Mazda CX-7 2009 review
Ten bucks says the penny-pincher inside you is balking at the very prospect of a Mazda CX-7. It's a five-seat crossover whose turbocharged engine recommends premium fuel and returns subpar gas mileage, and its cargo area is as small as its price tag is large. It is not, as Spock might say, a particularly logical choice — but is it ever a fun one. Fire up the engine, take a drive and consider some of the CX-7's strengths that are less apparent on paper, and those left-brained sensibilities eventually will come around.
The CX-7 is a smallish crossover that shares its turbo four-cylinder with the hot-rodded Mazdaspeed3. Changes for the 2009 model, which you can compare to the '08 CX-7 here, include a handful of minor cabin and styling tweaks. In ascending order, trim levels comprise the Sport, Touring and Grand Touring, with all-wheel drive optional on all three. I tested an all-wheel-drive CX-7 Grand Touring.
See also:
Exterior
The 2010 Mazda3's exterior styling builds on its predecessor's athletic
proportions by emphasizing design features. One of them is the front grille, but
Mazda may have gone a bit too far with it, ...
Light Bulbs
WARNING:
Do not replace the xenon fusion bulbs
yourself:
Replacing the xenon fusion bulbs
yourself is dangerous. Because the
xenon fusion bulbs require high
voltage, you could receive an ele ...
Vehicle Overview
The CX-7 five-seat crossover is priced between the Tribute and the larger
CX-9 crossover in the Mazda lineup. The CX-7 was designed to deliver the utility
of a small SUV and the driving experience ...