- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.3T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
175kW, 350Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 11.5L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4WD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2011 MAZDA CX-7 LUXURY SPORTS
Ive just bought the New CX7 Luxury Sports edition.
- Gadgets and kitted out to the teeth, Very comfortable, Ride height is excellent, handles exceptionally well
- Voice recognition for numbers needs American accent, Not suited for the heavy footed, AWD not as good as Forester
Driving this car makes me feel as though I'm in a high class European SUV. In fact, my brother in law who owns a fully Spec'd Audi Q5 test drove it and swears the CX7 feels better to drive than the Audi. After having a solid drive of the Audi and then driving the CX7 back, I agree.
This car has everything going for it. It's very well kitted out inside, its leather seats are very comfortable. The bluetooth system works perfectly and every time without a hitch.
The steering wheel controls are many but they all work as designed.
The streaming of music between the iPhones and the car works seamlessly and the guide is self explanatory, even a 7 year old could pair a bluetooth phone to this car.
There is plenty of room inside for front and back seat passengers and the leather is soft to touch and hard wearing.
I'm 6 foot 3 inches and getting into the backseat is not as difficult as it is in the Forester or the Audi Q5.
The navigation system display was claimed to be very small, however I've been using this screen over the past 2 weeks and absolutely love it. I think it's sized fine. The navigation commands are easy to understand and very precise.
The only issues I have with the interior are:
1. The voice recognition system works extremely well until you need to enter the numbers 2, 4 and 0. It seems to think you're saying 000 instead of 2. Ive figured out a way to fix this and that's me saying 2 with an American accent.
2. Mazda says it has Power Heated Mirrors, however, they don't fold in and I'm unable to find a heat mirrors button.
3. They could've easily allowed DVD play on the in dash monitor.
The Drive
Before I start I should mention I've been a car nut since I was 15 and have owned or driven most makes in the world. My favourite 2 vehicles to drive would have to be the Subaru Forester STi 2004 and the Audi RS4/Porsche Carrera GT. I've driven both of these and I cannot compare any car to the thrill.
The CX7 may never give you the thrill that an RS4 can or the exhilarating performance like the Porsche, but it certainly beats most Japanese cars and many highly rated European cars when it comes to the drive.
Pothole cluttered streets? No problem, cant feel a thing! Bendy and twisty roads? This thing gobbles them up like a gym freak on protein drinks! AWD kicks in when you're in a spirited mood and you feel every turn go by. I have to say it's an absolute pleasure to drive.
The only issue i have is:
1. The steering wheel is slightly sensitive, and requires a soft touch. But you point her in the direction and hit the gas and it's ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM.
Nor for the important bits:
1. The wife: loves it, all her girls love it, they wake me up at the middle of the night to drive them on their girls' night out just to be seen in it and to enjoy the comfort.
2. The Bose sound system....two words...Holy Cow!!!
3. The gas - I've heard a lot of talk about how the CX7 Luxury Sports guzzles. I've driven this thing through city and highway. In the city, using good techniques, I was able to get the dial down to 7.0 litres/100km. I've kept records of how many KMs a full tank gets me on both spirited driving and efficient driving. Spirited in the city, for the 69 litre tank got me 460km and efficient driving got me 620km. Not as good as the Audi Q5 but this is a Turbo AWD high performance engine.
Also note, this same engine in the Mazda MPS 3 and 6 have similar mileage figures even though they are smaller and not as highly spec'd.
I thoroughly enjoy this car and with the unlimited KMs warranty added to it, it's drama free driving fun. I hope you get a chance to hop in one of these and give them a test drive, because these should sit on everybody's "must have" list this year.