Mazda CX-7 (07 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 12 February 2010
Mazda's CX-7 is a family car that combines 4x4 looks with an engaging driving experience akin to its sportier models. It certainly looks distinctive and more athletic than traditional off roaders while the 260bhp petrol engine (borrowed from the high performance Mazda 6 MPS) gives it the performance to back-up those good looks. It's great to drive too and feels like a sporty saloon rather than a 4x4 with responsive steering and excellent body control. In November 2009, Mazda dropped the petrol engine in favour of a 2.2-litre diesel engine with a manual gearbox. It also refreshed the front end with a touch of chrome and new side lights. The diesel-powered version still offers good performance and improves fuel consumption to 38mpg compared to the petrol’s 28mpg. The CX-7 also gained extra safety kit including Mazda’s useful blind spot indicator system.
4 out of 5

Other Mazda reviews

3 out of 5

Running costs

Given its size and the equipment included, the CX-7 is well priced with metallic paint the only factory option. Fuel consumption is not too bad for a petrol with 250bhp but at 28mpg it's not exactly frugal either. The diesel is considerably better at 38mpg. However CX-7 owners should expect the car to be worth about half its list price after three years. Insurance is about average with the petrol a group 33 (in the newer 1-50 rating introduced in 2009) and the later diesel a group 32.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£2,273 - £2,273 *

Diesel

£1,732 - £1,732 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Oil filter check at 3,000 miles, then every 9,500 miles or 12 months.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£250.00 - £460.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

1.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
    199
  • K
  • L
    243
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

There are worse cars, but a petrol engined four-wheel drive with a reasonably big body and sporty aspirations is not a green choice. At least its turbocharged engine is quite small compared to the V6s found in similar cars. It produces 243g/km of CO2 and is claimed to do 28mpg, although you'll need to exercise a great deal of restraint to match that figure. The diesel version is better all round with emissions of 199g/km of CO2 and average economy of 38mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2