It’s so very, very close to a station wagon, this Mazda CX-4. At least, that’s what we expect when this low-slung, more seductively styled Mazda crossover is fully revealed at the 2016 Beijing auto show. That’s because the CX-4 is modeled after last year’s Koeru concept, which wowed in its saucy pseudo sports wagon duds at the Frankfurt auto show in September.
Shortly after the Koeru was revealed last fall, Mazda’s CEO revealed that the concept would become a reality?something Mazda has just confirmed with its announcement of the CX-4?and promised that the crossover would be sportier than other tall wagons. So far, Mazda has released only a closely cropped photo (above) of the CX-4, but it clearly shows the vehicle’s arcing roofline and muscular rear haunches. Unknowns at this point include what’s under the hood, as well as the car’s basic size; we’ve speculated that the CX-4 will use the same turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder from the new CX-9 three-row crossover and measure up somewhere between that large family hauler and the smaller CX-5. Full details will drop closer to the CX-4’s reveal in late April.
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We’re hoping the CX-4 turns out to be as wagonlike as Mazda’s CEO describes it. The U.S. mark...