Cars.com's Mike Hanley takes a look at the 2010 Mazda CX-7. It competes with the Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Equinox.
Transcript
<v Announcer>Cars.com Auto Review. Hi, I'm Mike Hanley with cars.com and this is the Mazda CX-7 small crossover. It receives some significant changes for the 2010 model year, including revised styling and a new, more efficient engine.
The biggest change in terms of the CX-7's looks is it's new, lower grill. It gets Mazda's happy face styling that's been spreading across models like the Mazda 3 compact sedan and overall it's integrated pretty well into the overall look of this vehicle. The CX-7's new base four cylinder engine makes this model less expensive and also more fuel efficient. The new engine is rated at 161 horsepower and it gets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 28 on the highway. Now you can still opt for the turbo four cylinder that makes 244 horsepower, but it's fuel economy is 18/25. Now the new engine doesn't have the turbo power that the higher-level engine does. You really have to plan your passing on the highway because it's a modestly powered engine. There's some changes to the inside of the CX-7 for 2010 though. They're relatively minor. There's a new dash top display that shows things like the radio station that you're on and fuel economy info and it's nice to have there, but it's so close to the windshield that you always kind of see it out of the corner of your eye. It's a little bit distracting. This model has cloth seats and this nice Mazda includes heaters for them, but the heaters only have an on-off setting, so you can't customize how much heat they're giving off. The back seat of the CX-7 is fairly snug. The Equinox, for one, offers more space for adult passengers. The seat also isn't adjustable. We're starting to see in small crossovers more adjustability when it comes to the cushion sliding and the back rest reclining, but that's not here in the CX-7. The CX-7's cargo area is just under 30 cubic feet and that's enough space for about three or four golf bags. Folding the back seats is straightforward because there are these release handles in the back and you lift them up and the seats flop down. The CX-7 with the turbocharged engine is one of the more fun and sporty crossovers in the small SUV class. But I think with this new base engine, it's gonna make the CX-7 more attractive to buyers who may have been turned off by the previous models' lower than average fuel economy. <v Announcer>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, kickingtires.net.
