Mazda's CX-7 crossover was designed to compete with small SUVs such as Toyota's RAV4 and Honda's CR-V -- but it may well end up being a volley across the hoods of a group of much more expensive crossovers instead.

I had a chance to drive the CX-7 recently and it was exactly what you'd expect from Mazda: strong performance, good handling and envelope-pushing styling. But it's nothing like either the RAV4 or CR-V -- or any of the other small SUVs that come to mind.

	Mazda The Mazda CX-7. Click photo for larger image.

The CX-7 has far more in common with the more expensive, expressive end of the crossover market: Nissan's Murano, Lexus' RX300, or Infiniti's FX series of crossovers. But the CX-7, which comes in two-wheel- or all-wheel-drive and three trim levels, has a base price of $23,750 for the Sport model. Standard equipment is extensive, including a strong 2.3-liter, 244-horsepower four that hits 60 in less than seven seconds that was rated at 18 mpg in the city and 21 on the highway.

It comes with full power equipment, a nice sound system, an attractive and durable cloth interior, side curtain air bags, stability and traction control, and anti-lock brakes.

It's also impressive to look at with a steeply swept back windshield at a 66 degree angle that is more dramatic than is found on most sports cars. It has huge but tasteful bulges over its tires and a voluptuous rising belt line and curved roof. The aggressive grille is similar to other Mazdas, and the entire car design is capped off by large, chrome dual exhausts.

Inside, you'll see a swept back interior design and layout that give you a sense of motion and of being pushed back into your seat. There's a floating center stack trimmed by aluminum and a gear shift high enough to fall right to your hand as your arm rests on the console, just like in a sports car.

A test drive showed how aggressively the CX-7 corners, and lusty burbles from the exhaust system add to an enthusiast's driving pleasure.

Problems? The driver's seat cushion didn't provide enough support to help you "stick" as you corner. A few of the controls seemed counterintuitive, such as a "downshift" feature on the six-speed "manu-matic" transmission that asks you to shift the lever up instead.

But industry analysts who say in published reports that the CX-7 probably will be a big success for Mazda may well be right. It hits the market next month.