Now normally I don't expect much out of SUVs and tend to evaluate their performance much more leniently than I do cars. But I've been hearing so much about how the CX-7 would totally change my expectations for how an SUV should handle that I went ahead and raised my expectations. For this review, I test drove a CX-7 Grand Touring with all-wheel-drive.

Styling

Most comments I've read about the CX-7's styling have been positive. But mine have not been. The RX-8 style wheel arches barely work for me on the RX-8. Transferred from a sports car to an SUV, nah. The Mazda6-like front end strikes me as overly bland, especially without the Grand Touring's fog lamps. The kick-up in the beltline over the rear wheel strikes me as gratuitous, something done for the sake of being different. Overall, the exterior just doesn't flow for me. It's a cobbled together mess. The Nissan Murano, which is the next most similar vehicle, has an equally unconventional exterior that comes together better for me.

I like the interior styling quite a bit better. The materials and textures are much like those in the sporty RX-8 and MX-5. The ungrained hard plastic along the center console is a risk, but because the plastic feels sturdy it comes across as ultra-modern rather than cheap. The strips of cloth(?) patterns to resemble alligator hide down the center of each seat in the Grand Touring add visual interest. Faux metal trim is heavily used, but works with the black interior. Such trim can clash with tan, though.

The interior in the Mazda5 and Mazda6 should be this nice. The interior of the Murano isn't as nice in some areas, but nicer in others. But the Murano is considerably more expensive.

Accommodations

Mazda touts that the CX-7's windshield, laid back 66 degrees from vertical, is raked more than any other SUV's. This usually doesn't work for me because it usually means that the top of the instrument panel seems about the size of Kansas and that the A-pillar is aimed right at my head. But I didn't mind the CX-7's driving position. It helps that the windshield reaches high enough up and extends far enough back that the header is out of my forward view and that the A-pillars are spaced widely enough that they minimally intrude. It was almost as if there was no windshield at all--except for the lack of wind hitting my face.

The top of the instrument panel is large, but is positioned and styled in such a way that its apparent bulk is minimized. One minor issue: the three speaker grilles atop the dash do reflect a bit in the windshield. Luckily, the top of the instrument panel appears to be black even with the gray and tan interiors.

I sat in a Murano immediately afterwards. Compared to the Nissan, you sit lower relative to the instrument panel in the Mazda. This helps keep the vehicle from feeling like a minivan. The seats are fairly comfortable, but don't offer much in the way of lateral support. If this is a concern, get the cloth interior.

Reviews I've read led me to expect a tight rear seat. Just isn't so. There's about as much room in the back of the CX-7 as you'll find in the average midsize sedan. At 5-9, I had a couple inches between my knees and the front seatback positioned for myself. Put a six footer behind a six-footer, and knee room might be marginal. There's a bit more in the Nissan. But in both SUVs the rear seat is a bit low to the floor to provide adequate thigh support.

Cargo room is on the small side for a midsize SUV. The rear seats fold easily, but the resulting floor slopes upward. It'll do for most people. A folding front passenger seat would be useful, but isn't offered. On a positive note, the center console is huge; it should easily swallow a laptop.

On the Road

The CX-7 is powered by a direct injected turbocharged and intercooled DOHC four. Detuned from the similar engine in the MazdaSpeed6, it kicks out 244 horsepower. It needs to kick out more, or at least kick them out more readily. Bury the throttle, and you initially won't get much of anything. This is called boost lag combined with old school DOHC behavior. Get the engine over 3,500 rpm and it starts to put out, but never feels especially powerful. Must be the two-ton curb weight coupled with a power-sapping six-speed slushbox.

A manual would help in two ways. First, it would sap less power. Second, I always feel more comfortable holding an engine in its powerband when using a manual. But a manual is not available. With an automatic, even one that can be manually shifted like this one, I rarely feel comfortable doing this. Especially when the engine is making loud four-cylinderish noises, like this one does above 4,000 or so, I want to stick it in D to make it shut up.

Solution: wear earplugs and make frequent use of the manual shift. Left in D, the transmission doesn't find the right ratio readily enough.

Ford's upcoming Edge and Mazda's upcoming seven-passenger CX-9 will get a 3.5-liter V6 with about 260 horsepower. That engine would be an improvement over the turbo four.

But the CX-7's forte is supposed to be handling anyway. Every review I've seen sings its praises. Well, I was underwhelmed. The tires, 23560HR18 Goodyear Eagle RS-As, likely deserve much of the blame. The front treads start howling much too soon, at about 28 mph through turns that many cars have easily taken at 35 and higher. Push on and the tires continue to stick, with a very gradual, thoroughly predictable loss of grip. But the noise! The noise! (I prefer to go about my business much more quietly, without attracting unwanted attention.)

The other CX-7s at the dealer were fitted with Bridgestone Turanza EL42s in the same size. Seems some get one tire, some get the other. One forum post at www.msprotege.com claimed that the Goodyears will only be on some early cars, and that the Bridgestones will soon be on every CX-7. Unfortunately, the reviews of these Turanzas at Tirerack are not at all favorable.

Update: Someone who bought a BMW with Eagle RS-As has informed me that they squealed with little provocation when new, but that this issue went away after about 500 miles. The same could well be true of the CX-7.

Aside from the tattletale tires, the handling isn't too bad, but it isn't steller, either. Body lean is reasonably well controlled, and the steering is quick and provides some feedback. But the nose tends to drift wide, and the handling ceases to feel crisp or nimble above 5/10.

In fact, the harder I pushed the CX-7, the heavier and clumsier it felt. The normally quick, communicative steering went all heavy and wooden. The best cars, including just about any BMW, seem to shrink around you when driven hard. Not this one. Other reviews state that the CX-7 feels smaller and lighter than it is. But every one of its 4,000 pounds seemed very evident to me.

I suppose the top trim is the "Grand Touring" rather than the "Grand Sport" for a reason: despite the claims that the CX-7 is the sports car of SUVs, it is a touring vehicle. The ride is moderately supple and quieter than that of other Mazdas. Highway trips should be a breeze. Just stay off tightly wound two-lanes.

One qualification: the stretch of highway I drove was smooth asphalt. I could hear some exhaust and tire noise, but neither was intrusive. On concrete and/or rough pavement, road noise might be much higher. Others have complained about road noise in the CX-7. This could also differ by Goodyear vs. Bridgestone.

I did drive over some patchy pavement at lower speeds, and the Goodyears did not clomp over every last bump and divot as some tires do. Relatively tall sidewalls (these are 60-series tires) might help here, as does compliance built into the suspension bushings.

I last drove a Murano nearly three years ago, so my memory might be shaky. As far as I can recall, the Nissan handles a bit better in some ways, not as well in others, and has a choppier ride. In neither case are you getting a bargain alternative to a BMW X3.

Mazda CX-7 Pricing and Price Comparisons

The two most popular comparisons (base to base, without rebates, adjusted for feature differences):

Nissan Murano: $4,700 more at MSRP, $4,000 more at invoice

Subaru Tribeca: $2,200 more at MSRP, $2,100 more at invoice

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.) TrueDelta's page for the CX-7:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/CX-7.php

Last Words

Partly because I approached the test drive with high expectations, the performance and handling of the CX-7 disappointed me. The turbo engine, while adequately powerful once boost is up, isn't the best for this application. For a midsize SUV I suppose the handling's not bad. Better, lower profile tires would no doubt improve matters. As is, the Nissan Murano does no better, and other midsize SUVs anywhere near this price are worse, even much worse. But if you want "nimble," you'd better opt for a compact SUV like the Toyota RAV4 or (perhaps) Acura's upcoming RDX. Better yet, get a car like the Subaru Legacy. The CX-7's strong suits? A nicely styled interior and a relatively low price.

Update: I've now driven the RDX. It feels more balanced, especially in hard driving where the trick AWD system has an impact. But you also sit higher, which feels less sporty. There's less turbo lag, but it's still very much there. The interior is nicer, but the price is significantly higher. So a valid argument could be made for either.

A note on Mazda CX-7 Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a CX-7 rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Mazda CX-7 reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the CX-7--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

If you're a member, and you want to receive an email when I post a new review, click here.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Acura RDX review
BMW X3 review
Mazda CX-9 review
Mitsubishi Endeavor review
Nissan Murano review
Toyota RAV4 review