 A sign of our time: automakers, reducing the number of platforms to a minimum and unifying them as much as possible, are simultaneously expanding their model ranges, producing cars of ever new, sometimes "borderline" classes. This is how they try to cover the immense — to satisfy the most diverse, often overlapping customer needs. Fifteen years ago, such diversity was unheard of, and the Toyota RAV4, which debuted in 1994, was a real sensation in this regard. Since then, the "cocktail" of a car suspension, all-wheel drive, and pseudo-SUV looks has gained incredible popularity, and the word "crossover" has firmly entered our lexicon. There are a great many mid-size SUVs, competition in this segment is extremely high, and it is this competition that largely ensures such diversity within the class. Our today's heroes are a vivid example of how different "classmates" can be. |
 Choosing a pair for a comparative test is not as obvious and simple a task as it seems at first glance. Much depends on the principle by which we are going to compare cars. Why not take gender as a basis? If cars are traditionally divided into "male" and "female" (we have not ignored this topic either — see pp. xx-xx), then why shouldn't they themselves be divided into "men" and "women"? In any case, it was precisely such thoughts that our comparative test prompted... |
 The Mazda CX-7 has become another bestseller for the company. Following the "three" and the "six", long queues of buyers, stretching for several months, formed behind it. And this is not surprising. There are two reasons lying on the surface. The first is the flashy, provocative appearance. The Mazda is clearly perceived as a "girl": pretty, slim, in an Aurora Blue dress, with beautiful almond-shaped eyes. The second is the low price for such engine power. Most representatives of the mid-size SUV segment have engines that do not reach 200 hp. Those few who have a higher figure cost noticeably more than the CX-7. |
 The Freelander is, without a doubt, male. In the Land Rover lineup, there is a real "macho" (Defender) and a serious businessman in a suit (Range Rover). And the Freelander is a kind of budding yuppie: young, but with far-reaching plans. Why not a pair for our playful, slant-eyed girl? The British say: extremes meet. And this is exactly the case. The Mazda, like a runner at the start, hugs the ground and is directed forward. The Land Rover is higher, its forms are far from elegant, it stretches upward, spreading the wide shoulders of the body, trying to resemble the Range Rover, which occupies a higher step. Do their engine-hearts beat in unison? Perhaps not. The acceleration characteristics to 100 km/h are almost the same — 8.3 seconds for the CX-7 versus 8.9 for the Freelander. But the pulse is different. The Mazda likes higher revs — a turbo is a turbo, there's no getting away from it. The Land Rover's three-liter inline "six", borrowed from its "relatives" at Volvo, is content with low revs, pulling smoothly from the very bottom. |
 The character and temperament of crossovers are greatly influenced by the gearbox. Both test subjects have 6-speed automatics. In the case of the CX-7, manual mode is almost unnecessary — shifts are fast anyway, although during intense acceleration they are accompanied by noticeable jolts (I recall that during the test of brand-new cars at the Russian presentation in Yaroslavl, this was not observed). The Freelander is absolutely calm; a bit of fire appears only if you start changing gears yourself. And it's pleasant to do: the lever travel is minimal, with a pleasant elasticity felt. And the Englishman's gait matches — the suspension very comfortably smooths out road imperfections. Only small potholes with sharp edges sometimes make the car shudder all over. |
 Having a slightly truncated, compared to the Land Rover Discovery, Terrain Response system (there is no air suspension), the Freelander does not shy away from outright off-road. Despite the conditionality of all-wheel drive (in normal mode, 95% of torque is transmitted to the front axle), it is not averse to going fishing, hunting, or just tearing through the mud in its free time from regular driving on asphalt. And it is here that the damped accelerator drive, not the most informative steering wheel, low beltline, and high seating position will come in handy. |
 The "girl" with her slender legs in heels in the form of a front suspension from the Mazda3 has no need to engage in such things. She has other things on her mind — she would like to race and race forward, so that men barely have time to turn around after her. On a flat road, the CX-7 shows excellent results. The Mazda is a magnificent stayer. Behind its wheel, without much strain or fatigue, you can cover a thousand kilometers in a day. The suspension, stiffer than the Freelander's, allows you to feel almost like you're driving a regular sedan. For this, you have to pay with vibrations and jolts at low speeds, but on the highway, the Mazda goes like on rails, not noticing even serious bumps and potholes. Our beauty is also not averse to swishing her hips, going into a slide on throttle lift-off, but American rules of good manners are strict, and such liberties are quickly suppressed by the non-switchable ESP. |
 This pair also differs greatly in their inner content. As befits a solid man, the Land Rover is distinguished by the strictness of forms and style. He is clearly wealthy, possessing such luxury as a leather interior, parktronic, xenon, dual-zone climate control, rain sensor, and electric seat adjustments. In the HSE trim, this is a very demanding guy. The Mazda (in the Touring version) is much simpler. It is content with ordinary fabric seats (which are very comfortable, despite having only two adjustments) and simple trim materials — luxury is sacrificed for a low price. But it has exemplary order everywhere: ergonomics are top-notch, the convenient three-spoke steering wheel is clearly made with an eye on the MX-5 roadster. The Freelander's interior looks, of course, richer, but the CX-7's cabin is quite cozy even without it and seems more spacious due to the light seat upholstery and larger glass area. |
 Well, we can state: despite the universal unification and the desire to build as many cars as possible on the same chassis and with the same engines, things are not so bad. For now, we can still relatively easily distinguish a car of one brand or another in the traffic flow. Designers have not yet laid down their weapons. We can only hope that it will be so in the future, that every car will continue to have its own face... And even its own gender... |
 Sparring partner's opinionA comparative test is always carried out by two or more people, and their opinions about the tested cars turn out to be similar in some ways, and sometimes quite radically diverge. Boris Muradov: |
He and she
He is a typical young squire from the shores of Foggy Albion. She is an American with Asian roots. He is moderately stocky, well-dressed, and not devoid of social polish. She is clearly no stranger to fitness and martial arts, prefers a sporty style of clothing, and is perhaps frivolous and even flighty. He is a Land Rover Freelander. She is a Mazda CX-7.
