- suv 83,548
- Irving, TX
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- autoshopper.com
- suv 83,548 gasoline silver automatic
2009 mazda cx-7 review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Seats five, decent cargo space, zoomy. introductionthe mazda cx-7 is sporty and svelte yet functional, roomy, and comfortable. Designed to compete with the honda cr-v and toyota rav-4, the cx-7 is a sporty five-passenger vehicle that will haul nearly as much stuff as it does people. We found it fun to drive, with responsive handling and good high-speed stability. Though pricier than the prime opposition, the cx-7 excels in ride and handling. mazda introduced the cx-7 for 2007 as a totally new crossover utility vehicle to compete against the toyota rav4 and honda cr-v, among others. Crossovers, as they're called, have become the hottest segment in the auto industry. They combine the high seating position and cargo capacity of a truck-based sport utility vehicle with the agility, smoothness and fuel economy of a car. And they avoid the image of a minivan or station wagon. for 2009, mazda cx-7 gets an upgraded list of standard features. All models are now mp3-capable, and come with an auxiliary audio input jack. Base-level sport models add leather wrappings for the steering wheel and shift knob. The transmission is a six-speed automatic with a sport shift feature. Front-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive is optional 1700). mazda cx-7 sport 23,900) is the least expensive model. Air conditioning and cloth upholstery are standard, as are cruise control and the usual complement of power windows, mirrors and locks. A six-way, manually adjustable driver's seat is standard, along with a tilt steering wheel hosting cruise and secondary audio controls, satellite radio pre-wiring, 60/40 split folding rear seatbacks, and carpeted floor mats. Heated front seats are available 450) and now include eight-way power adjustment for the driver. Also standard are fog lamps, automatic xenon high intensity discharge (hid) headlamps, high-gloss painted wheels, and chrome door handles. New for 2009 are heated outside mirrors with integrated turn-signal repeaters. All cx-7 models come with three-point seatbelts (so be sure to use them), adjustable head restraints at all outboard seating positions, and rear-seat child safety seat anchors (latch). To fit those bulbous wheel housings to a sedan-like body required pinching the nose and squeezing headlights into the tops of the fenders. This leaves substantial mass below the bumper line that's only slightly lightened by a massive mouth braced by large intake-like recesses that double as housings for the optional fog lamps. A set of bright streaks added behind the fog lamps for 2009 break this mass up a bit. The way the cx-7's bulk is suspended across its exceptionally wide track (distance between the tires side to side) leaves it looking almost as if it's drooping, or sagging, from the weight. the side view appeals more, with wheels pushed to the corners and a super-fast windshield sweeping back over tautly drawn side glass. Side mirrors separate the front door glass from an odd-looking, wind-wing-like, but fixed, tiny piece of glass at the base of the a-pillar. The beltline rises as it moves rearward, peaking just aft of the severely blistered rear wheelwell before tucking in between the steeply sloped backlight and the sculpted back end. Full-round, easy-to-grab door handles ride the crest of a soft bulge connecting the tops of the fenders. An understated crease highlights the lower door panels, skipping over the rear tires to continue around the bottom fold of the rear bumper. the rear aspect is plain, with a modest spoiler sitting atop the backlight, itself resting in a gentle dip in the liftgate. A large, seamless bumper stretches the width of the back end, above a widespread pair of exhaust tips. interiorthe interior of the mazda cx-7 makes no less of a statement than the exterior, and with much the same result. Some design features seem to work, others not so well. Overall, the cx-7 cabin doesn't seem as friendly and as functional as its primary competition, the honda cr-v and the toyota rav4. Where other car makers are trending toward simplicity and sleekness, the cx-7 has gone chunky and choppy. the dash is a prime example. Some parts look right, while others come across almost as an exercise in design 101, and not much of it looks of a piece with the rest. For starters there's what mazda calls the double-roof instrument panel. Translated, this constitutes, first, a ridge stretching across the top of the dash that's supposed to make the front seat passenger feel included in the interior's dynamic. Below this floating lip is the second part, a more traditional dash construct comprising three elements: the instrument cluster, the center stack and the section holding the passenger airbag and housing the glove box. This lower part, the designers say, is intended to play to the driver, concentrating on the interfaces necessary for managing the car. All the pieces for this are there, so the job is doable, but the way everything is put together doesn't make it all that easy or appear that seamlessly integrated. beyond the quirky design, the instrument cluster is deeply hooded, stylishly compartmentalized and softly lit to the point where it's not a quick and easy scan. The steering wheel, borrowed directly from the sporty mx-5 miata with its much more confined cockpit, feels undersized in the more expansive interior of the cx-7. large buttons and knobs populate the stack of air conditioning and sound system controls in the center, but their arrangement and assigned functions are far from intuitive. the navigation system adds complexity, as it incorporates many of those functions into one of the menus accessed only through the touch-screen lcd and, for example, allows switching preset radio stations by exchanging the map display for the audio display. in interior accommodations, the mazda splits the difference between the honda and toyota in front-seat legroom, rear-seat headroom, and in hip room, front and rear. The mazda finishes last in front-seat headroom and rear-seat legroom, the latter a true dead last by a substantial two inches. seat comfort is average at best. The seat-bottom cushions offer slightly more thigh support than economy class airline seats, which is to say more would be better. Substantial front-seat side bolsters are fitting for a vehicle with sporty aspirations. And the nicely padded, front seat center armrest sits about the same height as the front door armrests, promising comfo. Cruise Control✔ Climate Control✔ AM/FM✔ Power Windows✔ Passenger Airbag✔ Air Conditioning✔ Navigation System✔ Leather Seats✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Bluetooth
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