Crossing over: Mazda gets an SUV of its own

Mazda, a company owned in part by Ford, has been selling sport utility vehicles for years, but up until now has never come up with a model completely their own.

Navajo, the first Mazda SUV, was nothing more than a re-badged two-door version of the Ford Explorer. It didn’t last long, few were sold and most people would be hard pressed to recall it.

Mazda’s second SUV, the Tribute, which came to the market years later, is really a Ford Escape, differentiated only by slightly modified interior and exterior styling designs. Mazda will continue to sell the Tribute.

But n ow with the introduction of the 2007 CX-7, Mazda finally has an SUV it can call its own. CX-7 is a completely new crossover utility vehicle that seats five and, unlike a traditional truck-based SUV, is built on a car chassis. While it seems to be Mazda’s equivalent to the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV-4, size-wise, the CX-7 has more in common with the slightly larger Nissan Murano.

In appearance alone, the CX-7 looks as though it could have been adapted from the Ford Edge, a crossover vehicle being introduced later this year. But make no mistake, the  CX-7 is all Mazda, built from a mixture of architecture and parts straight out of Mazda’s vehicle line-up .

With the CX-7, Mazda has succeeded in creating a visually striking vehicle that seems to be a blend of mini-van, station wagon, sports sedan and SUV. By melding these different vehicles, a new category has emerged. The crossover utility vehicle (CUV) has now overtaken the SUV in terms of sales and popularity.

With its recent product offerings, Mazda has some of the best-looking vehicles on the market, and the CX-7 is no exception. Most noticeable are the 66-degree raked windshield, the hood and the high beltline that angles back to complete a wedge-shaped profile. The heavily blistered fenders seem to be a direct design transplant from the Mazda RX-8 sports coupe.

The h eadlamps are angular and sweep back from the high-mounted split black honeycombed grille. Out back there’s a one-piece liftgate, clear lens multi-element taillamps and chromed-tipped dual exhausts. The overall look is similar to the Lexus RX 350.

Inside, there is ample room up front, but don’t expect three adults to ride without complaint in the rear seats. Not only is space at a premium, there’s a noticeable lack of amenities: only one rear map pocket, no individual reading lights, no vents and, unlike the RAV-4 and others, no reclining rear seats. Rear cargo space seems adequate but it is less than what’s found in the RAV-4 or Honda CRV.

The dash seems over done with a two-tiered design that Mazda calls a “double-roof” instrument panel extending across the top . Below, there is a more traditional dash with a hooded housing for the deeply set speedometer and tachometer, a center stack for the audio and climate controls, three large air vents and the navigation screen.

Lending the vehicle a techno-look is an ample amount of glossy “piano-black,” brushed aluminum and matte-finished material on the doors, dash and steering wheel. No fake wood here. I did like the blue and red dash lights and blue light beam that illuminates the center console area.

Available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive ($1700 option), the CX-7 is offered in three trim levels. All are powered by the same 244-horsepower, turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with a sport shift feature.

The base CX-7 ($24,345) is the Sport model that includes air conditioning, cloth seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, power windows, power door locks, cruise control, keyless entry and a full complement of safety features. The Touring model ($26,095) adds heated leather-trimmed seats and an eight-way power driver’s seat.  The Grand Touring model ($26,895) upgrades further by adding automatic climate control, Xenon HID headlamps, fog lamps, and GT trim on the leather seats.

Options include audio packages, power tilt-and-slide moonroof, a DVD-based navigation system with touch-screen LCD, a rear-view backing camera, a DVD entertainment system, fog lamps, floor mats and other convenience features .

The CX-7’s r ide and handling feel more sedan-like than a utility vehicle, thanks to the Mazda6 car platform and suspension components borrowed fro m the Mazda5. Power was surprisingly adequate for a 4-cylinder and I didn’t feel like I was missing the added muscle of a V-6 engine.

The CX-7 cornered firmly with minimal body roll and the brakes felt good. I did notice an undesirable amount of road noise in the cabin at highway speeds. I was not impressed with the fuel economy, averaging just over 17 miles per gallon in combined city-highway driving.

More impressive is the number of safety features . Front-seat mounted side-impact and front and rear side-curtain airbags with extended inflation for rollovers are all standard. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, and electronic stability control with traction control are all standard. The CX-7 earned the highest five-star rating for front- and side-impact crash tests.

I applaud Mazda for bringing the CX-7 to the market. With the significant rise in CUV popularity, I think the CX-7 is one of the better choices and certainly one of the most exciting new vehicles for 2007. It’s certainly worth a look if you’re in the market for a new vehicle.

Mazda will introduce a third SUV to its lineup later this year, the 7-passenger midsize crossover CX-9. Mazda is quick to point out that , though they resembles one another in styling, the CX-9 is not a “lengthened three-row CX-7, nor is the CX-7 a shortened version of the CX-9.”