European Mazda CX-7: Details

Press Release

The Sports Car Utility

• Sporty exterior design coupled with SUV roominess and practicality
• MZR 2.3L Turbo petrol with direct-injection, 258 PS and Active Torque Split All-Wheel Drive Transmission
• ABS, TCS and DSC standard

Taking centre stage at Paris 2006 is the European premiere of the new Mazda CX-7, which will go on sale next year. The Mazda CX-7 is a unique mix of sporty performance and design with SUV functionality and comfort. Just looking at this vehicle gives you a perfect example of Mazda Zoom-Zoom - a break from tradition, a new kind of crossover, the sports car SUV.

Design - Advanced Emotional Styling

Aerodynamic and sleek, the new Mazda CX-7 SUV's sporty character is immediately obvious when you first see the vehicle. The vehicle's front windshield, for example, is more raked (at 66° ) than many sports cars and it has a large lower air intake - necessary for cooling its powerful DISI^* engine - and the smallest upper grille in the Mazda line up. From here, powerful press lines articulate the bonnet and give the front end a strong and sophisticated look. The CX-7s silhouette features a flat roofline, an upward sweeping belt line and large fenders for an aggressive road stance. At the back, the sporty theme continues with two large tailpipes and detailed round taillamps. These design features are realized with high levels of craftsmanship and quality that make the CX-7 a joy to look at and use on a daily basis.

Major items specific for the European version are newlydesigned bumpers integrated with more stylish front fog lamps, a side turning lamp for the door mirrors and rear fog lamps.

*DISI = Direct Injection Spark Ignition

On the inside, designers focused on sportiness and quality feel with a keen sense of detail. There is minimal reflectivity and low-gloss, two-tone soft-grain trim with a decoration panel that runs from the front doors to the boot rising in sync with the kick-up beltline of the exterior. There are sporty semibucket seats, 60:40 bench-type rear seats with room for three and a large boot space. The dashboard has a double-roof design with a smaller one over the instrument cluster and a larger one covering the entire dashboard.

The speedometer is scaled to 240 km/h, the steering wheel and the shift knob of the manual transmission are covered in leather for sporty sophistication, while the instrument panel has an alloy-look decoration panel with dials, glove box knob (depending on grade) and door armrests made of materials with a high quality look and feel.

Functionality, Comfort and Equipment - Supporting an Urban Lifestyle

Mazda CX-7's sporty and emotionally appealing exterior design is combined with SUV typical features - like a high hip point for good visibility, along with roominess and comfort - that make it an ideal vehicle for an urban lifestyle. There is plenty of room for five passengers to travel in comfort and the electrically adjustable driver's seat has lumbar support (depending on grade). There is storage galore, beginning with a large centre console box (approximately 5.4 litres) and two cup-holders in the front. There is also a lockable glove box compartment, bottle holders in the deep front door pockets, two bottle holders on the rear centre armrest when folded down, and a large pocket at the back of the front passenger seat for magazines or maps.

Mazda CX-7's boot is typical SUV - large, flexible and rugged. With the rear split seat up, the boot is nearly 100 cm long, large enough to carry three golf bags, and there is a lip at the back of the rear seats to stop items like boxes from sliding forward. The rear seats can be folded 60:40 using a rear seat back release located on the trim of the boot (Karakuri system). The resulting flat load floor is approximately 176 cm long, big enough for transporting larger items like bicycles. There is even a reversible trunk board made of robust plastic. Turn this over and you can transport soiled items without staining the carpet.

Onboard is a host of equipment to make the drive practical and fun on a daily basis. Mazda CX-7 will be offered in two grades in Europe. Standard equipment for base-model vehicles includes AM/FM radio with CD player (with MP3 capability) and audio control switches on the steering wheel. There are one-touch power front and rear windows, 12V sockets in the dashboard and centre console, and remote global door closing. Standard for high-grade models are leather seats with front seat heating, a BoseR premium audio system with nine speakers with approximately 240 watts of amplification. A six-CD changer and a CENTERPOINTR surround-sound system offers five-channel digital imaging to create true premium audio entertainment. Also equipped are xenon lights with an auto light and rain sensor wiper system and Mazda's Advanced Keyless Entry & Start System.

Powertrain - Exceptional Dynamic Performance

Under the bonnet of the CX-7 is the heart of a true sports car. Its MZR 2.3-litre direct-injection turbo petrol - also used by the Mazda6 MPS and Mazda3 MPS sports cars - delivers here 190 kW/258 PS of maximum power at 5,500 rpm and 380 Nm of maximum torque at just 3,000 rpm for spirited highperformance at all engine speeds, with acceptable fuel consumption. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 210 km/h^*.

Mazda's MZR 2.3L DISI Turbo engine features forged internal components � the crankshaft and connecting rods � for longlasting durability. Balance shafts curb noise and vibration. A large intercooler and direct injection cool temperatures inside the cylinder. Injecting petrol directly into the cylinder in a fine spray, rather than into the intake manifold and then into the cylinder, provides a substantial cooling effect. The low charge temperature permits use of a high compression ratio � 9.5 : 1 � which boosts low- and mid-range torque by approximately 10 percent over conventional turbo engines.

*Data subjected to final homologation

This MZR 2.3L DISI turbocharged engine delivers better acceleration feel than many larger displacement engines, one approaching twice the size of the 2.3-liter MZR engine but without the extra weight, which means the new Mazda CX-7 is more agile by comparison, with lower fuel consumption and emissions.
Enhancing the driving experience of Mazda's sports car SUV is a six-speed manual transmission that features a compact, three-shaft design and a wide gear ratio setting that allows full exploitation of the engine's power. Sixth gear is laid out as overdrive, which optimizes fuel consumption and lowers engine noise during high speed driving on the motorway. First, second and third gears have triple-cone synchronizers and fourth gear has double-cone synchronizers, which support smooth, responsive shifting.

The European version of the new Mazda CX-7 comes standard with Mazda's Active Torque Split All-Wheel Drive system that helps prevent wheel spin on slippery surfaces and delivers excellent traction on dry surfaces. Using real-time information from various sensors, the system continuously monitors road surface and driving conditions and - using an electronically controlled active torque coupling mounted in front of the rear differential - distributes torque between the axles.

Chassis and Safety

A light, stiff body shell ensures the Mazda CX-7 has agile handling to go with its high-performance engine and also provide SUV ride comfort and safety. In front, a perimeter frame, mounted to the body shell by six rubber isolators, supports the powertrain and the engine-speed-sensitive rackand- pinion power steering and a low friction MacPherson strut suspension system. The multilink rear suspension consists of one trailing arm and two lateral links per side with dampers located between the wheel hub and the body shell to provide excellent motion control with minimal friction. At the corners are 235/60 R18 tyres mounted on stylish aluminium alloy wheels. CX-7's four-wheel ventilated disc brake system forms the basis for the anti-lock brake system (ABS), brake assist, traction control system (TCS), and dynamic stability control (DSC), which are standard equipment.

CX-7's rigid body shell was designed using the Mazda Advanced Impact energy Distribution and Absorption System to provide high levels of collision safety, from wherever it may come from. The body's frame sections are large in size and as straight as possible. High-strength steel is used where it's effective and sub-frame connections help absorb collision energy. Stamping the side frame from a single tailored blank minimizes centre pillar deformation during a side impact as well. The fuel tank is surrounded by substantial support members, which help guard against leakage in a major rearend collision. Six airbags (front and side for front occupants; curtain airbags for all occupants) are standard and front seat belts have pretensioners and load-limiters to maximize their effectiveness.

Mazda CX-7 Preliminary Technical Data (European Specifications)