Refreshed Mazda CX-7 with new 2.5-liter engine makes US debut in New York

Having already premiered in Canada as well as in Europe at last month's Geneva Show, the 2010 Mazda CX-7 now makes its first appearance in the United States at the New York International Auto Show. The new CX-7 gains a new 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine that returns an estimated 28mpg on the highway while the compact crossover also benefits from a 'light' exterior and interior facelift.

Most of the cosmetic changes concern the CX-7's fascia which like it or not, adopts the firm's signature smiley-face lower grille along with a more prominent Mazda badge, reshaped front and rear bumpers and newly designed alloy wheels.

Inside, the 2010 CX-7 features upgraded materials at various locations around the cabin, a new steering wheel with integrated controls for the audio, Bluetooth
telephone and cruise-control, new front and rear door armrests, a fresh multi-function display and a restyled meters for the instrument panel while Mazda also modified the vehicle's double-roof instrument panel.

For 2010, apart from the 244HP 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the CX-7 will also be offered for the first time with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-pot that delivers 161 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 161 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm. Available only with a front-wheel drive layout, the 2.5-liter unit is coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission returning an estimated fuel economy of 21/28 mpg (city/highway).

Mazda's engineers also refined the CX-7's platform by incorporating improvements in body rigidity, lower noise, vibration & harshness (NVH) levels as well as reduced wind noise while the vehicle's suspension was also retuned.