A blacktop back route, barely wide enough for two passing cars, rolled across lesser bumps of California's Santa Rosa Mountains in rugged outlands stretched between San Diego and Palm Springs. With scant traffic and an array of corkscrew curves, the course gave an assertive driver the excuse to play with a new kind of sports coupe.

The 2008 CX-7 is a 4-door, 5-passenger sport-utility, available in 6 trims, ranging from the Sport FWD to the Grand Touring AWD.