Mazda CX-7. New Blood
At first glance, this car differs little from dozens of its competitors in the SUV segment: five full-fledged seats in the cabin, half a cubic meter of free space in the trunk, and nearly two and a half hundred “horses” under the hood. Americans, despite their outward democratic nature, are quite conservative people and do not change their views, including on what an ideal crossover should look like. And given the fact that “gray” dealers imported Mazda CX-7 to Russia from the opposite side of the Atlantic for a whole year, the “pro-American” orientation of the new product is beyond doubt. It would seem that, to please the tastes of true Yankees, Mazda engineers should have provided an appropriate level of comfort, but no... Of course, there are plenty of cupholders, niches, shelves, boxes, and glove compartments everywhere, but overall the interior is in the European spirit. First of all, this concerns the ergonomics of the passenger seats. Take, for example, the seating position – the Japanese did not take into account the traditional American notion that comfortable seats are huge shapeless sofas. On the contrary, both the driver's and passenger seats in the CX-7 are profiled quite well, and you don't slip out of them even on sharp turns. And overall, sitting is comfortable – barely noticeable flaws are compensated by the widest range of adjustments and the almost ideal ergonomic placement of levers and buttons involved in the process of “adjusting” the seats. However, many rivals of the Mazda CX-7 vying for the attention of Russian car enthusiasts can boast of first-class cabin ergonomics – the crocodile-like Infiniti FX, the more European-standard Nissan Murano, Lexus RX, and the “European” VW Touareg itself. To achieve success, the Mazda CX-7 simply must attract buyers with something else. Actually, that's what we'll go in search of – that “something else.”
Let's start, as always, with design. Although the exterior, in my opinion, is far from the strongest side of the Japanese crossover. Deliberate expressiveness, unconventional execution, rejection of classic proportions – that's what can be said about the Subaru Tribeca or the same Infiniti, but not about the Mazda CX-7. As strange as it may sound, the reason lies in the desire to always and everywhere follow a single corporate style. The same desire, by the way, will probably not have the best effect on the fate of the new version of the Mazda 6 sedan popular here, but that's not what we're talking about now. So, externally, the CX-7 is very similar to... Mazda... I'd say, to any modern Mazda. On the one hand, this allows you to immediately identify the crossover as belonging to the friendly ZOOM family, but on the other hand, it completely deprives it of individuality. To be fair, it's worth noting that the Japanese tried to smooth over this impression by using various “gadgets” like the glass line that breaks closer to the stern, but they didn't have much effect. The only thing that saves the design of the Mazda CX-7 from a complete and unconditional failure is the original body profile, drawn in full accordance with the traditionally strong sporty “Mazda” styling. However, let's not get into discussions about the appearance of this car, especially since your correspondent has more than once had to be convinced of the truth of the saying “there are as many opinions as there are people,” and the demand for the CX-7 makes its own adjustments. In general, as a summary on the first point, I'll say: whether this Mazda is beautiful or not is a matter of taste. You can love it, you can hate it, but the fact that the car is original and 100% recognizable is pointless to deny.
And so let's move on to the second component of any car – the interior. The eternal confrontation between fashion and corporate style is clearly visible in the cabin, though in this case, fashion wins. The interior styling can hardly be called ordinary – this is indeed a challenge to competitors, this is that very “fresh blood” that almost all crossover manufacturers, fixated on the brutal military style, so needed at one time. Mazda designers, of course, were not pioneers, but they didn't miss the moment either, jumping onto the step of an already departing train in time.
The exterior compared to the interior is like an appetizer compared to a hearty meal. The inner world of the Mazda becomes an aesthetic revelation and delight. At the same time, its absolute novelty is successfully complemented by instantly recognizable brand details like the characteristically placed round ventilation deflectors. Excellent style, clear graphic construction of details, cleverly played symmetry... And every little thing, whether it's one of the dozen buttons on the center console or the “thumbwheel” on the steering column lever, remains functionally loaded. In general, if you don't focus on the excessive, in my opinion, use of frankly budget finishing materials by the designers, the interior can confidently be rated a “five.”
The trunk also deserves all sorts of praise. Its nominal capacity is 455 liters, which is quite decent for a car of this size, and thanks to the proprietary Karakuri cabin transformation system, the useful volume instantly increases to 774 liters (1348 liters when loaded to the ceiling). But its most important advantage is that you can turn the CX-7 into a cargo van in just a couple of seconds: just pull the handles on the side panels of the trunk – and the rear seat back, split in a 60:40 ratio, folds down, forming an almost flat platform. In addition, the CX-7 also has a full-size spare wheel, which is important in the conditions of Russian roads (and often their absence).
We've dealt with the cabin ergonomics and cargo capabilities of the “Japanese,” now let's move on to the technical equipment. Two versions of the CX-7 are supplied to Russia, both equipped with a 2.3-liter gasoline turbo engine with direct fuel injection, developing a maximum power of 238 hp, and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The basic list of options includes ABS, Brake Assist, traction control system, front and side airbags and curtain airbags, immobilizer, security alarm, climate control, and central locking with remote control. The more expensive version of the crossover provides for the installation of a leather interior, xenon headlights, rain and light sensors, as well as a “smart” key that allows you to open the car without directly pressing the button on the key fob. In short, everything is quite decent. Depending on the trim level, the car costs $43,900 and $47,650 respectively.
And finally, about driving qualities. I've already briefly described the power tandem, I'll just add that it allows the car to reach a maximum speed of 181 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds. Why are these figures so modest? It's all about the specifics – despite the fact that the power unit was borrowed from the Mazda 6 MPS, it is by no means capable of demonstrating the same explosive character. Firstly, it was detuned so that it could painlessly consume 95-octane gasoline, and secondly, a heavy crossover is not initially designed for such a harsh speed regime. The same applies to the “off-road” characteristics of the car: 205 mm of ground clearance, 18-inch wheels, and frankly “car-like” short suspension travel, the chassis is almost like a Focus, and proprietary all-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive transmission with an electronically controlled multi-disc clutch is borrowed from the same MPS sports sedan. By and large, its task is only to keep the car on a wet and slippery highway, and not at all to “push” it through a half-meter layer of mud. You shouldn't experiment by driving the CX-7 into a swamp, but speeding through the city is a completely different matter. The crossover accelerates without a strained howl, jerks, or intrusive turbo lags. The suspension, steering, brakes – everything works flawlessly, which is exactly what the Japanese engineers were aiming for, and what we, in turn, expected. In general, they did it, and we got a good city car, the rest is details.
Dimensions:
| Length (mm) | 4680 |
| Width (mm) | 1870 |
| Height (mm) | 1645 |
| Ground clearance (mm) | 205 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2750 |
| Weight (kg) | 1802 |
| Trunk volume (l) | 455/774/1348 |
| Engine displacement (cm3) | 2261 |
| Max. power (hp) | 238 at 5500 rpm |
| Max. torque (Nm) | 350 at 3000 rpm |
| Max. speed (km/h) | 181 |
| Acceleration 0–100 km/h (s) | 8.3 |
| Average fuel consumption (l) | 11.5 |
| Price (RUB) | 1 141 000–1 265 000 |
Autogid magazine November 9, 2007 No. 41(41)
Source – www.automania.ru