THE CX-7 was not what I expected. Everything I had read - crossover vehicle, high- performance, sporty design - suggested a much leaner vehicle than the one I was looking at.

Bigger, butcher and altogether meaner, the CX-7 was the mightiest, most macho Mazda I had yet encountered.

Significantly perhaps, the car made its debut in the USA where the plethora of sports utility vehicles means that there is little place for a shrinking violet.

And the CX-7 is anything but shy.

From its aggressively raked windscreen to the sweeping roofline, large bumpers and chunky 18-inch alloy wheels, the overall appearance is one of reined-in aggression.

Those looks are more than backed up by the meaty 2.3-litre turbo-charged petrol engine, straight out of the high-performance Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 MPS models.

Mazda says the European version of the 260 horsepower car has been fitted with tuned suspension to improve handling, special tyres to cut road noise and lots of foam filling material stuffed into the body frame to further reduce harshness.

The interior is a slick blend of piano black and metal trim and the overall feel when you are snicking up and down the six-speed manual gearbox is of a large, but cosy, sports saloon.

Add to that the increased height that is a benefit of all high-riding vehicles, but with none of the body roll on twisting roads that can affect large SUVs, and you have an attractive package.

Despite the car's sophisticated all-wheel-drive system, this is clearly not a 4x4 designed for out-and-out mud-plugging.

The system, which is designed for on-road use, automatically distributes the pulling power between the axles to deliver just the right amount of grip in every driving situation with no driver input.

This car is not cheap, but then the level of equipment is up there with the best, ranging from heated leather seats and leather door trim, to a superb, nine-speaker Bose audio system with nine speakers, six-CD changer and xenon headlights with an auto light and rain sensor wiper system.

Large, specially designed seats and a flexible rear seat/boot configuration deliver excellent comfort and practicality.

The split rear seats can be folded using Mazda's so-called Karakuri system, which simply means a tug on a latch in the rear trim folds the rear seats to create a usefully-flat load floor with a huge amount of load space.

There is even a reversible boot floor for hauling soiled items, along with plenty of interior storage compartments dotted around the cabin.

Auto facts Mazda CX-7

  • Price: £23,960
  • Ins group: 15
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 27.7mpg
  • Top speed: 130mph
  • Length: 467.5cm/184in
  • Width: 187cm/73.6in
  • Luggage capacity: 16 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 15.2 gallons/69 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 243g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/60,000 miles