Thursday, January 05, 2006

CX7 vs Edge

Two exciting new vehicles are coming soon, the Ford Edge and the Mazda CX7. But which holds more excitement for me? The Ford version should, because of the blue oval on the front, but the Mazda's inovative engine gets my attention quicker.
I like the Edge, I like it a lot, and it should be the first vehicle to come with the much anticipated 3.5L Duratect DOHC V6. But the Mazda is going to have similar power and better fuel economy from is Direct Injection, Turbocharged I-4 from the Mazdaspeed 6. The Edge will have 250 hp and achieve decent fuel economy for this class, but the Mazda will have 244 hp and achieve slightly better economy.

Since both vehicles are built from essentially the same platform, derived from the Mazda 6, it would be relatively simple for Ford to borrow the high tech/power 4, but the new 3.5 will be a great powertrain also. I like the Ford's styling a little more, but the Mazda's powertrain stirs my soul more.

7 comments:

Big Ford Fan said...

Of the two, the Mazda looks like you get away with fins.

But the engine is what makes it stand out for me. Power and economy.

Anonymous said...

I agree with dotty gale, visually the CX7 seems light but muscular. Mazda designs that have that "in motion look " while standing still. Makes you want to take it for a ride.

The engine is a dream , even thought they will detune it to 244/258 with the new 6spd auto.virtualy no lag and lots of tourqe available low down in the revs. this should be a great combination of usable power and economy.

Take a look at triplezoom.com for rear view shots.

Bobzoom

Anonymous said...

The mazda isnt't based on the CD3 platform. If you bother to read the specs, it has a MacPherson strut front suspension. That means it's probably C1 based.

Big Ford Fan said...

Anonymous, I will not allow comment in the future that have no identifier, either a nickname or intitials. But I will look into it and see what the deal is. Everything I've read online and in print for the last few months has said that it's based on Mazda 6, but I've heard from a Mazda fanatic, that it uses the Mazda 5 front clip, which would make you at least partially right.

Big Ford Fan said...

Anonymous posts will not be allowed. Just add your name or initials to the bottom. I'm not saying you have to register with Blogger, just add an identifier to your comments.

Joe

Anonymous said...

Most turbo charged vehicles can gain 15% additional HP or more from a cheap manual boost controller. Food for thought.

Anonymous said...

coolvibe-

I just read the specs on the edge and the CX-7. The CX7 gets literally the same fuel economy. For a 4 banger, that's not too good. Another concern I have is an engine that is turbo charged to give it power. Won't that reduce the life of the drive train?