When the Mazda CX-7 was launched in Australia in late 20006 we described it as “a hot hatch cunningly disguised as an SUV,” That tongue-in-cheek description really does cover the Japanese vehicle beautifully as can be seen from the sales success it has enjoyed ever since.

The Mazda’s sleek shape works extremely well, with a big grille that reminds us of the low-slung Mazda RX-8 rotary-engined sports coupe. The steeply raked windscreen gives a futuristic look and the tail-end treatment works exceptionally well. There was a facelift of the Mazda CX-7 late in 2009 which further enhanced the sporting looks.

There are those who will buy the new Mazda CX-7 purely on its appearance and when you can say that you know the designers have done they job extremely well.

Despite its sporting looks, the Mazda CX-7 has good interior space for four adults and a child, or five adults at a bit of a squeeze. There's plenty of legroom in all seats, but if you plan to transport tall travellers check out the headroom if a sunroof has been fitted.

The sporty slope of the roof compromises the boot as it limits what can be carried in the way of bulky items. That’s because the top of the rear hatch is almost over the rear-seat backrest.

On-road comfort and handing are more in line with that of a hot hatch than an SUV. The higher than average centre of gravity isn’t really obvious unless you are pushing hard and few owners will approach the limits of the chassis. Having said that, those looking for a genuinely sporting machine will be better of with a pure coupe or sedan rather than a hotted up SUV.

The big selling point of the CX-7 is its turbocharged, 2.3-litre, four-cylinder engine. It puts out 175 kW and a strong 350 Nm. While it’s based on the engine that’s also seen in the Mazda6 MPS, the CX-7 unit has been retuned to give more grunt at lower speeds as it’s quite a bit heavier than the sports sedan.

The big-power high-torque engine in the Mazda CX-7 provides plenty of the sort of performance that will appeal to the keen driver.

Though the turbocharged engine in the Mazda CX-7 has since been joined by a diesel and a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder, and there are even two-wheel drive models in the sales catalogue, our favourite remains the original - the full-on hot hatch cunningly disguised as an SUV.

Torque is sent through to all four wheels by way of a six-speed automatic transmission. The automatic is a modern sequential unit and gives the driver a fair bit of manual control. We found the auto is willing to change down to keep engine revs up, which is important in a turbocharged engine because it virtually cancels out the effects of turbo lag.

The automatic is a modern sequential unit and gives the driver a fair bit of manual control. We found the automatic willing to change down to keep engine revs up, which is important in a turbocharged engine because it virtually cancels out the effects of turbo lag.

Mazda CX-7 uses a high-tech electronic traction control system to give it the best in grip on dusty When being used on sealed roads there's additional grip thanks to the use of this all-wheel drive system, particularly in wet weather.

Though the CX-7 really isn’t intended to do any more than mild off-road running you could conceivably take it onto a beach, but most owners are unlikely to go beyond dusty forest trails when exploring in their new Mazda. Realistically, however, it will be rare to see a CX-7 anywhere other than in the suburbs.