Test drive Mazda CX-7 2007-2009 SUV

All photos of Mazda CX -7 2007 - 2009

Moon eclipse

Chevrolet, Mazda and Subaru offer recipes for outdoor activities. All cars are very powerful, but with different ones in design: atmospheric 6-cylinder and boost of 4-cylinder. Mikhail Gzovsky and Georgy Sadkov (photo) went to the training ground.
And yet: were the Americans on the moon? Television programs, sites on the Internet, feature films, scientific and pseudo -scientific research are devoted to this topic. The meticulous seekers excavated numerous inaccuracies in photo and video shooting, forcing the Americans to recognize the fact of improving some images in an effort to embellish the results of the expedition. Or maybe this is just an excuse? There are rumors that the famous director Stanley Kubrick shot staged scenes of the lunar mission somewhere in the pavilions of Central America. Another version says: the Apollo was ready, but there is no filming lunar equipment! Astronauts really stepped on the moon, but shot events on Earth.
The car world is also full of secrets. The running capabilities of models emphasizes appearance and embellish advertising. Tricky marketers make you look at the car from the desired angle and you are on the hook: already draw up a loan. Say, Chevrolet-captiva: Dressed in plastic thresholds and pseudo-postal bumper overlays is impressive! Add a 3.2-liter motor, and it seems to you any direction will submit to you. Put the Mazda SC-7 nearby. Her Air silhouette of the antipode of the Chevrolet. From such a car you do not expect feats on the off -road, but agility on the highway, because under the hood of a gasoline turbo. Well, and the triber? You won’t understand right away: a kind of mysterious star in the constellation Subaru.

It is worth open the driver's doors, the impression changes in a fundamental way. The triber is enveloped by a panel of devices flowing into the door, surprises with an extravagant console and beckons with slanting wells of the speedometer and tachometer. Mazda almost shocking with eclecticism atypical for the brand: seats with stripes and a two-level panel with a shocking combination of devices, a small steering wheel with a defiantly shiny plastic hub. Separately, it’s not bad, but it is difficult to put in a single image. Another thing is Chevrolet: its salon is completely devoid of memorable features. The pomp of the profile is broken about frankly cheap and boring dashboard and a huge steering wheel. Such a finish is familiar to Latsetti, but the captivist is more than more than more expensive
Once chevrolet was produced in America for America. Today they are made in Korea and Russia for Europe and Asia. An attempt to please everyone led to the expected result, the car turned out to be ambiguous. The suspension is well protected from our not always even roads, but passengers and driver are paying for this. Vibrations pursue them throughout the cabin: from the steering wheel to the rear seats. In combination with the noise of tires, this creates not the most comfortable atmosphere.
The hobby of the captive drift at half -parting. Then the assault rifle imperceptibly crosses the gears, and the 6-cylinder atmospheric engine sounds in moderation loudly. But the motor has such a confident traction and so willingly goes to high speeds that it spurges to add speed! But then the box begins its game: it does not have time after the engine, depriving you of confidence in overtaking.
As a colleague put it, Kaptiv is controlled vectorly the driver approximately indicates the direction, and the car approximately should be. The steering suffers from insufficient reactive effects and is clearly not configured for gambling. A quick entrance to the turn begins the roll, the demolition of the front axis continues, and if the driver does not draw conclusions, the demolition is replaced by the drift of the rear wheels, which is quite sharply extinguishes the stabilization system.

Mazda, unusual in design, continues to surprise on the go. For a car of this price category, the engine SC-7, perhaps, is too vocal: sings loudly and not very pleasant, especially above 5000 revolutions. Although such a promotion is often unjustified, given the typical engine turbocharging: the ease with which it picks up on the bottoms, and wilting at high speed of the crankshaft. A six -speed machine is worthy of all praise: it works smoothly and quickly, including manual mode. After Chevrolet, you perceive the Mazda as a standard of controllability. Fast and exact reactions to steering, small rolls. Superior engineers clearly took care that breaks on Russian roads would not happen. As a result, the car counts all the joints, passing them to the steering wheel, and shakes the riders, although not as sensitive as the captivist.
The very first meters to Subaru brought two discoveries: the triber was unexpectedly quiet and soft. You seemed to move to the car a class above. Subaru imperceptibly floats on asphalt patches and carefully damps larger irregularities. Of the ergonomic flaws, I will note only the steering column unregulated by departure and overlapped with my hands in a position without fifteen three secondary scales. A simple -looking seat is ready to hold the body more in a bend and at the same time creates comfort. It would seem that with such delicate manners a claim to the fierce controllability of excess. It wasn't there!

The triber is not at all like a CC-7: Subaru does not seek to look hounds, but its coordination is excellent. Under the light fat, the muscular and harmoniously developed chassis. Acceleration is given easier than the car harder, but also more powerful than Chevrolet and Mazda by 28 and 20 hp. respectively. Although the opposition tribe motor is as effective as possible in a narrower range, riding with it is a pleasure. And all because the engine is precisely agreed with a 5-speed automatic, quickly, and most importantly, accurately including the desired gear.
And what will the rear passengers say? The closest Mazda: three here rub their shoulders, and the ceiling is crowding on the sides. In addition, under the low pillows of the front seats, it is difficult to fit the legs. Chevrolet has a slightly larger supply over his head, and sitting in it is more convenient. Well, the best places behind, undoubtedly, in Subaru. Three adult men are not just sitting in a tribe for the sake of experiment, you can really go! In fairness, the sake of the rear seat pillow is short, so the contact area with the seat is small.
Invaluations for machines of this class is almost a formality. They are not intended for any serious adventures outside the asphalt any forced locks, steel protection. Therefore, the laurels of the most off -road, as a rule, go to those who have more road clearance and suspension, as well as more consistently, the control transmission of electronics works. For these indicators, praise deserved a triber with a road of 200 mm: her permanent four -wheel drive with a self -locking interdose differential transferred the moment faster. Chevrolet capabilities limit the lumen of 170 mm and delay when connecting the rear wheels. A similar situation is with a Mazda, which was simply a pity to run into the mud: to tear the aerodynamic shields on the front bumper a couple of trifles.
Kubrick took off the space Odyssey 2001 Stanley in 1968. The film turned out to be so realistic that even NASA employees came out with viewing under impression. Recently, one of the leaders of the space agency in an interview admitted: the spacesuits of Kubrick served as a prototype for real costumes of astronauts. So what is primary: cinema or space travel? A car or our idea of \u200b\u200bhow he seeks to be? _x0008_

Chevrolet Captiva
The prototype debuted at the salon in Paris in 2004, in 2006, the all-terrain vehicle went on sale.
Benzine engines 2.4 liters (136 hp) and 3.2 l (230 hp)
Gearboxes 5-speed mechanical or automatic
Configuration LS, LT
The price in Russia is 798 7001 064 900 rub.
+ _x0007_ acceptable engine, excellent brakes, voluminous trunk, developed service network.
- _x0007_ mediation, rather noisy, low smoothness, it is difficult to extract a spare wheel.
General assessment 7.3
The car is good for a steppe moment, it does not provoke active control.

Mazda CX-7
Presented in January 2006 in Los Angeles, the European version was shown in the fall of 2007.
Gasoline engine 2.3 liters (238 hp)
Gearbox 6-speed automatic
Touring, Sport configuration
The price in Russia is 1,141,0001 265,000 rubles.
_x0007_ + understandable handling, memorable appearance and interior, responsive engine.
_x0007_ - not a very spacious interior, the most modest trunk, a noisy engine.
General assessment 7.7
The youngest in spirit and manners conquers a memorable design and gambling.

Subaru Tribeca
The second generation of the model was presented in March 2008 in Geneva, almost simultaneously the car went on sale in Russia.
Gasoline engine 3.6 l (258 hp)
Gearbox 5-speed automatic
Set of three levels
The price in Russia is 1 712 0001 798 300 rubles.
+ Excellent accelerated dynamics, excellent handling, spacious rear seat, large road clearance, excellent sound insulation.
_x0007_ - an too sensitive brake pedal, it is difficult to access the spare wheel.

General assessment 8.7
The car after restyling looks less radical, but retained successful chassis settings and became more powerful.
I can see everything on the side?
From the point of view of visibility, the main problem of all cars is wide racks. We simulated the situation in which one car moves behind the test in four meters, and the other approaches on the right, being at a distance of eight meters. As you can see, additional windows in the racks do not increase the chances of notice the object in time. Subaru mirrors seemed the most convenient to us.
A modern car requires the owner of a developed sense of size: as a rule, the hood and trunk are not visible. High cars with a raised glazing line are often in contact with low obstacles, such as decorative fences. The situation is facilitated by parking sensors (it is equipped with Chevrolet) and rear -view cameras (Subaru).
Mikhail GZOVSKY: In each of the test cars, you can find attractiveness: Subaru takes comfort and balance of sled qualities, Mazda temperament and its own style, and Chevrolet is simply most accessible.
Mikhail Gzovsky