WASHINGTON, D.C. – Interestingly, it takes a trip to the cultural and historic epicenter of the United States to appreciate what’s going on in the automotive world. Comparisons and rivalries between imports and domestics have been flourishing for decades, so the issue of Buy American is old news. Same goes with the gap in perceived quality – that one still goes to the folks who call Asia home, justified or not. But when one considers the few domestic strongholds, as well as any recent rebounding segments, the picture is usually one of a large vehicle with a big V8. Granted, today’s version is prettier and a bit more efficient, but it’s that thirst for “big” that remains the backbone of any spike in domestic sales.

Then there’s the flip side of the coin, the import approach. Case in point: the 2007 Mazda CX-7, a five-passenger compact SUV that starts at about $24,000 and comes fully loaded for roughly $32,000. More importantly, every CX-7 packs 244 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. And unlike the domestics, this ‘ute offers the power of a big V6 or small V8 with a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, yet still achieves an EPA highway rating of 24 mpg.