Wednesday, January 25, 2006

CX7 and Edge not the same, I and others are corrected

There had been a comment from a reader on an earlier post from a reader who said that I was mistaken when I said the new Mazda CX7 was built on the same platform as the new Ford Edge. Well that reader was correct, partially anyway. The new CX7 is built on a unique chassis, that is closest to the Mazda 5 minivan.
The Mazda 5 compact minivan, is based on Mazda 3's C1 platform which is the European Ford Focus platform. But the CX7 isn't purely Mazda 5 based. According to the article linked at AutoBlog, it's a unique blend of 3 & 6 chassis and engines.
The rear suspension is C1 based, like the Mazda 3, Euro Focus and Volvo S40( V50 & C70)
But the engine, trans and front suspension are from the Mazdaspeed 6. Even if the engine has been detuned by about 40 hp.

And before you start saying "Joe doesn't have a clue" remember that I wasn't the only one saying it, most of the mainstream automotive press was saying it too. So my only fault is passing on bad information.

But this leaves another question, if the rear suspension is from the Mazda 3 C1 platform, what AWD system is being used? Is it the same as the Mazdaspeed 6 or the Volvo S40/V50 ? I know the Mazdaspeed 6 uses the rear axle from the RX8, where will the CX7's be sourced from?

I know there are some Mazda guys out there, anyone want to fill us in??

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