The Mazda CX-7 is fun to drive, especially when compared with the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. In fact, it's the most engaging compact crossover SUV.

We found it stable at high speeds. The brake pedal returns a solid, firm feel, and the vented disc brakes deliver reassuring, controlled stops when called upon. Driven fast on winding, two-lane roads, the CX-7 tracks cleanly, with minimal body lean despite its somewhat upright stature. Yes, its design default mode when carrying too much speed into a corner is understeer (where it wants to go straight instead of turn), but the electronic stability control system shields all but the most lead-footed driver from ever experiencing this. There is some head toss in quick left-right-left transitions, not a lot, but it's notable.

The steering wheel, brake and accelerator pedals and shift lever are properly juxtaposed for spirited driving, or at least as spirited as is comfortable in the CX-7. In support of which, Mazda points out that the wheel/shifter geometry replicates that of the RX-8 sports car.

Changes to body stiffness and suspension make the CX-7 a bit more forgiving over bumps this year. Over rough pavement, the suspension now tends more to firm than stiff, though sharp ruts can result in some harshness. Despite thicker engine and interior insulation, the tires still transmit too much road noise into the cabin, which otherwise is fairly quiet, even over poorly graded railroad crossings.

The big news for 2010 is the new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. This engine lowers the base price, bringing the CX-7 more in line with the CR-V and RAV4 in both power and price. The engine is well matched to the CX-7, providing good gitty-up from a stop, though it lacks a bit in midrange punch. It's also fairly smooth, and it works well with the five-speed automatic transmission. We do find it odd, though, that Mazda didn't use the same six-speed as in the turbo models. Yet another benefit is the increased fuel economy. The base engine is EPA rated at 20 mpg city/28 mpg highway.

Power from the turbocharged four-cylinder engine builds smoothly, with impressive torque at low engine speeds. It's worth noting here that the CX-7 develops more torque at significantly lower engine speed (258 pound-feet at 2500 rpm) than even the Toyota RAV4 V6 (246 pound-feet at 4700 rpm). That's worth noting because it's torque, not horsepower, that propels you from intersections and up steep hills. More torque sooner is always better. The turbo engine also has more midrange power than the base engine, making passing a much easier prospect.

However, the turbo engine pays a price with the poorest EPA fuel economy estimates of the group. The ratings are 18/25 with FWD and 17/23 with AWD.

The six-speed automatic transmission shifts well and adapts well to different driving situations, quickly learning a driver's preferences and holding lower gears longer and adjusting shift points to match. That's in Drive. Shift into the Sport mode and it executes manually directed shifts smoothly, up or down. To change gears manually, slide the shifter into the Sport slot, which is conveniently placed on the driver's side of the primary shift gate. Then simply push the lever forward to downshift, pull it back to shift up.

With either engine, there's some torque steer (where the front tires pull one way or the other, most commonly to the right) under hard acceleration, and we've noticed it in both the front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models. It's somewhat less in the latter, which redirects up to 50 percent of the power to the rear wheels in extreme conditions.

New for 2010 is a Blind Spot Monitoring System. It illuminates lights in the side mirrors when vehicles are traveling in the CX-7's blind spots. And if you attempt to change lanes when vehicles are on those spots, it sounds a warning. We found it works as advertised, without giving false readings or being too annoying in heavy traffic.