http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CX-7

Engine
2.3 L MZR turbocharged I4
2.5L MZR I4
2.2L Diesel I4

 

Motors can be tuned and changed pretty much at will nowadays and fill a lot of applications with very few modifications.

 

I guess it does have a turbo. But it's still not the same car as a speed 3

 

Same motor, slightly different turbo. I think the MS3 is slightly tweeked and provided higher HP, whereat the CX-7 gets more torque to move its fat butt around.

I know it isn't the same car, it gets an auto instead of the stick and the tune is different but lots of parts swap over and tunes can be nearly identical. The same turbo issues that plagued a MS3, were on our CX-7.

We wanted something a bit smaller and the wife got a MINI after she saw mine.

 

So you meant similar engine, not car. Saying the MS3 is similar to the CX7 is like saying the Cooper S is similar to the Countryman S, and even though they share a lot of the parts they're really very different cars with the same engine.

 

Correct, I guess I wasn't explicit to explain how the motors are similar. In no way would I imply the vehicles are the same, heck look at them. I was simply agreeing and relating with the previously mentioned possible shortfalls of the 2.3 turbo in the Mazda.

 

I have a bit of experience in both cars. I have an 07 MCS and my dad has an 07 MS3 (both SCCA stock class spec.). Both cars are super fun to drive and have their respective ups and downs.
In an autocross I'll take the Mini any day of the week for its low speed agility. I haven't drive the MS3 on the track yet, but my dad has put a few trackdays on it and says that it really comes alive at higher speeds. He had no trouble hanging with Elises, M3's and well suspended Mustangs.
As far as fuel economy, I average about 27mpg in the MS3 and 34mpg in the MCS, so the tradeoff really isn't that bad when you consider the extra space and doors.

 

I don't know where you people live who are getting these kind of mileage numbers. I get 24MPG in my '09 MCS and my buddy get about 19MPG in his MS3. All these people reporting 30+MPG in their MCS baffle me. I drive really conservative. You must live in a super flat area compared to the constant hills I live in...

 

 

It's somewhat flat in the area that I'm in. Certain moods I would reset the MPG meter, not the the real-time one, to and from work I would get 34-36mpg. And that would be going over two big hillsides. My old Acura 3.0CL, I would be getting 24-27, so I'm really happy nowadays getting what I'm getting.

 

My other car is a 2000 Insight with 300K on the clock, so I've got some practice driving for fuel economy.
I'm pretty pleased with the economy of the R56 MCS given the amount of performance it has on tap when I'm feeling frisky.