DO WE PAY FOR THE BREED?
I still can't figure out why a Bavarian crossover with a sparkling character needs such a massive steering wheel, as if specially designed for the palm of a hefty man, and why the dashboard, which became morally obsolete back in 2003, still hasn't been updated. But apart from that, there's so little to fault in the BMW X3 that I don't even want to recall the price difference. I don't want to, but I have to. After all, two kinds of heated arguments regularly flare up on internet forums. In the first case, the phrase "Chinese car" appears, and only the devil knows whether commenters are praising Asian products or trashing them. But they argue masterfully and are ready to poke each other with a cursor on the monitor. In the second type of battle, owners of Japanese and German cars clash. The essence of these friendly discussions, whose participants tenderly love each other in a perverted form, boils down to figuring out whether Mercedes, BMW, and Audi are worth their money or not.
The second tier of the front panel is responsible for climate control – it's very handy to adjust without taking your eyes off the road
The rear seat of the Mazda is less comfortable. Short cushions, seating like in a sedan
The Mazda CX-7 trunk is smaller in volume, but the seats fold in semi-automatic mode
By the way, the question is quite legitimate. For the money that separates the BMW X3 and Mazda CX-7, you could buy a Chinese car – the difference reaches 400,000 rubles, or 17,000 dollars. Curious, if you subtract a Great Wall from the BMW, do you get a Mazda? I won't presume to judge, but personally I wouldn't subtract anything from the BMW. Except maybe throw out the interior plastic that rattles on cracks in the asphalt, but there's still hope for a quick facelift that could fix this ailment. And if not – you'll have to accept it, because it doesn't rattle that loudly.
BUT WITH CX-7, IT'S NOT BORING
If you compare the test participants not by feel and money, but by dry technical data, it turns out that the X3 is more powerful by 34 hp. But the CX-7 delivers 35 Nm more torque, and it's achieved at lower rpm. However, the BMW is faster in the sprint to 100 km/h by 1.1 seconds. Meanwhile, in the city cycle, the Mazda uses an extra 1.1 liters, and on the highway – 1.6 liters. By the way, fuel efficiency is one of the BMW's trump cards. But all this is just numbers, paper and ink, kilobytes and pixels. Life speaks a different language.
They say I have thin hands. And I reply that the steering wheel here is thick! And also the control buttons, shaved to zero
The rear seats are raised on a podium. Passengers have a great view of the road
The BMW trunk is more practical: lower loading height, higher opening
Setting aside the specification table and getting behind the wheel of the BMW X3, you quickly realize: other crossovers seem to have no suspension at all. You can adore the Mazda CX-7, but in every corner a host of forces acts on it – centrifugal, centripetal... At extreme speeds (around 170 km/h), it can even be thrown outward of the turn. But nothing acts on the BMW X3. In the depths of its chassis, both understeer and oversteer dissolve. What remains is neutrality, transparent as water. In a corner, you can confidently press the gas, as if driving straight! Acceleration on the highway also delights: pure as alcohol without impurities. The engine can be revved endlessly. High revs are its native element. And the sound – that restrained but promising velvety growl? Das ist phantastisch, there's no other way to say it.
And what about the Mazda? Unlike its rival, it's practically impossible to buy. And I kept wondering where the line to the Mausoleum went? So now it's standing for the CX-7. Buyers like that the Japanese car's interior is finished pleasantly and not boring. The plastic, though hard, doesn't rattle on bumps, and the ergonomics are thought out much better than in the "Bavarian," where all the buttons seem like carbon copies. The Mazda has an expressive appearance, while the BMW X3's exterior as such is absent (yes, we're not fans of Chris Bangle and his "flame" design).
SPECS: BMW X3
SPECS: MAZDA CX-7
BMW PULLS AWAY
Is this perfect German handling and magical "BMW" acceleration worth those very 17,000 dollars? Considering the outdated (or, if you prefer, conservative) interior? But wait, we haven't even gone off-road yet! In a sand quarry, making our way through shifting berms far beyond the ground clearance, the BMW pulled away with such power that not only the Mazda but any SUV without differential locks would envy it.
The X3's light weight and powerful engine are complemented by better geometric off-road capability than the CX-7. The front bumper is short and high enough. And all this is seasoned with exceptional traction control electronics. Even back in winter, when we tested the X3 alone, it became clear: finding the limit for the Bavarian soft-roader in snow is very difficult. The sand tests once again confirmed its outstanding abilities.
The BMW's electronic leash seems made for off-road. It allows the wheels to spin exactly as much as needed in sand, letting them confidently carve a path in loose soil. The Mazda CX-7 is also among the leaders among crossovers in terms of traction control quality, but compared to the X3, its leash chokes the engine too much, and it can't be turned off. You have to drive with momentum, which, with such a long and low front overhang as the Mazda's, is quite impractical. Despite the Mazda being shod with higher-profile tires, the BMW handles asphalt irregularities better, goes more confidently and comfortably. The energy intensity of the rivals is roughly equal, but the Mazda CX-7 responds to cracks more cardboard-like than the BMW X3.
Interestingly, both cars have no trace of a forced center differential lock, which many other crossover manufacturers boast about. This once again proves that multi-mode transmissions in cars of this class are more of a marketing gimmick than a necessity. Modern couplings handle perfectly on their own.
Occupying the top of the crossover world, the BMW X3 is worth its money. This car drives easily and quickly, not caring what's under its wheels – asphalt, snow, or sand. And the Mazda CX-7? It will tear apart any... of the "Japanese" or "Americans," and that's also worth something.
