and the CX-7 delivers.
