Articles by Neil Dowling

Complete with similar edgy styling, an abrupt tail and two seats, the CR-X's successor; called the CR-Z; is poised to become a part of Honda Australia's line-up.

Now capable of becoming a stand-alone car company; its road ahead is destined to be as a low-volume, premium-quality manufacturer. Nothing better illustrates this intention than Lexus's long-term fore

I like Chrysler. I like its management, its freehand styling and its gumption to mass produce cars that were last seen as Hot Wheels models in a toy store.If it's about looks, Chrysler and its subsidiary Dodge have it in spades.Chrysler's products will hypnotise you into visiting a showroom where, in a trance-like state, you will buy the classiest thing ever built on four wheels. That's when the spell will end.The Chrysler Sebring, rival to the Toyota Camry, Mazda6 and Honda Accord, breaks my heart. It's a very ordinary product from an outstanding company.There is not one area where the Sebring outshines the Camry.It has a hint of the famed styling madness that we love, like its straked bonnet, but is generally styled for an older audience.A tad conservative, it's nicely balanced, though the front bumper is too long and the car is not distinctive enough for passers-by to give it a second glance. Sebring 0; Camry 1.Inside it's a Tupperware party that has overdosed on Fruity Lexia with lots of hard, multicoloured plastic, mostly browns.The seats are leather-trimmed and the front ones are heated. But they are most uncomfortable, with a bulging squab a bit like a lumbar support with a hernia.There are appreciated features like a cupholder that can heat or cool, a tyre-pressure monitor, a quality audio system, a split-fold rear seat and cruise control.The 2.4-litre motor is also used in Hyundai's Sonata and Mitsubishi Outlander, though you wouldn't pick the relationship.The Sebring's engine is a modest performer, 0-100km/h in a weary 11.3sec but it is economical.The economy is because at no stage does the raw vacuum-cleaner sound of the motor relate to what's acutally happening at the wheels. Push hard on the accelerator and no one will know what you've done.The lack of go isn't helped by a four-speed auto with ratios designed for country touring on flat roads.Handling is good. In motion, the Sebring will glide through corners and mid-corner bumps with ease. The lifeless steering points well and ride comfort is commendable.The excellent standard safety equipment includes ESC and six airbags, and the solid chassis inspires confidence.Some good, but more bad about this car. C'mon Chrysler, you can do better. 

Based on the Astra hatch, which by comparison looks decidedly frumpy, the Coupe gets its allure from a lower roofline and squint-narrow side glass.It looks sensational, especially given its $26,990 price tag, though its design, unfortunately, is integral to all that is wrong with the car.Visibility from the driver's seat, especially to the rear, is so poor that parking without contacting anything else is a practised art.It will seat four people with rear seats that, once you fold the body into the required shape to get in, are quite accommodating.Some may find the back seat a bit claustrophobic, which is a byproduct of those narrow side windows and sloping roofline.But this is hardly a family car.The need to give access to the rear also means the two doors are long. The first time you notice that is when parking close to a wall and realising the doors don't open wide enough to let you out.The Coupe does, however, have a level of functionality, the rear seats split and fold and the boot is a decent size. Good news is the full-size spare tyre.Whether to enhance its sporty looks or because of its Belgian origins, the interior is all black. Yet despite the sombre decor, the Coupe CDX's dashboard controls are simple and easy to use and include a six-disc CD player with seven speakers, trip computer and cruise control.The Astra range gets a new 1.8-litre engine, though it doesn't feel much different from before.Performance is adequate, thanks to 103kW, up 11kW on the old engine, but to get this output it needs to drink premium fuel. It loses about 3kW when fed standard unleaded.More than anything, the engine has a bit more grunt at lower revs to get it off the mark quicker and neater.It comes with a five-speed manual gearbox (auto is optional) though six cogs would better suit the engine.Holden claims 7.4 litres/100km, 0.4 litre/100km better than before. But for a bit more performance, it's necessary to factor in the extra cost of premium fuel.Handling is good, with confidence through the bends and a quick-ratio steering box so it points and shoots with accuracy.Part of this solidity through the bends is a taut chassis that gives the Coupe a quality feel.The steering feel is far firmer than, say, the Corolla, which gives the arm muscles a workout when parking. The bonus is the sure-footed steering at cruising speeds.ABS brakes are standard, but ESP is not available on this model. The SRi and Turbo Coupe versions get ESP as standard.But the CDX tested gets front, side and curtain airbags as standard.For its price, the Coupe CDX rates well as a runabout for a couple or a single owner.More performance is available in the bigger-engined SRi and the Turbo, but at an additional $5500 and $8000 respectively, there are better fish in the water.

Life doesn't always turn out the way we want. To slip into the best frock, spend a morning at the hairdressers and then not be asked for a dance can bring a tear to the eye. It would be even worse for the girls. Nissan has the frock, the ball, and despite spending all that time on make-up, few are queuing to sashay across the boards. I can only point to the ignorance of prospective partners, for the Murano is one sweet dancer that can make all the right moves. Part of the problem for the big SUV is its competition. The Murano is in the ring with the Ford Territory, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Tribeca, Holden Captiva and from next month, the all-new Toyota Kluger. Buyers who want full off-road ability can also spend around the same dollars and get a Toyota LandCruiser Prado, a Mitsubishi Pajero and or Jeep Wrangler's four-door Unlimited. But where the Murano really shines among this crew is with its simplicity. It is one of the most user-friendly big SUVs on the market, with passenger-car comfort and features, excellent cabin space for five adults, and a powertrain that is unstressed and given its 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, also relatively frugal. The curved hatch is distinctive, though in comparison to a squared tail, cuts into boot space. That said, there's a decent boot and, unfortunately, a space-saver spare tyre. The Ti-L version tested is the most expensive of the three-model Murano range, costing $60,490 (a $10,500 premium above the base ST). The extra goodies include a sunroof, leather trim, reversing camera and satellite navigation. If you can live without these, the mid-range Ti becomes the better buy at $56,990. Murano gets its power from a detuned 350Z engine, relocated to sit transversely and mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that is basically a gearless automatic. Drivers can select six preset ratios that aid towing or when traversing slippery roads. The part-time all-wheel-drive system generally works in 2WD, but will vary the power sent to the wheels depending on traction. It can also be locked in 4WD for low-speed work.  

It appears to be a question rather than an answer. One that a TV quiz presenter would start by asking: “What am I?” then throwing it open to frazzled contestants barely coping with a live audience and the knowledge three million people watching at home are waiting for the contestant to make a complete prat of themselves.The Suzuki SX4 is the answer to a question few would ask. It's a hatchback, but could be a wagon; it's not a 4WD, though it has all-wheel- drive; it's not really a sports car despite its healthy 2.0-litre engine.In a world of cars with a dedicated purpose, the SX4 is an anomaly. It can be all things to all users and that is its appeal. It will cope with some light running along gravel tracks, even a jaunt on firm beach sand.It is also nimble enough for the city and spacious enough for a couple or a young family.And carrying a price tag of $24,390 for the manual model, the SX4 may not be at the cheapest end of the scale, but it's still an affordable package. Especially when considering the small car has a personality crisis when it comes to its definition, not to mention the features and a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating that comes with it.The four-speed auto is a little more expensive, adding $2000.But the five-speed manual does a fine job with a smooth shifting gearbox. It will also give you a more frugal performance than the auto.The hatch styling lends itself to a versatile life and the roof-racks cry out for mounting a wave ski (preferably one less than the car's 4.1m length) or mountain bike, just to show you are the adventurous type.Inside, the SX4 seats four adults and has a fold-down rear seat to boost cargo space. It feels more spacious than your average small car, a result of the big windows and the taller height of the car perhaps.The cabin design is neat and exceptionally simple to use, although a little plain. But it comes with a high level of features for the price.Standard gear includes a CD player with audio switches on the steering wheel, cruise control, climate airconditioning, electric windows, rather large mirrors and a trip computer. It even has keyless entry and start. You keep the keys in your pocket to open and start the car. While this is unprecedented in the car's price category, motorists who like the tradition of having the keys in the ignition will find it unusual.The seating position is much higher than the Swift donor vehicle, which makes for good forward visibility, but incites body roll through fast corners and on winding roads.The drive train is as flexible as the cabin. Based on the Suzuki Swift, the SX4 is predominantly a front-wheel-drive. By simply flicking a dashboard switch, it becomes an on-demand all-wheel-drive, or, by flicking the switch again, a full-time 4WD.Use 2WD for economy and your regular daily driving in good weather conditions, on-demand auto mode for a rainy day and 4WD when venturing away from the bitumen.It all works well, but beware of the fuel consumption in 4WD. The combination of the 2.0-litre engine and the taxing drive to all wheels can result in drink rates of about11 litres per 100km. But for regular city driving in auto mode, we averaged about 9.7 litres per 100km.Fuel use is accentuated by the car's relatively small 45-litre tank.Safety gear also rates well, with standard dual front airbags, ABS brakes with brake assist and electronic brake force distribution. On the downside it doesn't get ESP, even as an option. It also misses out on a full-size spare tyre, promptly dampening any off-road aspirations and even clouding country trips.The windscreen A-pillars are thick — which is becoming a trend. This indicates high body safety but also creates an awful blind spot to the sides, so extra caution is needed.Those points aside, it's a user-friendly and engaging little machine. The engine is lively and only gets noisy at the top end of its rev range.Performance is best above 3000rpm, and has an energetic feel, although it still cruises nicely around 2000rpm. It delivers its full 107kW potential at 5800rpm, and the 184Nm of torque comes on at 3500rpm.The steering has quite a good feel to it, with good feedback as you turn corners, and is very responsive and easy to live with.When it comes time for quickly engaging the brakes, the SX4 pulls up quite nicely. A sudden brake from 80km/h showed a short braking distance, and some wheel slippage was evident in the wet, but it didn't affect the control of the car.It might not be the trendiest small car on the market, but with its “I want to be a four-wheel-drive persona”, it does have an attractive, youthful appearance.An SX4 is currently part of the CARSguide long-term garage. In our hands over the past few months it has done more than 3000km across a variety of terrain, from shopping centre car parks to winding country roads. Much of that mileage, though, has been around town where, thanks to Sydney's many below-par roads, it has had to cope with some rough riding. Several pot-holed parts of Parramatta and Old Windsor roads, for example, give a reasonable test of the car's handling ability.Suffice to say the SX4 bounces in and out of the potholes well.It also kicks along well on the open road. However, the level of road noise inside the cabin is a concern. Overall, the little car that offers something for everyone has many plusses that make it a competitive buy in a busy market.Suzuki's quirky little soft-roader offers a unique driving experience. Its unusual tall stance for a small car and its overall looks will polarise opinion.

The car industry uses a web of alliances to survive.Lust, affairs, one-night stands, engagements, marriages and divorces — it can be hard sharing your love. It can also be expensive, especially if the human analogy is applied to the car business.DaimlerChrysler's recent divorce cost the now-solo Daimler AG a cool $33 billion.Daimler and its former partner, now known by her maiden name of Chrysler Group, still share the kids.These include shared components and manufacturing, including the Chrysler Crossfire (based on the previous Mercedes-Benz SLK) and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which uses Mercedes' V6 diesel engine and transmission.Daimler-Benz and Chrysler courted in the late 1990s, sealing their association in 1998 with a new name, DaimlerChrysler.The marriage was mutually beneficial. Daimler gained economies of scale and a new customer for engines, transmissions and an outlet for its old platforms. The previous Mercedes E-Class shares the same platform as the Chrysler 300C.Chrysler gained unprecedented, cost-effective access to the drivetrains used to power its distinctively styled cars.Of the divorce, shareholders of Daimler- Chrysler spitefully said “I knew it wouldn't work”.Marriages may be difficult, but alliances are what keep many car companies afloat.All these inter-relationships are spurred by one goal — profit. So competitive is the car industry that every dollar counts.Making cars cheaper improves profits, even if that means relocating factories to countries with low labour costs, non-existent unions and tax-free government incentives.Few would know that 10 models on the Australian market are made in Thailand. South Africa makes five, there's one from the Czech Republic, three from Slovakia, one from Poland, four from Malaysia and one from Indonesia.Build quality in most cases is as good as you'd expect from a country-of-origin factory.The biggest difference is manufacturing costs. Building a Volkswagen Golf in Germany, for example, costs substantially more than building the same car in South Africa. Sharing components such as engines, transmissions, platforms and bodies with a rival company — or at least one perceived as being a rival — is big business.The platform of the Mazda3 is similar to the Volvo S40 and Ford Focus. Ford has a big chunk of Mazda's shares and owns Volvo outright.The Toyota Aygo, a one-litre hatch soon to be sold in Australia, is built in the Czech Republic with the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. The only differences are interior trim, grilles, head and tail lights. Everything else, except the badge, is identical.General Motors has a giant web of ownership, component sharing and minor shareholdings. It owns Saab and Hummer, and rebadges cars including the Daewoo Matiz as Chevrolets.GM owned 20 per cent of Fiat until it dissolved the relationship in 2005. But retains component sharing deals and owns 50 per cent of Fiat's JTD diesel engine technology.GM also has 3 per cent of Suzuki (it had 20 per cent until selling down in March 2006) and 7.9 per cent of Isuzu.This relationship crosses with Fiat. Suzuki buys Fiat diesel engines for its European cars but also buys diesels from the PSA group (owner of Peugeot and Citroen) and Renault. Fiat this year will also supply diesel engine's to Saab.The Suzuki Splash, to be launched in Europe later this year is based on the Swift/SX4 platform, but will be rebadged the Opel/Vauxhall Agila for European sales.Fiat sells the Suzuki SX4 as the Sedici in Europe.Suzuki also owns 11 per cent of GM-DAT, the Korean-based company that makes the Holden Epica, Captiva, Viva and Barina.GM sold its 20 per cent of Subaru parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, in 2005. Fuji bought back most of the shares, though Toyota bought in and now owns 8.7 per cent of the company.Toyota also owns Daihatsu and has a big stake in Yamaha. Yamaha has an engineering alliance with Toyota — twin-cam engine and multi-valve heads included — and recently created the V8 engine for Ford-owned Volvo.GM also gets its Saab plant in Sweden to make the Cadillac BLS mid-size car, alongside its Saab 9-3 and 9-5.The Hyundai Sonata's 2.4-litre engine is shared with the Jeep Compass, Dodge Caliber, Chrysler Sebring and Mitsubishi Outlander.Renault has an alliance with Nissan and owns Samsung (Korea) and has a joint venture with Mahindra (India).Porsche's Cayenne SUV is built in Volkswagen's factory in Slovakia alongside the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. Porsche's Cayman is built in Finland. That's just the tip of iceberg.Peyton Place has nothing on these guys. 

Enough to fuel 1.7 million cars.That's 1.7 million passenger cars running on 85 per cent ethanol-15 per cent petrol, called E85, a year, with sustainable crops annually capable of repeating that fuel production.It gets even better. Wheat similarly can be refined to produce ethanol. Western Australia is the nation's biggest producer and the latest plans can boost annual output to 540 million litres.That's part of the good news — and here's part of the bad.The cost of establishing irrigated land, harvesting, refining and distributing ethanol is very expensive.To get E85 fuel to a potential 1.7 million cars may push the price of ethanol too close to petrol to be economical for motorists to make the move.Ethanol isn't especially efficient as a motor fuel. Compared with petrol-fuelled equivalents, E85 cars would have up to 10 per cent degraded performance and up to 30 per cent higher fuel consumption.Outwardly, ethanol's benefits appear modest at best.However, consider this: by 2015 our crude oil stocks are forecast to plummet from 85 per cent now to a level where we're about 40 per cent self-sufficient. At that time Australia becomes a major oil importer — with a trade deficit of up to $25 billion a year, reports ABARE — and, because of that, exposed to whatever price and supply fluctuations are dictated by world oil producers.We could be, to use the vernacular, stuffed.A similar situation was played out in the US and Brazil in 1973 when the predominantly Arabic OPEC producers sparked retribution for the US and US sympathisers over the Yom Kippur war between Arab nations and Israel.Simply, OPEC caused the '73 oil crisis by turning off the tap to the US and its supporters.Brazil, to use that term again, was stuffed. In 1975 it turned, by government decree, to using its enormous sugar cane fields to produce the alcohol, ethanol.More than 30 years later, 75 per cent of new cars sold in Brazil are compatible for ethanol in varying percentages, from 10 to 85. It's mixed with unleaded petrol.Many run on 85 per cent ethanol-15 per cent petrol with the fuel known as E85 but most new vehicles are “flex-fuel” cars that are capable of drinking anything from E85 to 100 per cent petrol.Given Australia has sugar cane crops and vast wheat, barley and corn fields, could we do the same?Basically, yes. Data from government agriculture departments, ABARE, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Perth-based consultant Economics Consulting Services and many other sources show ethanol is a viable replacement for petrol — with a few hiccups thrown in for a challenge.Bureau of Statistics figures of 2004 report there is 440,000ha of land cropped for sugar cane in Australia.We can get, at best, about 120 tonnes/ha of cane, with a rated extraction of 88.5-litres/tonne, according to ECS and the WA Department of Agriculture.Do the sums and that equates to 4.6 billion litres of ethanol from existing cane fields. We haven't yet included wheat and other ethanol-producing grains.If that sounds a lot, it isn't. Australia consumes 25 billion litres of petrol and diesel a year, withpetrol-fuelled cars drinking about 15.8 billion litres a year (ABS).It's an impressive start, though. If we run E85, we could service almost 35 per cent of passenger car fuel needs just with what we have growing in Queensland cane fields. Right now.There's more. The WA and Northern Territory governments are poring over submissions from three prospective cane growing and ethanol-producing companies that want to get involved in an expansion of the Ord River project. The plans outline the possibility of 24,000ha of ethanol-producing cane by the Ord River, a water-rich zone in the northeast of WA.Bring that into the equation and there's a further 255 million litres of E85.So it's plausible that Australia, perhaps within a decade, could have 4.9 billion litres of E85 ethanol from sugar cane available as motor fuel.In perspective, that's enough to run 3.2 million Toyota Corollas averaging 10 litres/100km over 15,000km each year on E85.Here I'll mention that ethanol is a sustainable fuel: it's harvested and regrows in a 12-16 month cycle; as it grows it absorbs carbon dioxide emitted from the exhaust of our cars.If it sounds too good to be true, you're partially right.The first hiccup is ensuring permanent water for the crops; crop disease is another factor.Developing the Ord River expansion would cost about $200 million and need government financial help.Ethanol is a corrosive alcohol, meaning cars need specialised components to run on E85, although the diluted E10 fuel suits most post-1986 vehicles. Holden exports its Commodore to Brazil to run on E24 and company spokesman John Lindsay says there are “no major issues” in operating on E85.Flex-fuel cars in Brazil sell for the same price as petrol cars but that may differ in Australia.Theoretically, ethanol produced in Australia will be cheaper than petrol.A study by WA-based Economics Consulting Services (ECS) for the WA Department of Agriculture believes ethanol for the domestic market from the proposed Ord River cane fields could be produced at “around 56c/litre delivered to an Australian capital city”, which it says is equivalent to an oil price of $US56 a barrel. Oil is now about $US65 a barrel.ECS director Murray Meaton stresses the viability of ethanol is tightly bound by the world crude oil price.“There is a point where, if the oil price falls, it may become uneconomic to produce ethanol,” he says.The Federal Government has an excise on ethanol and a rebate for producers. The two cancel each other out so, effectively, ethanol at the pump isn't taxed.That changes in July 2011 when a 2.5c per litre tax applies, rising 2.5c/litre each year until July 2015 when it will be frozen at 12.5c/litre.The ethanol argument is plausible. Australia can become self-sufficient.Yet will we overturn our existing reliance on imported crude oil just to feel green?Even if the answer is yes, it won't happen overnight. It took the country almost two decades from 1985 to switch from leaded to unleaded petrol.Unlike Brazil in 1973, Australia isn't (yet) up against a wall when it comes to petrol supply and price.

With fuel prices again marching upwards, buyers are looking for the most fuel-efficient cars and car companies are turning to the baby brigade to meet the growing demand.Toyota, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat and Suzuki are all looking at options from their international model range with engines as small as 1.0-litre.Toyota chairman emeritus John Conomos wants a smaller model than its current baby, the Yaris, and an SUV to sit under the RAV4.The hot favourite for the smallest player in the Toyota garage is the Aygo, a 1.0-litre model available as a three or five-door hatch built in the Czech Republic as a joint venture with Citroen and Peugeot.The three companies market almost identical versions of the car, Toyota badging it the Aygo, Citroen the C1 and Peugeot the 107.Peugeot Australia is looking closely at the 107 but spokesman Mathew McCauley says plans are far from confirmed.“We originally felt we had the area covered when the 206 and 207 were going to be sold side by side,” McCauley says. “Now that we can't get the 206 in right-hand-drive we have to look at a different strategy and the 107 is certainly part of that planning.”While McCauley wouldn't speculate on when the 107 may be available in Australia, any decision to bring the car to these shores will be made quickly and it could be on sale before the end of the year.Citroen is far more reticent about the chances of the C1 making it to Australia.“The twin issues with considering the C1 for Australia are availability and price,” Citroen importer Ateco Automotive spokesman Edward Rowe says.“We already have the C2, C3 and C3 Pluriel, which are all essentially in the same class but appeal to different types of buyers.”Fiat, another Ateco brand, will definitely be offering its revival of the classic 500 Bambino, which will launch in Europe in July and be on sale in Australia next March.“The Fiat 500 will be launched here with both a petrol and diesel option,” Rowe says.While Rowe denies there are any firm plans for a hot Arbath performance derivative of the Fiat, European sources suggest it is a certainty with a 110kW 1.4-litre turbo powerplant upgrading the famous vehicle.Also in the mix is the imminent arrival of a yet-to-be-named Chinese-manufactured model, which will attack the bottom end of the market in both size and price.“That will be a definite area in which the Chinese models will have an influence,” Rowe says. Ateco is expected to lead the way in landing Chinese-manufactured cars in the Australian market by next year.Toyota's dilemma is that its original small cars have either grown to outsize their original concept or disappeared entirely from the market as in the case of the Daihatsu Sirion.Both the Yaris — nee Echo — and RAV4 have grown markedly since their original model launches. RAV4 started as a 2.0-litre three-door and soon its five-door body will get a 3.5-litre V6 engine.Conomos says a small SUV that equated to the size of the original RAV4 was under development in Japan. “A 2.0-litre SUV would be ideal for us because that segment of the market is growing,” he says.Conomos indicates a car smaller than the Yaris would be welcome, but says buyers in the light-car segment are extremely price sensitive. “It would be difficult for a Japanese car to compete on price in that segment,” he says.“We also have to ensure that any Toyota car coming into Australia meets our quality, reliability, durability and equipment criteria.”If the Aygo was introduced it would sell from about $12,000.Suzuki, meanwhile is considering bringing its baby Splash to Australia. It has both 1.0-litre and 1.3-litre petrol engines and a 1.3-litre diesel.

Style rates among the top three reasons why Australians choose certain cars. Some buyers, obviously, place other factors higher. That's why we have the Ssangyong Stavic, surely this decade's ugliest piece of folded metal.Style matters so much that Subaru last month announced a new nose for its Tribeca SUV, replacing the present schnoz that appears inspired by artist Edvard Munch's The Scream.The Mazda CX-7 has style. It's as pretty and absorbing as a Constable landscape, following up its beauty with great quality and arresting driver dynamics.Mechanically based on the Mazda6 MPS, the CX-7 shares that car's turbocharged four-cylinder engine and all-wheel-drive layout, but uses different front suspension.Power isn't an issue, despite the CX-7 having a trimmed output — down 15kW to 175kW and 30Nm to 350Nm, though achieved at fewer revs — compared with its donor. Still more than enough to warm the blood.Mazda packages its mid-size SUV, which sits above the Tribute but beneath the upcoming CX-9 V6, in a svelte, edgy body with a steeply raked windscreen.Cabin room is on par with the Mazda6, as is the feature list and quality ambience.The Luxury model tested is $45,560, though you can get all the pace and style in the $39,910 standard version.The CX-7 comes only as a six-speed auto, curiously contrary to the manual-only Mazda6 MPS. But it's a good auto, silky on upshifts and with a manual mode for those who want a bit more zoom.Leather seats, six-disc Bose audio, climate control, a sunroof and other niceties give it all the comfort of a quality sedan with the high seating and broad vision expected in an SUV.Practicality aside, it's the drivetrain that really shines. Strong torque at low revs, rising through the turbo's 2500rpm-plus boost, delivers an exhilarating ride.Handling is predictable, primarily because of the constant 4WD system.All this comes at a cost: the CX-7 drinks like an Aussie at Oktoberfest. On test, it averaged 14.2 litres/100km — similar to the four-litre turbocharged Ford Territory on the same route.Even high 17s weren't out of the ordinary, according to the onboard computer. That said, the Mazda can go off the bitumen.The CX-7 has a lot going for it, even though fuel consumption is an issue (slotting in the excellent Mazda6 diesel engine could be a welcome move).But would I buy one over the Mazda6 diesel station wagon or hatch, given similar cabin space and features? Unlikely.Maybe I'm not stylish enough.