The results were announced at the annual Towcar Awards 2010 hosted by Caravan, What Car? and The Camping and Caravanning Club, yesterday (15 June) at the picturesque Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire.
The competition put 41 cars through their paces, each assessed in a series of tests by experts from Practical Caravan, What Car? magazine and the Camping and Caravanning Club at the MIRA test track in Warwickshire.
The Mazda CX-7 excelled in its towing weight class of 1,725-1,899kg seeing off rivals: Honda CR-V 2.2 iDTEC EX auto, Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.9 DDiS SZ5 and Volvo XC60 2.4D DRIVe SE Lux.
The Mazda CX-7's 400Nm of torque provides impressive power along with superb handling that wowed the Towcar judges both with and without a caravan behind.
Mark Cameron, sales director for Mazda UK commented "The CX-7 is the first SUV to combine the Mazda sports appeal with four wheel drive. It is the best of both worlds, perfect for family road trips or individual excursions. It has proven itself in the very competitive awards held by the Camping and Caravanning Club."
"It is a perfect cohesion of luxury SUV with a hint of sports car appeal. Its spirited performance, excellent torque levels and responsive drive combined with everyday practicality make this model perfect for towing or day-to-day driving. Meanwhile it creates an imposing road presence and a unique driving experience." continued Cameron.
David Motton, Practical Caravan's towcar editor and judge added: "The panel of six judges described the CX-7's acceleration as 'very strong', 'excellent' and 'lively'. It stopped even better than it went, needing just 10 metres to stop from 30mph. When less dramatic deceleration was needed the brakes were easy to apply smoothly."
"The Mazda was just as impressive in our stability tests. It was well behaved at 60mph and beyond in a straight line, which should make for relaxed towing on the motorway."Steve Fowler the editor-in-chief from What Car? magazine added: "The Mazda CX-7 was great fun to drive with or without a caravan, and good value for money, too.
"The exact specification for the model tested was the Mazda CX-7 2.2-litre Sport Tech Diesel, priced at £26,995 on-the-road.
The engine on this specification is the 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine delivering 173ps offering superb performance combined with inspired and sporty handling. It also meets the strict Euro Stage V emissions standards, so all the power this car provides is clean and produces just 199g/km, but also it maintains an average fuel consumption of just 37.7mpg.
The new Mazda CX-7 is available in one high specification with features that include luxurious power-adjustable leather seats, satellite navigation with integrated reversing camera, voice activated Bluetooth® and a custom designed Bose® audio system.