Want a small sport/ute with big style? Look no further than Mazda's all-new CX-7, which will go on sale next year as a 2007 model. As these spy shots show, the CX-7 looks virtually identical to the MX Crossport unveiled at the Detroit show last January. The aggressive, semi-pontoon front fenders and steeply raked windshield echo those of the RX-8 sports cars, while the bold hips and dipped rear screen hint of the popular Mazda3 hatch.
Company sources say the CX-7, based on the same platform as the Mazda3 and Mazda5 compact minivan, will come to the United States with a 2.3-liter turbocharged, direct-injection inline four-cylinder engine and will be available with front- or all-wheel drive. Given the platform's pedigree, driving dynamics should be near the top of the class.
The CX-7 will be followed by a larger Mazda crossover within three years, says former Mazda R&D chief Joe Bakaj, now vice president of product development at Ford of Europe. This car will be built off the Mazda6 platform, which has survived Ford plans to rationalize all its medium-size vehicles worldwide onto an expanded version of the C1 platform that underpins everything from the Ford Focus to Volvo S40 to the next-generation Land Rover Freelander.
The reason, says Bakaj, is it's easier to package the powertrains preferred by U.S. buyers into the Mazda6 platform. "V-6s are a struggle in C1," he admits. So the new crossover (as yet unnamed, but CX-9 seems like a logical bet) will boast the same V-6 powertrain as the Mazda6, plus the choice of front- or all-wheel drive.