I think it will be interesting to see how Mazda approaches this market... are they going to go SUV like the Pilot or more 'Tourer' like the Pacifica?. Ford is working on a 3.5l Duratec for the Montego/Freestyle/Five Hundred so that is probably the engine being referenced.

I must comment though, those prices seem pretty high. The Murano, Pilot, Highlander, Freestyle, and Endevour all start below 30k. Chrysler, which has more luxury conotation than Mazda, is even struggling to sell in that price range. Hopefully the article is off a bit.