Newsflash: 2007 Mazda CX-7 Pricing Announced

Pop quiz: What new CUV – crossover utility vehicle – costs less than $100 per horsepower, looks like nothing else on the road, and emphasizes on-road performance over a cushy ride or four-wheeling capability? Well, it ain’t a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, that’s for damn sure. Nope, it’s the new 2007 Mazda CX-7, which was priced this week at the 2006 North American International Auto Show with a base sticker of $23,750 plus a $560 destination charge. That’s for the standard 2007 Mazda CX-7 Sport with front-wheel drive. Touring trim adds $1,750, and the luxed-up Grand Touring runs $800 more than that for a total of $26,300 plus destination. Choose all-wheel drive versions, and the sticker starts at $25,450 for the Sport, $27,200 for the Touring, and $28,000 for the Grand Touring (not including the freight charges). A wide range of options can be added to the 2007 Mazda CX-7, and it’s theoretically possible to pay as much as $34,500 with every option. A big chunk of that is the $4,005 Technology Package, which includes plenty of appealing goodies such as a power sunroof, a Bose Audiopilot Centerpoint surround sound system with nine speakers and an in-dash six-disc CD changer, a DVD navigation system with voice command and a touch screen, a rearview camera, a keyless entry and ignition start system, and an anti-theft system. Other slick features that can be added to the Mazda CX-7 include all-weather floor mats ($60), an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a compass and programmable garage door opener ($250), remote engine starting ($350), and Sirius satellite radio for morning rides with Howard Stern ($430). Or, you can stick with the base Mazda CX-7 Sport and concentrate more on driving your favorite backroads than whatever smut the airwaves are peddling. Either way, this looks to be one fun little trucklet.

Photos by Ron Perry