| KSmurano |
Another MO clone...........
Production Confirmed for Mazda MX-Crossport
24 May, 2005
All-new model to be named Mazda CX-7
Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that the MX-Crossport concept car, which debuted earlier this year at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich., will move from concept to production vehicle.
The company also confirmed that the vehicle will be named Mazda CX-7.
Featured at a number of global auto shows in the past few months, the MX-Crossport has received high-praise from the public for its Zoom-Zoom exterior styling and driver-oriented interior. The production version, which will be built in Japan, will pick up many of the concept car’s design themes when it goes into production in 2006.
It will be launched first in North America and Mazda will continue to study launch feasibility in other global markets, including Australia, where the CX-7, if available, would sit alongside Tribute, expanding Mazda’s SUV line-up.
“Mazda President Hisakazu Imaki is committed to bringing new products to market and expanding our line of vehicles,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations. “The addition of the Mazda CX-7 is great news and a critical step forward for us in North America. To successfully grow our business, we have to be true to our core values and for any vehicle to wear the Winged-M logo on the grille, it must have the soul of a sports car. I am convinced this vehicle will deliver.”
In Mazda’s new global naming strategy, crossover-type, sport utility vehicles will carry the CX designation — as in Mazda CX-7; rotary-engined sports cars carry the RX designation (RX-8) and piston-engined sports cars carry the MX designation, such as MX-5.
Core production vehicles will continue to carry the name ‘Mazda’ and a number, based on vehicle size (Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, Mazda6); Tribute, MPV and B-Series will continue with their current nomenclature until further notice.
Mazda North American Operations is responsible for the sales and marketing, customer parts and service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., MNAO has more than 700 dealerships nationwide. |
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| Eric L. |
| Looks nice. I wonder what the powertrain will be. |
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| SugarRushMurano |
I forget, the name is either the duratec or the ecotec engine. Since every one is going 3.5L, i bet this is going to be the capacity of the V6 in this CX-7.
I also belive that this CX-7 will be built on the same platform as the MAZDA6...and it will share the same AWD technology MAZDA going to put in the upcoming 2006 MAZDASPEED MAZDA6....
Personally, I like the CX-7. Perhaps I will have 2 MAzda in my garage in 2008: a Miata and this CX-7 :rolleyes: |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by SugarRushMurano
I forget, the name is either the duratec or the ecotec engine. Since every one is going 3.5L, i bet this is going to be the capacity of the V6 in this CX-7.
I also belive that this CX-7 will be built on the same platform as the MAZDA6...and it will share the same AWD technology MAZDA going to put in the upcoming 2006 MAZDASPEED MAZDA6....
Personally, I like the CX-7. Perhaps I will have 2 MAzda in my garage in 2008: a Miata and this CX-7 :rolleyes:
Ford's Duratech35 won't be ready for at least a year and a half, probably not in time for the 2006 CX-7. I'm guessing it will have the 3.0 initially, or possibly the 2.3L I4 turbo from the upcoming Mazdaspeed6 (that would be a blast). |
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| Gonzo |
| I don't want to say but I like the looks more so than the MO. |
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| hfelknor |
I agree Gonzo.
It almost looks like Gen II Murano.
Homer |
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| KSmurano |
| Wheres the shifter, could it be an elec pushbutton? |
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| KSmurano |
| & clear roof panels |
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| Kris |
I like the look. And the interior is not bad either. In time I need to change the Murano there will be plenty of cars on the market to choose from. I am not sure if I go for crossover though. I do miss performance, handling, the feel of a RWD sedan…..
Ford’s V6 is 3.0L Duratec. I used to have it in my Taurus. Not bad engine, designed and built by Yokohama I believe. A little bit harsh though. |
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| jaak |
You never know what the future will bring.... I hated the looks of the current Maxima, which drove me to re-evaluate what I wanted, all over again. That's how I landed in the Murano.
Nissan will redesign the Murano, so i'm curious to see how it's going to look in the future. If they trash the design, I'll be looking around again. Maybe a cool looking station wagon that's got great reviews and a nice V8. Or maybe they'll redo the FX and it will catch my eye.
It's so hard to know!
Not bad for a Ford, though. Er, I mean Mazda. |
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| Gonzo |
Does those tires on the CX-7 as shown really exist? Those look great... I wonder how they would look on the MO.
I've been searching heavily on the web for anything about the 2006 MO.... the only thing I can find is the interior has changed slightly. I'm curious if anything on the exterial will change. I sure wish they would sell a black front grill. I would love to replace the chrome with a black on mine. |
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| Eric L. |
The former Taurus SHO engine was developed by Yamaha, not the Duratech (which was originally developed for the European market I think in 2.5L form). A similar Yamaha sourced V8 engine powers the Volvo XC90.
I think the production CX-7 will be considerably toned down from the photos, esp the interior. I think it will look like a Mazda 6 inside, which isn't a bad thing. |
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| Gonzo |
| Hey wait a minute.... what are they trying to pull... the rear door has not handles! Now I know from the complaints here about the single door lock on the MO that this will be problematic for us. :p |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by Gonzo
Hey wait a minute.... what are they trying to pull... the rear door has not handles! Now I know from the complaints here about the single door lock on the MO that this will be problematic for us. :p
The concept probably had electric rear door switches. Like I wrote, the production version will be toned down, so don't get too excited about the CX-7 until the actual production version debuts. |
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| ekaxel |
| Unfortunately, a Ford is still a Ford. |
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| dklanecky1 |
I agree, it's nicer looking than the current MO.
My daughter in law just got a new Mazada 6 sedan, (V6 auto) about six months ago. It is a very nice looking vehicle, inside and out.
The drive train however is something else. I couldn't imagaine driving something that coarse feeling (engine and tranny combination) myself, regardless of the package they put it in. |
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| 95se |
I like the looks of it a lot. I'm sure it'll be toned down, especially the interior. I'm imagining it will be like the Nissan Dunehawk concept that became the current pathfinder. They kept the shape for production, but toned down and with a completely different interior. If this truck had stayed the same into production I would own one now...
http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_s...3_fms_dunehawk/
If they put a decent powertrain in this thing it would be very stiff competition. |
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| zebelkhan |
I am sorry folks, but I don't see anything nice about the exterior looks of this. Front is MDX, rear is RX, no handles on the rear door...it is a death trap!
The only thing that looks nice IMO is the interior, and that is because it looks like the MO.....:2: |
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| Gonzo |
| Really I like it... nice fenders I like the black grill and the rims are also pretty nice too. Well to each their own. I wonder which would do better off the line, the MO or the CX-7. |
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| mozman |
I generally like it too. The curves around the wheels are nice. Just replace the bland rear with the Mo's. The front is also nice, but the grill area could use a litle tweaking.
I'm thinking star trek when I look at that dash/console.
I wonder how a V6 rotary engine would work out under that hood. hmmm.... :D |
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| hfelknor |
What is a V6 rotary engine?
I thought a V6 and an available rotary engine were mutually exclusive?
Homer |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by hfelknor
What is a V6 rotary engine?
I thought a V6 and an available rotary engine were mutually exclusive?
Homer
They are. |
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| SugarRushMurano |
quote:
wonder how a V6 rotary engine would work out under that hood. hmmm....
V6 / Rotary engine....
I think rotary engine is a double edge sword.
There are less moving parts and ots of aftermarket bolt on for turbo. But once you are out of warranty, there are not many independent garage who will service that engine besides regular oil change. |
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| mozman |
quote:
Originally posted by hfelknor
What is a V6 rotary engine?
I thought a V6 and an available rotary engine were mutually exclusive?
Homer
I know they are.... just throwing out an idea. Why couldn't they develop one? |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by mozman
I know they are.... just throwing out an idea. Why couldn't they develop one?
Because the rotary engine doesn't use pistons! Unless you want a 6-rotary engine. :p |
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| jaak |
You have to think of a rotary engine as a 1/3 stroke...
A 2 stroke has a power stroke every revolution, a 4 stroke has one every second revolution and the Wankel rotary engine has 3 power strokes every revolution.
So if you want to compare, I'd say a double chamber rotary is roughly equivalent to a 6 cylinder two stroke. Or a 12 cylinder 4 stroke.
Now it's not that simple for power and torque, as there's many other factors that come into play, but a 6 chamber rotary would be a rocket.... Put a rotary on a CVT and you'd have a marriage made in heaven. |
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| mozman |
Ah, thank you for the clarity. I should have educated myself better first. Thank you for explaining and snaps to howstuffworks.com for illustrating it.
How rotary engine works link |
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| NVMYGT |
Ah...the rotary engine. Something I am becoming more and more familiar with! :2: If you have any rotary questions feel free to ask!
I really like the design of the new crossover from Mazda. I think they are right there with Nissan in terms of style.
Also, a ford isn't a ford...Ford owns 51% of Mazda, and some cars, like the RX-8, are made in Japan, using 97% foreign parts. Just an FYI :) |
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| SugarRushMurano |
quote:
Also, a ford isn't a ford...Ford owns 51% of Mazda, and some cars, like the RX-8, are made in Japan, using 97% foreign parts. Just an FYI
I also own a miata, i guarantee it will put a smile on oyur face eveytime you drive it on twisties....98% of miata is also still made in Japan.
I love the 2006 miata looks so much, i might get one in my garage :4:. Mazda is indeed doing really good with their exterior designs these days. |
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| jaak |
A friend of mine in high school had an RX uh.... 3? I'm digging deep in the brain to remember. Anyway, I loved how the rotary engine in that thing would pull. Faster the rpms, the harder it pulled. Just wild. Anyway, that was back in the seventies, so I can only imagine what they're like now.
I also remember someone putting one in a Porshce 911. Sounded sweet! |
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| Gonzo |
Everytime I see an RX-8 on the road I smile (and there isn't much more room to smile after the MO smile. I too like the new Miata look but they aren't calling it a Miata anymore... I can't remember what they are calling it. MX-5?
Its the fenders that do it for me. I would love to see a MO with a similiar design. |
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| jaak |
| Yeah, first time I saw one, I thought it was hot... |
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| nissanlove |
| haha i saw those spy shots this morning. the people at carspyshots.net are thinking that the car connection messed up with this one and it's really the new mvp minivan(cx-5) or they think it's a mule with mvp body side panels. it does have really large wheels though |
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| Kris |
| Everything but "hot"........:D |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by nissanlove
haha i saw those spy shots this morning. the people at carspyshots.net are thinking that the car connection messed up with this one and it's really the new mvp minivan(cx-5) or they think it's a mule with mvp body side panels. it does have really large wheels though
The article did say its a disguised tester vehicle. The Mazda 5 MPV is already in production and the vehicle pictured is not it. Like most production vehicles, the CX-7 will look similar to but be less exciting than the concept pictured earlier in this thread. |
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| Eric L. |
Official details are out for the CX-7.
2.3L direct injection turbo I4 (similar to the Mazdaspeed 6). 244hp, 258lb/ft torque from 2500-5000rpm. 6-spd automatic.
Sounds like it will be able to easily keep up with a Murano.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/s...04232699&EDATE= |
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| dmako |
4 cylinder..... hmmmm
Wonder if it will be smaller that the MO? |
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| ekaxel |
| Looks like it will be a lot smaller than MO, probably even smaller than the Tribute. Like a Focus or Vibe (maybe a little bigger than those) |
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| Eric L. |
| 30 cu ft behind the second row rear seat suggests its approximately the same overall size as a Murano. |
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| Tintin |
i like it, but i find the body out of date (for a brand new car that is)
I imagine the new re-designed murano would be the nicest of all. |
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| ekaxel |
"30 cu ft behind the second row rear seat suggests its approximately the same overall size as a Murano."
Where is the dimension info? |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by ekaxel
"30 cu ft behind the second row rear seat suggests its approximately the same overall size as a Murano."
Where is the dimension info?
On the link I posted above. |
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| neo |
| I’m curious to see how fast it is although I’m more likely to go to a sport sedan or the Magnum as my next vehicle instead of another crossover. |
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| Eric L. |
| Its a bit shorter than the Murano and has less overall cargo space (59 cu ft vs 81). Although, rear cargo space with the seats up is about the same (both at around 28-29 cu ft). |
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| dmako |
Looks real nice but cargo room a bit small, perhaps.
If they wanted a SUV we never saw coming, they should have used their rotary power plant. |
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| SugarRushMurano |
Plus:
1. Looks good.
Mo looks good too but since the cx7 is newer it will 'look' better for few ppl.
2. The gauges looks really good. Red dials and numbers on black ala the new Mx-5 and RX8. Love it better than 03-05 murano.
3. Dynamic and Traction control standard, while for murano it is no on S and SL without Dynamic option.
Minus:
1. Inline 4 engine. Buyers of SUV mostly are looking for a smooth V6 or even a V8 or HEMI :P
2. Center console looks OK but not that impressive IMHO.
3. The air conditioner vents looks ugly. Too racy i think.
4. The 3 spoke steering wheel, while looks good on a mn RX8 or MX5, looks out of place on the CX-7. Too small? The spoke is not big enough? Somthing looks wrong....
While it will take away some Murano's sales, it wont make me a convert :4: |
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| nissanlove |
| don't forget about the 258lb-ft of trq at 2500rpm. it's got a super hefty low and mid range rpm band. also, you can tune it up to the 274hp and 280lb-ft that the mazdaspeed 6 has. that would be screamin fast. |
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| Murano_driver |
| Wow, it is one nice looking car. Is it any way to find out the price? Also, does anyone know when it should be at dealers, because I want to test drive one of these? |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by Murano_driver
Wow, it is one nice looking car. Is it any way to find out the price? Also, does anyone know when it should be at dealers, because I want to test drive one of these?
The latest Car and Driver knocked the Mazdaspeed 6's "plastic interior." Since all Mazda's have similar interior styling, lots of black sporty looking trim, I would be interested to know how the CX-7 looks in real life. As cheap as the hard plastics in the Murano (top of the dash, bottom door, side pillars) are, I wonder if the Mazda will be an improvement in that regard.
I do applaud Mazda though, for keeping to the concept car styling, for the exterior. The front looks fantastic, but the rear lights remind me of a Mitsu Endeavor (ugh). |
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| NVMYGT |
quote:
Originally posted by dmako
...they should have used their rotary power plant.
Here here, but of course, I'm biased! ;)
It falls short of what I was hoping for. I'm thinking that waiting a year or two and looking at them again is a good idea. |
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| pcs15394 |
| I just read a post that Mazda has upped the horsies in the Automatic RX8 to 212hp and added a six speed auto for 06 to replace the 4 speed. Sounds like a sweet upgrade if you are an automatic kind of guy. The 6 speed manual was still listed at 234 HP. |
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| NVMYGT |
quote:
Originally posted by pcs15394
The 6 speed manual was still listed at 234 HP.
Actually it was listed in last years model as 238 HP I believe. Mazda has some reason as to why it's dynoing under the rated HP, however if you ask me it's fast enough for the butt dyno. And on the open highway I have a weird hunch that it'll get to 150 mph quite quickly. ;) |
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| jmeitz |
some info i found
here is the price information for the CX-7
FWD Sport...........$24,310
Touring.........$26,060
Grand Touring...$26,860
AWD Sport...........$26,010
Touring.........$27,760
Grand Touring...$28,560
Options:
Moonroof/Bose Audio/6CD..........$1,585
Crystal White Pearl Mica Paint...$200
Power Seat (sport)...............$350
Technology Package...............$4,005
Technology Package includes:
Power sliding glass moonroof with interior sunshade, in-dash 6 CD changer, 9 speaker Bose CENTERPOINT Surround System with audio pilot, DVD navigation system with voice command and touch screen, rearview camera, Mazda Advanced Keyless & Start System, anti-theft peripheral system.
Sport:
AM/FM/CD audio and digital, 4 speaker sound system, cloth seats, power windows with one touch open/close fromt windows, carpeted floor mats, center console armrest with lockable mulitfunction storage compartment, power door locks, keyless entry, AC, 12 volt power outlet, adjustable outboard rear seat headrests, front/rear cupholders, 6 way manual adjustable drivers seat.
There are a few more standard features, but, I really don't think there is a need to list them.
Touring:
Leather trimmed seat upholdstery, leather wrapped steering wheel, leather wrapped shift knob, 8-way power adjustable lumbar support, driver and front passenger heated seats, retractable cargo cover.
Grand Touring:
Exterior: Heated body colored side mirrors, chrome door handles, Xenon HID low beam headlights with manual leveling, fog lamps, auto on/off headlights.
Interior: GT leather trimmed seat upholdstry with sport seat stripe, GT interior trim accents, Electroluminescent gauges, automatic climate control, exterior temperature thermometer, indirect blue cabin illumination, leather wrapped steering wheel with piano-black accents |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by jmeitz
some info i found
here is the price information for the CX-7
FWD Sport...........$24,310
Touring.........$26,060
Grand Touring...$26,860
AWD Sport...........$26,010
Touring.........$27,760
Grand Touring...$28,560
Options:
Moonroof/Bose Audio/6CD..........$1,585
Crystal White Pearl Mica Paint...$200
Power Seat (sport)...............$350
Technology Package...............$4,005
Technology Package includes:
Power sliding glass moonroof with interior sunshade, in-dash 6 CD changer, 9 speaker Bose CENTERPOINT Surround System with audio pilot, DVD navigation system with voice command and touch screen, rearview camera, Mazda Advanced Keyless & Start System, anti-theft peripheral system.
Sport:
AM/FM/CD audio and digital, 4 speaker sound system, cloth seats, power windows with one touch open/close fromt windows, carpeted floor mats, center console armrest with lockable mulitfunction storage compartment, power door locks, keyless entry, AC, 12 volt power outlet, adjustable outboard rear seat headrests, front/rear cupholders, 6 way manual adjustable drivers seat.
There are a few more standard features, but, I really don't think there is a need to list them.
Touring:
Leather trimmed seat upholdstery, leather wrapped steering wheel, leather wrapped shift knob, 8-way power adjustable lumbar support, driver and front passenger heated seats, retractable cargo cover.
Grand Touring:
Exterior: Heated body colored side mirrors, chrome door handles, Xenon HID low beam headlights with manual leveling, fog lamps, auto on/off headlights.
Interior: GT leather trimmed seat upholdstry with sport seat stripe, GT interior trim accents, Electroluminescent gauges, automatic climate control, exterior temperature thermometer, indirect blue cabin illumination, leather wrapped steering wheel with piano-black accents
My my....at those prices, it undercuts every other premium non-lux crossover on the market by a long shot. |
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| jmeitz |
| after seeing the cx-7 tonight at the car show there is no way i will buy one. No where the size of a murano and its looks like a car/wagon. Very disappointed in it since i thought it was going to be the car i was going to order. Dont think mazda will sell as many as people thought. But the ford Edge and Lincoln looks very nice in person. |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by jmeitz
after seeing the cx-7 tonight at the car show there is no way i will buy one. No where the size of a murano and its looks like a car/wagon. Very disappointed in it since i thought it was going to be the car i was going to order. Dont think mazda will sell as many as people thought. But the ford Edge and Lincoln looks very nice in person.
Off topic, but I thought the same when I saw a new Rav4. For all the "bigger" advertising Toyota has done, its still a small crossover, not much larger than a Toyota Matrix it was parked next to. |
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| jmeitz |
| actually i kinda like the Rav4 and that is one vehicle i am looking at purchasing. After driving it i was pretty impressed with it. My wife like the new Lincoln Mkx coming out(ford edge). I have no idea what i am going to buy now.:confused: |
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| nissanlove |
| i'm heading out to the car show today and i'll post comparo's of the murano competitors later. |
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| neo |
In the video I have seen it just doesn't look as big or nice as it did in the press pics.
The Ford Edge looked better as well as Murano like. |
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| nissanlove |
| so i checked out the autoshow last night. it was packed wth cars and people the new fords-mkv or whatever, the edge nor the cx-7- were there. kinda dissapointing. but the new audi Q7 was there. that my friends is a machine. it looks gorgeous. the quality is unparallel and with a starting price of 54K CDN(V8 67K CDN) with the 3.2 v6 churning out 280 hp it's a major bargain from audi. the interior is classy yet sofisticated and the exterior is mean and modern. it's quite a bit longer than the murano(third row seat option). i think this may be what our murano will succumb to if the price is right. the new escallade was also at the car show. there was virtually no one around it. i don't think many people knew what it was. it looks alot more refined and stylish. much better suited for the price. Also, hyundai's new azera looked and felt like a solid vehicle but the new santa fe was not there for comparison. the interior of the o6' fx is much more luxurious looking and hte new center dash design suits it quiet well. the center consol and headliner on the o6' muranos and much much nicer and i envy the people that have them. i don't like that they co-ordinated the rubber surround of the stereo/ac consol with the rest of the interior color especially with the caffe latte interior. the still havn't shown the hazelnut interior which i am desperatly waiting to see. the 06 toyota rav4 is much larger than the outgoing model and it looks geat also. for a small suv it should dominate the small suv market with it's 260 hp 3.5 v6. |
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