Mazda CX-7 Wins Edmunds' Inside Line All-Wheel Drive SUV Comparison Test
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The Inside Line editorial team recently compared three SUVs: the 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe, the 2007 Mazda CX-7 and the 2006 Toyota RAV4. The Hyundai Santa Fe AWD (MSRP $28,780), with a 242-horsepower engine and five-speed shiftable automatic transmission; the Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring AWD (MSRP $30,145), with a 244-horsepower engine and six-speed shiftable automatic transmission; and the Toyota RAV4 Sport AWD (MSRP $28,174), with a 269-horsepower engine and five-speed automatic.
"We found the Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring AWD package to be a delightful blend of sport sedan, hot hatch and sport-utility," reports Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton. "There's plenty of power to keep the other guys guessing what's under the bulging hood. There's enough personality and ability in the chassis to keep you guessing how hard you can push it -- and a stability control system if you overestimate it."
The Toyota RAV4 Sport AWD came in second and was praised for its powerful engine, firm suspension and its relatively low MSRP. Walton says, "The Toyota and Mazda scores were so close, we almost called it a tie."
The Hyundai Santa Fe AWD took third place and impressed our editorial team with its fresh design, luxury amenities and impressive second-row accommodations.
Vehicle Rankings from Small All-Wheel-Drive SUVs Comparison Test
-- 1. 2007 Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring AWD (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/mazda/cx7/)
-- 2. 2006 Toyota RAV4 Sport AWD (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/toyota/rav4/)
-- 3. 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited AWD (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/hyundai/santafe)
To read the review and to get more information on the editors' evaluation and rankings, visit Small All-Wheel-Drive SUVs Comparison Test: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=116618.
Lively discussions about this comparison are currently underway in the Small All-Whell-Drive SUV discussion board (http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0ea7ad/0) within Edmunds.com's CarSpace Forum (http://www.carspace.com/csGroups).
About Edmunds.com, Inc.
Edmunds.com, Inc. publishes three Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers and enthusiasts. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive consumer information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its most popular feature, the Edmunds.com True Market Value(R) (http://www.edmunds.com/products/tmv/), is relied upon by millions of people seeking current transaction prices for new and used vehicles. Edmunds.com was named "Best Car Research Site" by Forbes ASAP, has been selected by consumers as the "Most Useful Web Site" according to every J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM), was ranked first in the Survey of Car-Shopping Web Sites by The Wall Street Journal and was rated "#1" in Keynote's study of third-party automotive Web sites. Inside Line (www.insideline.com) launched in January 2005 and is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. CarSpace (www.carspace.com) launched in February 2006 and is an automotive lifestyle social networking Web site for anyone with an interest in automobiles. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.