Another review - with a slightly different take.
http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Mazda/review/2007-mazda-cx-7-preview/1894/
http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Mazda/review/2007-mazda-cx-7-preview/1894/
CX-7 Reviews
- Thread starter Vision67
- Start date
cruzdreamer
Member
- :
- Former owner of Mazda CX 7 GT Electric Blue
My own review...
Hi! I just had to post after driving the CX7 today. Ok....this car is faster than my RX 8! It was a blast to drive and with the turbo engine it just took off like a bullet....the steering wheel tended to fly out of my hands because I was trying to get a handle on all that power. The car's interior is really sharp and unique. I drove the sport with the moonroof package....listed around $27,000 and some change. I am in the market for a vehicle with more cargo and I was considering the Mazda5, but man, I can't stop thinking about the CX7! It's more than I wanted to spend and not as fuel efficient. So, it all depends on my husband....he shall decide. The 5 which I drove again after the CX7 today really impressed me also. Smooth, quiet, peppy and plenty of cargo space! I'd add leather and tinted windows and possibly the navigation. All this will cost me $24,100, retail that is!! I hope to pay invoice. $1000-$1200 less. So price is great on the 5. Anyone in the market for a vehicle like the CX7 should drive it....they will not be disappointed. The grey was rather boring but electric blue or white looks nice. And they think the competition is the Honda CRV or Toyota RAV....No comparison!!!!!! A cool vehicle that is fast with great handling, style and cargo!!!! Thanks for listening....Wendy(first)
Hi! I just had to post after driving the CX7 today. Ok....this car is faster than my RX 8! It was a blast to drive and with the turbo engine it just took off like a bullet....the steering wheel tended to fly out of my hands because I was trying to get a handle on all that power. The car's interior is really sharp and unique. I drove the sport with the moonroof package....listed around $27,000 and some change. I am in the market for a vehicle with more cargo and I was considering the Mazda5, but man, I can't stop thinking about the CX7! It's more than I wanted to spend and not as fuel efficient. So, it all depends on my husband....he shall decide. The 5 which I drove again after the CX7 today really impressed me also. Smooth, quiet, peppy and plenty of cargo space! I'd add leather and tinted windows and possibly the navigation. All this will cost me $24,100, retail that is!! I hope to pay invoice. $1000-$1200 less. So price is great on the 5. Anyone in the market for a vehicle like the CX7 should drive it....they will not be disappointed. The grey was rather boring but electric blue or white looks nice. And they think the competition is the Honda CRV or Toyota RAV....No comparison!!!!!! A cool vehicle that is fast with great handling, style and cargo!!!! Thanks for listening....Wendy(first)
Zoom49 said:
Thanks Zoom,
As I live in Australia and the CX-7 won't be on sale here until November, it will be interesting to see whether Mazda will have addressed some of the 'issues' that this forum has raised.
Thanks again Zoom and to everybody who has contributed to this forum - it gives me a very good idea of what to expect.
cx-7heaven
Member
- :
- '07 CX-7
Hmmm...... Ya think the RDX will be had for 24k????? Not quite
stangmatt66
Member
- :
- 2004 Mazda RX-8 & 2005 Toyota Prius
Finally my own test drive
Hey all, I thought I would include my CX-7 review as an auto RX-8 owner...
On the Road
Yesterday I test drove a CX-7 Sport AWD with no options (the only CX-7 on the dealers lot with gas in it!), Galaxy Grey and black cloth interior.
I have to say that the CX-7 drives extremely well. It was odd to feel hydraulic steering again after 3 years in the electrically assisted RX-8. The steering had a nice, sporty weight and nice off-center feel. The initial throttle tip-in was a little abrupt as everything was nice and smooth until the fierce little turbo kicked in and launched me forward much faster than I wanted. I'm sure this just takes some driver adjustment coming from the torque-less automatic RX-8.
I took a quick freeway jog (about 3 miles) and was surprised that the CX-7 was nice and quiet inside. Freeway passing speed was impressive. I loved that I could nudge the throttle just barely to kick up some more boost to pass without forcing a downshift. In comparison, the automatic RX-8 requires a downshift for everything. I made a few quick lane changes and fast sweeping turns and was very pleased that there was very little body lean. The same goes for barely any dive or squat while braking and accelerating. And while braking is class leading, it still can't compare to the RX-8--caused by the CX-7's weight penalty over the RX-8.
Overall, the CX-7 felt much faster and peppier to drive around town and on the freeway compared to the auto RX-8. All that torque really makes the difference. It drives more like a sporty wagon than an SUV.
Behind the Wheel
The interior in the Sport model was just not up to Mazda standards. The seat fabric was acceptable, however the dash plastics, while painted to look soft, are indeed hard; same with the all plastic steering wheel and shifter knobno leather or faux leather wrap here. The audio controls on the wheel were a nice surprise for the base model.
The Sport model lacks any metallic or piano black trim or dash accents to soften the extreme and cheap looking blackness. The gauges, without the Grand Touring model's backlighting, were very hard to see in the daylight. Same goes for the radio display high in the dash which washes out very easily in direct sunlight. The auto up-down drivers and front passengers windows are a much appreciated feature.
Verdict
The CX-7 is perfect RX-8 inspired CUV. However, skip the Sport model. Its lack of interior pizzazz makes the well designed interior feel cheap.
Hey all, I thought I would include my CX-7 review as an auto RX-8 owner...
On the Road
Yesterday I test drove a CX-7 Sport AWD with no options (the only CX-7 on the dealers lot with gas in it!), Galaxy Grey and black cloth interior.
I have to say that the CX-7 drives extremely well. It was odd to feel hydraulic steering again after 3 years in the electrically assisted RX-8. The steering had a nice, sporty weight and nice off-center feel. The initial throttle tip-in was a little abrupt as everything was nice and smooth until the fierce little turbo kicked in and launched me forward much faster than I wanted. I'm sure this just takes some driver adjustment coming from the torque-less automatic RX-8.
I took a quick freeway jog (about 3 miles) and was surprised that the CX-7 was nice and quiet inside. Freeway passing speed was impressive. I loved that I could nudge the throttle just barely to kick up some more boost to pass without forcing a downshift. In comparison, the automatic RX-8 requires a downshift for everything. I made a few quick lane changes and fast sweeping turns and was very pleased that there was very little body lean. The same goes for barely any dive or squat while braking and accelerating. And while braking is class leading, it still can't compare to the RX-8--caused by the CX-7's weight penalty over the RX-8.
Overall, the CX-7 felt much faster and peppier to drive around town and on the freeway compared to the auto RX-8. All that torque really makes the difference. It drives more like a sporty wagon than an SUV.
Behind the Wheel
The interior in the Sport model was just not up to Mazda standards. The seat fabric was acceptable, however the dash plastics, while painted to look soft, are indeed hard; same with the all plastic steering wheel and shifter knobno leather or faux leather wrap here. The audio controls on the wheel were a nice surprise for the base model.
The Sport model lacks any metallic or piano black trim or dash accents to soften the extreme and cheap looking blackness. The gauges, without the Grand Touring model's backlighting, were very hard to see in the daylight. Same goes for the radio display high in the dash which washes out very easily in direct sunlight. The auto up-down drivers and front passengers windows are a much appreciated feature.
Verdict
The CX-7 is perfect RX-8 inspired CUV. However, skip the Sport model. Its lack of interior pizzazz makes the well designed interior feel cheap.
cruzdreamer
Member
- :
- Former owner of Mazda CX 7 GT Electric Blue
I concur.....
I also have an automatic RX 8 and I agree with you on all accounts though I felt the braking was as superb as in the 8. I felt the CX7 was much more impressive to drive than the 8 and I am happy because I need the cargo and this will be a nice transition from the 8. Yes, the sport model without the brushed chrome accents is not as nice but for the money it's still a vehicle to me that is way worth it! Maybe one could add some aftermaket trim of their own. Handling was superb with almost no body roll! Much quicker off the line than the 8. Don't get me wrong the 8 is great but the CX7 I felt was more fun! The 8 has the best styling of most cars I have seen and the CX7 has great styling also though I don't like all the black plastic in the front. Needs some chrome accents. A great vehicle, great value, great utility and great fun! CX7 is sport car inspired!! Thanks Mazda! Now if it only got like 22mpg it would be almost perfect!
stangmatt66 said:
I also have an automatic RX 8 and I agree with you on all accounts though I felt the braking was as superb as in the 8. I felt the CX7 was much more impressive to drive than the 8 and I am happy because I need the cargo and this will be a nice transition from the 8. Yes, the sport model without the brushed chrome accents is not as nice but for the money it's still a vehicle to me that is way worth it! Maybe one could add some aftermaket trim of their own. Handling was superb with almost no body roll! Much quicker off the line than the 8. Don't get me wrong the 8 is great but the CX7 I felt was more fun! The 8 has the best styling of most cars I have seen and the CX7 has great styling also though I don't like all the black plastic in the front. Needs some chrome accents. A great vehicle, great value, great utility and great fun! CX7 is sport car inspired!! Thanks Mazda! Now if it only got like 22mpg it would be almost perfect!
A very good video roadtest - (except for the fuel consumption)
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/video/roadtests.shtml
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/video/roadtests.shtml
Dont know what they are refering when they said, "CX-7 seemed less consistent in throttling up and down than in the last CX-7 we ran"Zoom49 said:
Yes RAV4 is much faster but drives like a slug "IMO" compaired to the CX-7
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singlemalt_18
My Way IS the Highway
- :
- 18Sig9/07GT7AWD
Zoom49 said:
Thanks for posting... Yes, I am a proud and happy CX-7 owner, and I have not driven the RDX or the RAV, but I get the impression that Mazda & their new CX-7 is simply "persona non-grata" at this meeting. Some of the author's comments seem to be strenuously biased... both against the CX-7 and in "rooting" for the others. Anytime opinion is introduced, its seems that "something is just not right" or "it simply fell short". Or is it just me? Did the article fail to mention that the Mazda is DISI?
IMHO the stats, the style, the performance, AND THE PRICE, could put the CX-7 at the top of the Consumer Reports list. It appears the RDX's braking numbers are not even in class - what good is a vehicle that can go faster if you can't stop it?
Does anyone ever test these things with the weight of 4 adults & full cargo? I would bet that the CX-7, with its longer & wider wheelbase, and its low-end friendly turbo, would maintain its specs more than the others - just a guess.
Good read though - again thanks!
stangmatt66
Member
- :
- 2004 Mazda RX-8 & 2005 Toyota Prius
Here guys, I assembled the MotorTrend Comparison (CX-7 vs. Rav4 vs. RDX) into a PDF.
Right click and save as (6.58MB)
Right click and save as (6.58MB)
