Overview & Reviews

The Mazda CX-7 is a compact crossover SUV with seating for five. Introduced for 2007, it was a refinement on the more utilitarian Tribute and like most newer Mazdas, it has an athletic demeanor. The CX-7 also incorporates most of the elements that continue to make crossovers so popular, including carlike handling, available all-wheel drive and a useful amount of cargo capacity.

Although the CX-7 is fun to drive as crossovers go, its base four-cylinder engine is memorable for its sluggish acceleration and subpar fuel economy. The available turbocharged four-cylinder solves the performance problem, but its fuel economy is even worse. With the efficient CX-5 waiting in the wings, the CX-7 was phased out after the 2012 model year.

User Reviews:

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  Average at Best - 2008 Mazda CX-7
  By Steve Bylinowski - January 6 - 7:43 pm

  I leased this car in early 2008. I got a good lease deal with no money down but the car didnt perform in the winter. If you live in area where it snows, forget it! I couldnt get up the small hill outside of my house! Everything else about the car is average, not terrible, not great. Also, they nickel and dime you when you turn it back in, beware. I would not get another Mazda.

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  Fail! - 2010 Mazda CX-7
  By Lori - December 29 - 10:42 pm

  I bought my 2010 Mazda CX-7 new. I was generally satisfied, though pretty annoyed with the fact that I was constantly being pulled over and told that one of my headlights was out - like every couple of months. This turned out to be a "known issue" for Mazdas according to one of the garage mechanics I talked to because I wasnt about to go to the dealer to have them replaced at several hundreds of dollars (they take off the front bumper or something) - the guy at the garage would sometimes have to spend 20-30 minutes fiddling around to manipulate the gasket to replace the bulb, but they never charged for more than the cost of the bulb. Anyway, I religiously change the oil with synthetic per recommendations and yes, it has 108,000 miles on it now, but just 2 months ago I replaced the wheel bearings in the rear drivers left side and put new front brakes in it to the tune of $800+ at the dealer. So, it would have been nice to have a heads up that is a significant chance that the turbocharger might fail and that if it does that it could lead to catastrophic engine failure. But no, instead that happens on one of the coldest nights of the year during rush hour. And they cant tell me if the turbocharger failure resulted in a blown engine which means the car is basically a hunk of junk or not. The dealer recommends that rather than spending the money on replacing the turbocharger since he doesnt know if that will fix it, I look to trading it in. Well, NOT on another Mazda! Grrrrr.

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  SEE MY TAIL LIGHTS !!!! - 2010 Mazda CX-7
  By jerseyboy5 - December 23 - 11:26 pm

  Purchased last day of September. Big time car buff and researched competing AWD cars for 2 weeks. Looked at Toyota Rav4 with V6, Santa Fe Ltd, Acura RDX. Mazda did a amazing job creating a sporty SUV for $2-5K less than above competing models. Read CX7 forum, had concerns with A/C, however, seems like kinks have been worked out for 2009 and above models.

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  So far - so good! - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By justagirlthing - December 23 - 2:23 am

  Have had my new CX-7 Grand touring for about a month - love it so far. The only problems I have had is with the check engine light coming on, and according to the dealer it has been the fuel cap. It is a known issue to Mazda, but other than that - great power. Love the interior and have had many people ask about how I like the car. I have no complaints.

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  Disappointed - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By CP - December 12 - 1:26 pm

  Great at first then around 5000 miles, check engine light came on for recall that I was never made aware of. At 12500 miles turbo blew leaving my family stranded. Took 3 weeks to get fixed then 1 week later power windows dont work correctly. Now has 13000 miles and passenger side front tire is balding on the inside. Dealer told me that this is not uncommon for this vehicle to need new tires by 15000 miles which is not covered by warranty. Have had vehicle for 11 months now and is worth more than $10,000 less than paid for it. Lots of engine noise, you need the Bose stereo.

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  My favorite little SUV - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By Nickie Bots - December 6 - 9:50 am

  I test drove many automatic cars and SUVs (including the Nissan Murano) with V6 engines and so far the CX7 had the best acceleration (like a car with a manual stick shift). The exterior looks great very similar to the Lexus. This car works well for a family of three, or four at the most due to the limited cargo space when traveling. I had a couple of flat tires but could have been bad luck also. Otherwise runs smoothly with no serious problems. Great buy for this price except for gas mileage!

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  My CX-7 GT - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By pedromatic - December 2 - 1:06 pm

  My only complaint is the momentary lag when accelerating. After the lag, it takes off like a bat. The premium fuel requirement hurts at the pump, but its fun to drive.

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  2 issues over the last 7 years - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By just1mnbound - December 1 - 4:08 pm

  I bought my CX-7 new. Only issues have been the check engine light (faulty gas cap from Mazda. The cap wasnt creating a proper seal), and now at 74,563 miles later the turbo is leaking oil (reported issue with the CX-7). Lucky for me I bought the extended warranty for up to 75,000. Its in the shop right now and feel lucky! But other than those two problems, I really like the car. Nice design and value for the price. I have the CX-7 Touring fully loaded.

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  Very Disappointed - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By abnmedic - November 29 - 2:00 am

  In 2007 i purchased the cx7. It already had 200 miles on it when i took it off the lot. It was fully loaded. I found that programing the nav system was very complicated, so i ended up buying a garmin. Would you believe it costs $200.00 to buy a new navi disk every year? After 36,000 miles the a/c compressor went out. That cost me $600.00 to replace. Then the fuel valve out and that was going to cost me another $600.00. Hey, my payments were over $600.00 as it was. I just dont have that kind of money to keep putting it in for repairs. So i traded it in for a 2010 Jeep Compass with a life time warranty. I am so sorry i wasted my money for three years.

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  Best Car EVER! - 2008 Mazda CX-7
  By esreversm - November 19 - 4:30 am

  I love my CX-7. This is the 9th car Ive owned in my 30 years of living. Its also my favorite. The turbo is great and a thrill to drive. I know everyone keeps downing on the gas and mileage however, I have learned that it runs great if you can alternate between mid-grd. and prem. gas, also being very cautious with driving lately due to gas increase (not as much fun!). I can pull about 22-23 mpg in town and usually 26 hwy. Driving it hard it usually gets about 14-16 in town (we gotta have our fun sometime). Excellent, safe, dependable, not too pricey! Dont under estimate the performance till you try it.