Mazda CX-7 2008 review
Editor's note: For 2008, Mazda has made no significant changes to the CX-7, which debuted as a 2007 model. One bonus for buyers is that the engine has been modified to allow it to run on regular gasoline instead of premium without changing performance numbers. After driving a 2008 CX-7 Grand Touring, the review below, written in August 2006, is still accurate. The CX-7 still holds up — now against even more competition — in the segment. To see what details are different this year, check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
Automakers are stemming the tide of anti-SUV sentiment with a new type of family vehicle: the crossover. Built primarily on car frames, crossovers — predictably — offer a more carlike ride than earlier, truck-based SUVs. Mazda comes on the scene with one of the best-looking, best-performing crossovers I've tested to date, and it does so at a mid-$20,000 price point.
See also:
Enhanced Ride Comfort and a Quieter Cabin
The original Mazda CX-7 was one of its segment's most sophisticated vehicles,
and this aspect is carried forth with the facelift. Its body shell's torsional
rigidity is increased by 5 percent, whi ...
Higher Quality Drive and Ride
The Mazda 6's superior combination of lively, cultivated engines,
"one-with-the-car" handling and ride quality make it unique to this segment.
Taking this as their starting point, chassi ...
Uniform Tire Quality Grading System (UTQGS)
This information relates to the tire grading system developed by the U.S.
National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration for grading tires by tread wear, traction,
and
temperature performance.
...