Mazda CX-7 road test
Written By Lee Sibbald Published On: Nov 06 2009
Despite Mazda promoting the CX-7 as a sporty driving machine, it’s the very comfortable ride that first strikes you after a few minutes behind the wheel. Compliant and cosseting, it makes the driving experience highly enjoyable: it takes ruts, potholes and uneven surfaces in its stride, and didn’t become seriously unsettled at any point in our test drive. The handling is also well set-up and, while it doesn’t quite live up to Mazda’s claim of having the driving dynamics of a sports car, it’s accomplished all the same. Body roll is well contained, which is a not inconsiderable achievement for a car as big and high riding as the CX-7. The steering is also accurate, if a little light: the turn-in at corners and tight bends is precise enough, so the driver always feels in control.
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The new CX-7 is a huge improvement when it comes to examining it as an ownership proposition, but it still requires something of a leap of faith on the part of potential buyers. The £25,785 initial purchase price isn’t cheap, but there’s no options list to push the price up further: the full spec is all-encompassing and all-inclusive, so you drive away with all the kit you will need. As such, it makes the CX-7 a serious competitor to the Land Rover Freelander (HSE trim is £32,595) and the Audi Q5 S line (£30,350), and is only outpriced by the Ford Kuga Titanium (£24,445). Fuel economy, although not as hideously inefficient as the previous petrol-powered model, is still an unremarkable 37.7mpg, which will still make it fairly costly to run. A CO2 figure of 199g/km isn’t bad for an SUV of the CX-7’s size, but it still falls into Band J for road tax, meaning an annual bill of £215.
Read the full Mazda CX-7 road test
RoadTestReports.co.uk provides road tests reports written by members of the Guild of Motoring Writers. These reports are complemented by car reviews submitted by the members of the public who drive the vehicles day in day out.
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