CX-7 has the look

When Mazda first introduced the CX-7 crossover, it stood out like a beauty queen in an ugly contest, but now the styling of this curvaceous cutie isn’t unique anymore, although it’s still an eye-pleaser.

I still like its looks, though. From the headlights to the big bright wheels to the dual exhausts, I find the lines appealing. It’s a car, I mean CUV, over which you want to run your hand to feel the curves in its structure.

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Mazda sent a GT version of the CX-7 for a test period. The most notable change at this level is that AWD is standard. No more two-wheel drive. There’s not much else other than auto-dimming rearview mirror with HomeLink and turn signal repeaters on the outside mirrors and a couple appearance tweaks. The entry level GS gets the most with power driver seat, heated front seats, illuminated vanity mirrors, lockable glove box and audio upgrades like MP3 capability and auxiliary inputs.

The test vehicle added a luxury package, which gives the GT an intelligent key system; a nine-speaker Bose surround sound system with in-dash six-CD changer and noise compensation; Sirius satellite radio and Bluetooth hands-free phone system.

Think of the changes as the icing on an already pretty-good cake that gets baked to perfection. Fit and finish inside and out is superb, although the basic black interior is a little monochromatic for my taste.

That said, the seating is comfortable and the seat warmers put out an acceptable amount of heat.

The gauges stand out brightly and are easy to read and switches simple to find and operate. I’d like to see a more comprehensive driver info centre, but I do like the ability to have a look at the outside temperature.

Rear seat passengers, if you settle for just two rather than sticking somebody in that never-comfortable centre section, have a comfy place to perch and there’s room behind them for a decent amount of cargo.

The folding 60/40 seat doesn’t settle into a completely flat position, but it makes up for that deficiency in its ease of operation. You can drop the seat using the side or by using pull-tabs accessible from the rear hatch.

Under the hood is a zippy if not zoomy 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine that uses turbocharging to put 244 horses and 258 lb.-ft. of torque to work. Peak torque arrives at just 2,500 rpm and 99% of that is still on tap at 5,000 revs.

Hop on the throttle and things begin to happen with surprisingly little turbo lag.

Power gets to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission with manual mode. It works like a charm, making smooth nearly seamless shifts as it quietly goes about its business.

The all-wheel-drive system, coupled with a decent set of winter tires, made it easy to get away from icy intersections and maintain traction in snowy conditions.

Okay, with all this good, even great stuff, surely there must be some warts.

For one thing, I find Mazda’s manual shift system of forward for downshifts and back for upshifts difficult to get used to. I kept getting it backward if I didn’t think about it, so I finally gave up and kept the shifter in automatic mode.

That brings me to the handling.

For a vehicle that looks so light and svelte, it’s rather heavy-handed when it comes to steering and the ride is less than car-like.

This thing feels a lot bigger than it is and it rides more like a truck than a car-based platform. It doesn’t like broken pavement surfaces and it downright hates washboard gravel roads.

Having said all that, I still like the CX-7. It holds four people comfortably, five in a pinch. It carries a fair amount of stuff and it’s well-made.