Mazda CX-7 an unexpected sportivity

The dream of every winter driver is to drive an all wheel drive car, car that will obviously express his social status.

The only problem of these drivers is the simple fact that these cars are more expensive than the ones with front wheel drive, but a car manufacturer thought about them as well and created a car that would have the most important features for the SUV fans.
Here we can specify a list of luxury options, a very strong engine and last but not least an all wheel drive transmission that will work on any type of road. This car is called Mazda CX-7 and it is available in Romania as well beginning this year.


SUV=SportUtilityVehicle

This car wants to be a cheaper version of the model that launched the sportive SUV segment, the BMW X5. In comparison with the first Bavarian generation the new X5 gained a little bit of size and slightly lost a bit of his sportive behaviour. Also the price went a bit up, these are details that make this type of wanted automobile harder to get.

BODY

To take advantage of this empty spot on the European market Mazda decided to import their most successful SUV on the US soil, the elegant CX-7. It uses the technical platform of its American brother the Ford Edge, and it presents itself to its European customers with an elegant and well-proportioned body from all points of view.

CX-7 is a SUV that borrows design characteristics developed on other models such as RX-8 or Mazda 6, the result being a city car with a dynamic design that you simply can not hate. The interior as well as the exterior are headed towards a sportive side, the driver having a totally different position behind the wheel than what the competitions offers.

EQUIPMENTS

The test car came equipped with the Revolution package where the leather interior as well as the Bose sound system are standard. It’s amazing to see how Mazda applies this market strategy similar to the American version, by this we mean that the customer receives everything starting with the entry level. In comparison with the European offer Mazda CX-7 excelled at every chapter by equipping the car with all the luxury options standard.

A bonus is the sound system developed for the US market, a very powerful and good Bose sound system. The leather seats come equipped with a heating system. For all these options for the European models you pay extra. Mazda CX-7 Revolution costs 32.700 euro including taxes.

ENGINE

Under the hood of the charming CX-7 you can find the same supercharged engine that we met at his little MPS brothers, the 3MPS or the 6 MPS. This engine offers a maximum power of 260 bhp and has a 6 gear manual transmission.

Unlike the US model that has an 6 gear automatic transmission and a maximum power of 240 bhp, the European CX is much more sportive as running gear.

The 380 Nm torque is very good and facilitates the graceful movement of the 1.8 tones of the car no mather what the situation.

Although Mazda mentions a mixt fuel consumption of 9.8 litres, the real life proved a much higher gas consumption. We state this because in highly economical driving conditions (110 km/h in the 6th gear on the highway) we could not drop the fuel consumption under 11 litres. In the city the fuel consumption passed in some cases 20 liters/100 km. The city average was 19.7 litters (please see photo attached).

TRANSMISSION

The gear box is the same as the one on 6MPS fact that recommends this CX-7 to those who want a sports car with a capability of switching in the off-road environment as well.

The transmission is permanent all wheel drive and offers a great grip no matter the surface that the car runs on. A tip for those who want to drive off road is to turn off the TCM.

CONCLUSION

Mazda CX-7 is a modern SUV with an elegant and balanced design that has an interior with a broad sports allure. Five passengers can travel in a very comfortable environment even on long distances.

The biggest advantage of the Japanese car is the being price of a bit over 30.000 Euro, this fact places the SUV on the first place in the SUV segment if we make a comparison price-power. The only downfall is the high fuel consumption which competes with that of the 4.0 liter V8 engines.

Presently Mazda works on equipping the CX with a 2.2 liter 180 bhp diesel engine, but until this engine hits the market we have to wait at least one year. And YES, the Mazda CX 7 is superior from all point of view to the X3 BMW.