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DRIVEN: Mazda CX-7 Sans Turbo Still Enjoyable
Crossover now includes lower-priced non-turbo model with decent power and better mileage.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted November 04, 2009   Phoenix, AZ
Mazda CX-7 now comes with a smiley face and an optional non-turbo engine that is less expensive and gets better fuel mileage. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
Mazda CX-7 is throttling back on the power and the price tag for 2010.

Mazda, which puts a sporty spin on everything from roadsters to minivans, has offered the CX-7 crossover up until now with just one power source: a small but mighty 2.3-liter four boosted by a turbocharger.

With refined performance and 244 horsepower, the turbo is capable and fun. But the overall package is kind of pricey for a compact wagon, and there’s a fuel-mileage penalty for the turbo power.

Going into its fourth year, the CX-7 adds a 2.4-liter non-turbo four with a significant discount at the showroom and a decent gain at the fuel pump.

The non-turbo CX-7 comes only as a front-wheel-drive model. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
And it’s a gutsy little engine that puts out 161 horsepower and similar torque, which is more than enough to move this 3,500-pound wagon. Like the turbo engine, it does so with more smooth refinement than you should expect from an inline-4.

Four-bangers have come a long way in recent years, shedding their image of strident harshness to one that rivals the sophistication of the best V6 engines. Think of the four-cylinder engines coming from Honda, Toyota, VW and Ford. Mazda’s in there, too.

Credit a cadre of advanced features, including computerized design and balance, variable valve timing and improved electronic fuel injection.

Whether the trade-off in power is worth about $4,000 savings, or fuel mileage of 20 city and 28 highway, depends on the driver. It’s pretty much the same choice that Mustang or Camaro buyers must make: V6 or V8?

Of course, this is not a sports coupe but a crossover wagon, Mazda’s “zoom-zoom” marketing notwithstanding. CX-7 is functional and practical, as well as stylishly streamlined. The roofline is not as extremely sloped as some recent crossovers, but the direction is similar.

Instead of looking like a tall SUV, CX-7 comes off as more of a brawny hatchback car, more sport than utility. The styling is sleekly aerodynamic, and this year, CX-7 gets Mazda’s smiley corporate grille.

It’s based on the solid underpinnings of the Mazda6 sedan, and handles like a well-tuned automobile, considering the limits of a relatively high-profile vehicle. No, it’s not a sports sedan, nor is it a rugged off-roader. CX-7 is truly a blending of the attributes of a car, wagon and SUV.

The versions without turbos are available only in front-wheel drive, while the turbo models can be had with all-wheel drive.

CX-7 cuts across a swath of potential drivers, looking cool enough for an image-conscious guy while including the kind of versatility that made SUVs so successful in the first place.

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Bob Golfen

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