Mazda CX-7 Final Report
Having had one on loan for 12 months, Autocar’s Gary Lord gives his final report on the Mazda CX-7, and comments on the driving experience: “The driving position is just right, from the close-at-hand gearlever for assured changes to a steering wheel that has perfect height adjustment. The steering is precise and responsive, and although there is a degree of body roll on a car of this height and size, turn-in on sharp corners is confidence-inspiring and the ride is pretty well damped for a car with such sporty pretensions.”
He adds, “Here’s the category I reckon the Mazda could top: long term reliability.
Only once in 12 months and 13,000-plus miles has the CX-7 been anything other than exemplary. The one blip was the other evening when the clock on the sat-nav went blank, but it soon rectified itself when I reset the time zone. Other than that, the Mazda has had no issues, all the trim has remained as intact as the day it arrived and all the switchgear is fully functioning and almost as good as new.”
Lord also looks to the next Mazda, the smaller CX-5, which arrives in 2012, and writes, “It will feature Mazda’s new ‘Kodo’ design language, will no doubt be packed with standard kit and, being lighter and with a new generation of engines, should be cheaper to run. I’m putting my name down for one now.”
