CX-7 vs the competition

[vbbuilt01]

Motor Trend has another online article.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suv/112_0610_crossover_comparison/index.html

Motor Trend put CX-7 third. (rant)

What do y'all think?

Vince.

[CJS525]

Yeeaahh, I've heard that before. They are competitors, but Mazda to Acura..? Maybe a lexus crossover vs. acura. I'm not saying anything bad about mazda, but it's not the "luxury" line. For the record, I've driven the RDX... I'll stick with my mazda. :)

As for the Rav4- I'm sure most of you have driven it if you have a CX-7, just too "family" for me. And we all know we'd hand any Rav4's ass to them in a drag. (drive2)

Yep, my 2 cents during american lit lecture.. lol

[Stormtrooper77]

Yeeaahh, I've heard that before. They are competitors, but Mazda to Acura..? Maybe a lexus crossover vs. acura. I'm not saying anything bad about mazda, but it's not the "luxury" line. For the record, I've driven the RDX... I'll stick with my mazda. :)

As for the Rav4- I'm sure most of you have driven it if you have a CX-7, just too "family" for me. And we all know we'd hand any Rav4's ass to them in a drag. (drive2)

Yep, my 2 cents during american lit lecture.. lol


Hmm, really? I think the Rav's a bit quicker. How do you make up more than a second to 60?

[HeavyH20]

Well, it seems they gave low points for the engine performance. The lag and constant hunting for a gear gives the car less polish. If they had the firmware fix, maybe it would have faired better. I also think this highlights how much the CX-7 could benefit from some good tuning. It should be a little faster considering the specs, alone.

[mikey1981]

this article is old, no . . . the one on edmunds put the mazda #1 over the rav.

[Marlon646]

Was it me or did the article talk more about the others than the CX7? Oh well. At least the CX7 was runner-up for North American Truck of the Year. The RDX was nominated and the Rav4 didn't even make the list.

[mikey1981]

yea the mazda went by the wayside, and they got all giggly over the SH-AWD. what is weird to me, its like they did a truck comparison of 3 trucks in basically 3 different kinds of segments (Acura/X3 - RAV/CRV - Mazda well kind of in its own little niche at the moment.)

my overall opinion about it - they glorified the Acura, loved the Toyota, well, i dunno becauseit was a Toyota (their car of the year was the Camry) and the Mazda was just well, whatever yea nice but we really dont care either way

[SuperStretch18]

Did you notice that the CX had the fasted 0-30 time! After that, accelleration drops pretty dramatically. Alot of potential there, but desprately needs a retune to make up the difference...

[Jaeger]

Well, I'm considering two of those three - for me, the Rav 4 didn't make the cut - just too boring in every respect (except straight line acceleration).

I don't agree that the CX7 and RDX are in separate categories. I am cross-shopping them and I am sure I am not alone (the Acura dealer says he hears a LOT about the CX7). I give Mazda the lead in style and value and Acura the nod for driving dynamics and interior quality. Tough pic.

Roger

[koala]

the CX-7 and RDX are very, very similar vehicles feature and performance wise.

The RDX is a better vehicle for sure... I would have went that route had I been paying cash and not leasing.

[mikey1981]

indeed they r very very very similar, but its kinda along the lines of Acura TL Honda Accord. both r nice, but the accord isnt a tl and vice versa

[spike blue]

well yeah they look alike but i like more the cx-7 is more stylish!!!

[Jaeger]

well yeah they look alike but i like more the cx-7 is more stylish!!!

I agree on that point completely.

Jaeger

[MITZA]

seems in the write up they have the warranty length wrong on the cx-7 4/50K ah no 3/36 and 5/60 right ??? idiots probably abunch more wrong I didn't have time to read the whole thing Motor trend has been sleeping with toyota for years

[mikey1981]

without question the 7 has the best looks and style and a real, FRESH concept on the road right now. so happy it doesnt look the same as everything else, its one of its strongest selling points.

[AWmustang]

I can see how people could be cross shopping the RDX and the CX-7 since I did take a look at the RDX until I saw the number at the bottom of the sticker.

I never drove the RDX but I can't imagine it handles THAT much better than the CX-7 except maybe on a race track. But I don't drive on race tracks.

[mikey1981]

I can see how people could be cross shopping the RDX and the CX-7 since I did take a look at the RDX until I saw the number at the bottom of the sticker.

I never drove the RDX but I can't imagine it handles THAT much better than the CX-7 except maybe on a race track. But I don't drive on race tracks.

the mazda drives much better and breaks better. the ride in the rdx is more harsh, you feel more bumps and its turbo its very loud. i know alot of people like the whoooooshhh sound, but when you are trying to relax on the highway going 65 listening to some tunes, the rdx was just too loud & harsh for a lux truck.

[Jaeger]

the mazda drives much better and breaks better. the ride in the rdx is more harsh, you feel more bumps and its turbo its very loud. i know alot of people like the whoooooshhh sound, but when you are trying to relax on the highway going 65 listening to some tunes, the rdx was just too loud & harsh for a lux truck.

My perception was quite different on back-to-back drives. I would give braking to the Mazda, but found that the Acura cornerd better (not a lot better, but enough to notice), accelerated better and was quiter overall. They both "whoosh" (as does every contemporary turbo I have driven) but the Mazda has a bit of a "moaning" sound throughout much of the rev range that is either not present in the Acura or not as noticeable. I also found the paddle shifter of the Acura (slightly) more responsive than the older "tiptronic"-type setup on the Mazda.

One odd thing - the specs sugggest a slight advantage in interior space to the Acura, yet the Mazda felt more spacious to me.

Jaeger

Edited to add - the one-touch fold down rear seats of the Mazda are WAY more convenient than the fold-the-seat-cushion-forward then fold-the-seat-back-down deal in the Acura.

[dmitrik4]

i cross-shopped the Acura and CX-7 as well. i liked the way both drove on back-to-back test drives, but enjoyed driving the Mazda more. i enjoyed riding (as a passenger) in the acura more, if that means anything.

i think the mazda looks a whole lot better than the Acura, and the more i see of each, the more i prefer the Mazda's looks.

the one-touch fold-down seats in the Mazda are great, but the "actually flat" folding of the Acura (without losing front-seat legroom) was a plus in that direction. i don't see why manufacturers always design "fold flat" seats to not actually fold flat.

[CJS525]

Hmm, really? I think the Rav's a bit quicker. How do you make up more than a second to 60?

Yeeaahh, my brother has an '07 Rav4 V6 FWD and I have a CX-7 Sport FWD. We've dragged a dozen times, he's one once. That was before the CPE CAI, HKS BOV and PCM update.

But more importantly, it depends on how warmed up both the CX-7 and Rav4 are. The V6 is pretty much ready to rock from the get-go, in the CX-7 you gotta give you're turbo some warm up time to spool, or what I like to call "Lovin' Time." (jk) If you're charged up, and can drive the hell out of manual mode, you'll leave a Rav4 in the dust by 3rd gear.
mmmhmmm

Hey stormtrooper! Ever driven a CX-7 and/or an '06+ Rav4? Or do you just stick to the protege and try to "out talk" CX-7 owners? I'm not trying to start any shit here, but it looks as if you only have a MS protege.

I'm actually out of town and rented a V6 Rav4. I'll find a CX-7 for a drag and post after to say who won.

[Killer]

Uh boy. Where do they come from? (hand)

[HeavyH20]

We're from Minnesota. And, it has been a long winter. :)

Look! Dry cement! Must...accelerate...

[CJS525]

Haha that's exactly it!! lol

Anyway, I'm going home today (hopefully no more snow at home), just returned the Rav4. Couldn't find any CX-7 that would race me.. I did enjoy the Rav4, but I'll stick with the zoom-zoom CX-7.

Hey HeavyH20, where in minnesota do you live?? I live in the lake minnetonka area.

[HeavyH20]

Savage, actually. I work at 494 and 35W at a national retailer HQ. So, you are not that far.