The Mazda CX-7 offers seating for five, decent cargo space, a comprehensive set of safety features and distinctive looks.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 premium Grand Touring adds a standard auto-dimming rearview mirror with Homelink, and turn signals are now integrated into the exterior mirror housings.Some option packages have been beefed up for 2009, some interior storage systems upgraded, and air conditioning improved.

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.New for 2009 are a four-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with automatic volume control and auxiliary input jack, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob.Heated front seats are available ($450) and now include eight-way power adjustment for the driver.A Preferred Equipment Package ($315) adds a cargo net, cargo tray, retractable cargo cover, rear bumper guard, and wheel locks.

Mazda CX-7 Touring ($25,800) comes with leather upholstery, heated front seats with eight-way power for the driver, and the retractable cargo cover.

Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring ($26,700) upgrades with automatic climate control, unique trim for the leather seats and steering wheel, electroluminescent gauges with indirect blue lighting, auto-dimming inside mirror with a universal garage-door opener, and an outside temperature readout.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.A Preferred Equipment Package ($190) for Touring and Grand Touring adds a cargo net, cargo tray, rear bumper guard, and wheel locks.

The Moonroof/Bose Audio/6CD Changer Package ($2,060), expanded for 2009, includes Sirius Satellite Radio with a six-month subscription and Bluetooth phone capability, a nine-speaker Bose sound system with a 6CD in-dash changer, and a tilt-and-slide power moonroof.The Technology Package ($4,485) includes all of that and adds a DVD-based navigation system with touch-screen LCD and voice command, Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry and Start System, rearview camera, and perimeter alarm.

Options include Sirius Satellite Radio with six month's pre-paid subscription ($430), cargo net ($50), cargo tray ($50), retractable cargo cover ($125), remote engine start ($350), auto-dim inside mirror with compass and programmable garage-door remote ($275), auto-dim inside mirror with just the compass ($200), moonroof wind deflector ($70), fog lamps ($250), all-weather floor mats ($78), front and rear mudguards ($125), Class II trailer receiver hitch with ($350) or without ($335) wiring harness, and wheel locks ($50).

Safety features on all models include frontal airbags, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags (to minimize upper body injuries), front and rear side air curtains (to minimize head injuries) with extended inflation (for added protection in the event of a rollover) and a fold-away brake pedal assembly (to reduce threat of injury to the driver's feet in frontal crashes).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 help drivers avoid accidents, the CX-7 comes standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes (to permit steering the car under hard braking) with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist (to maximize stopping power in emergencies); plus electronic stability control (to correct for driver error in evasive maneuvers) and traction control (to improve traction and stability on slippery surfaces).

The fenders are seemingly transplanted directly to the CX-7 from the Mazda RX-8 sports car.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.

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 comfortable postures for long drives.

The rear seats favor two passengers over three, an impression reinforced by the decently contoured seatback and the absence of a head restraint for the center seating position.The CX-7's competitiveness in rear-seat headroom is no doubt facilitated by the shallowness of the rear seat bottom cushion and by the closeness of that cushion to the floor.We sat in the back seat and didn't like the proximity of knees to chin.

Visibility is best out the front.The kicked-up beltline and tapered cabin constrict vision toward the rear.Even with the driver's seat at its highest adjustment, however, the hood drops away so severely it's below the sight line of a six-footer.This demands cautious navigation of parking lots and tight spaces.The rearview video camera (part of the optional Technology Package) helps the driver spot objects behind the vehicle when backing up, including short metal posts, other cars and children on tricycles.

Storage is adequate.The front center console's lockable bin is deep enough for a laptop computer and includes a secondary power point for that purpose.The glove box holds more than gloves, but not much more; at least it finally comes with a lock as well.Fixed, hard-plastic, front door map pockets are shaped to hold a pop can or small water bottle, too.Rear seat passengers get no map pockets, but magazine pouches are provided on the backs of both front seats.Two cup holders fill the space in the front center console between the shift gate and the storage bin.The fold-down center armrest in the rear seat also provides two cup holders.Illuminated vanity mirrors are located in the sun visors.

Air conditioning performance has been improved on the 2009 models, says Mazda.

Both the CR-V and RAV4 hold more cargo than the CX-7 with the rear seat either up or down.With it up, the CR-V can handle about six more foot-square boxes, the RAV4 about seven more; down, both can hold more than 14 additional boxes that the CX-7 would have to leave behind.

A few more distinctions: Alone among the three, the RAV4 can be ordered with a third-row seat, giving it accommodations (however meager) for seven passengers.The CX-7, on the other hand, is the longest, lowest, and widest of the three; which gives it the dubious distinction of providing the least interior space for the most exterior bulk.However, the CX-7 has the best aerodynamic performance of the group.

We found it stable at high speeds.The brake pedal returns a solid, firm feel, and the vented disc brakes deliver reassuring, controlled stops when called upon.Driven fast on winding, two-lane roads, the CX-7 tracks cleanly, with minimal body lean despite its somewhat upright stature.Yes, its design default mode when carrying too much speed into a corner is understeer (where it wants to go straight instead of turn), but the electronic stability control system shields all but the most lead-footed driver from ever experiencing this.There is some head toss in quick left-right-left transitions, not a lot, but it's notable.

The steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedals and shift lever are properly juxtaposed for spirited driving, or at least as spirited as is comfortable in the CX-7.In support of which, Mazda points out that the wheel/shifter geometric replicates that of the RX-8 sports car.Over rough pavement, the suspension tends more to stiff than firm, with a hint of harshness.This no doubt contributes to the disappointing amount of road noise the tires transmit into the cabin, which otherwise was fairly quiet, even over poorly graded railroad crossings.

Power from the turbocharged four-cylinder engine builds smoothly, with impressive torque at low engine speeds.It's worth noting here that the CX-7 develops more torque at significantly lower engine speed (258 pound-feet at 2500 rpm) than the Toyota RAV4 V6 (246 pound-feet at 4700 rpm) or Honda CR-V (161 pound-feet at 4200 rpm).That's worth noting because it's torque, not horsepower, that propels you from intersections and up steep hills.More torque sooner is always better.

However, the CX-7 pays a price with the poorest EPA fuel economy estimates of the group.

Underway, the mechanical tones from the Mazda's engine compartment are decidedly low-key, more buzzy than throaty.

The transmission shifts well and adapts well to different driving situations, quickly learning a driver's preferences and holding lower gears longer and adjusting shift points to match.That's in Drive.Shift into the Sport mode and it executes manually directed shifts smoothly, up or down.To change gears manually, slide the shifter into the Sport slot, which is conveniently placed on the driver's side of the primary shift gate.Then simply push the lever forward to downshift, pull it back to shift up.This is similar to the way it works on many race cars.

There's some torque steer (where the front tires pull one way or the other, most commonly to the right) under hard acceleration, and we've noticed it in both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models.It's somewhat less in the latter, which redirects up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels in extreme conditions.

Tom Lankard filed this report to NewCarTestDrive.com after his test drive the CX-7 in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.