Mazda readies BMW X5 rival

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

CX-7 to be launched at Detroit Motor Show
Off-roader arrives in UK in 2007
Price set to start at £25,000

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This is Mazda's big new 4x4, the CX-7.

It's around the same size as BMW's X5 and Nissan's Murano, and will make its first public appearance at the Detroit Motor Show in January before going on sale in the US in the spring.

The CX-7 won't arrive in the UK until the middle of 2007, but expect it to be more affordable than the Murano, with a starting price of about £25,000.

It will initially be available with a 244bhp version of the powerful 2.3-litre petrol engine used in the Mazda 6 MPS performance saloon, which goes on sale in January. In the CX-7, drivers will be able to switch between front-wheel drive and a four-wheel-drive mode that sends up to 50% of the engine's power to the rear wheels.

No performance details for the new 4x4 have been released, except for a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 23mpg.

Also set to be unveiled at the Detroit show is the Kabura coupe, a concept car that is smaller than the MX-5 roadster and uses a rear-wheel-drive layout for optimum handling ability. Mazda says the Kabura has a good chance of being sold in the US, but at the moment there are no plans to introduce it in the UK.

We reckon a sporty little coupe would go down a treat with British motorists, but what do you think?

If you believe Mazda should bring the Kabura to the UK, click here and tell us why.

If a smaller brother to the MX-5 doesn't tickle your fancy click here