Antoine
Administrator
- TheCarConnection
Mazda has unveiled its first entry into the fast-expanding crossover segment, one that will share its roots with the new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX. Like many crossover vehicles, the CX-7 falls into a hard-to-define niche that's part sport-ute, part wagon, and part sports sedan. The styling is intentionally aggressive, according to Mazda's chief of design, Moray Callum, with a windshield as steeply raked as the RX-8 sports car. "This is, to us," he says, "the four-wheel-drive vehicle Mazda should have already had." The CX-7 borrows elements of the sporty MazdaSpeed6 and the functional Mazda3. Its turbocharged and intercooled 2.3-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine produces 244 horsepower, while delivering 23 mpg in combined city and highway driving. It also features sport seats and a high-mount shifter, emphasizing its performance heritage. The CX-7 was designed specifically for the U.S. market, according to Callum, who adds that it is one of four new products Mazda will launch in 2006.
