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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  Service queen - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By harry d - November 18 - 7:46 am

  Bought CX-7 last Dec after many great reviews and prior experiences with a mx3. This will susequently be the last. CEL came on first week, followed by an electric control motor of some kind. Next we began to discover several oil spots resulting in a week stay at the dealer for differential leaks. Last week, the cx7 was diagnosed with needing a new transfer case due to new leak problems. Very dissatisfied and will more than likely avoid Mazda in the future. In addition, rust is beginning to bubble thru the chrome trim around windows. What next?

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  2010 CX-7 Sport - 2010 Mazda CX-7
  By Dave L. - October 30 - 4:10 am

  The CX-7 is very sporty and fun to drive. The base engine has more pull than you would expect from 161 hp. It also gets decent fuel mileage for an SUV. I love the new exterior design and the upscale look and feel of the interior. The interior in the CX-7 is much more luxurious than the interior in the Saturn Vue I had test driven. The base alloy wheels look great as well.

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  CX-7 Brand New - 2011 Mazda CX-7
  By habsexpos - October 27 - 4:10 pm

  Picked up my brand new 2011 CX-7 last week. Great price and excellent trade-in (2006 Honda Civic) made this an easy choice. Have close to 600 miles on it. Nice smooth, quiet ride. No issues so far. Getting about 26 MPG combined, probably will get better after the "break in" period. Ill come back and give everyone updates.

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  Rent it dont buy it - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By zoomzoom - October 26 - 7:03 pm

  This car has some major issues and I dont have to repeat all what has been said by others. This car has amazing brakes and speed. It can take off like it was sports car.. not bad for 2 ton SUV. Every thing else is rubbish, the ride is very harsh, the tires are crap, and AC is not cold at all. I sold mine and got ML350 and I can tell the difference in the built quality.

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  Part everything - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By the drifter - September 15 - 1:06 pm

  Searched for a car for years. A lot of small SUV types out there the lately, but most such as the CR-V, RAV-4, Forester dont appeal to me. This one is part SUV, part wagon, and yes, part sports car. A little quirky but a good fit for a single Northwest man with plenty of outdoor places to go. Mileage is 17-19 city and best has been 22-23 on highway trips. Get the AWD, got a chance to test in the snow right away and there is nothing like it.

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  Mazda Builds CRAP!!!!!! Buyer Beware - 2008 Mazda CX-7
  By jimjaq1 - September 7 - 6:43 pm

  Mazdas design engineers have the heads in a very dark hole. The turbo charger they put in the vehicle does not lubricate itself and fails quickly. At 70K the timing belt has stretched and failed causing a complete rebuild of the engine (BTW, Mazda wont cover any of that, wait until you get to deal with their warranty people). Mazda has design a vehicle that is very noisy inside, bad visibility from anywhere inside the car, terrible air-conditioning, the car rides like a stage coach, and worst of all Mazda does not back its warranties and hides from its responsibilities concerning its products....buyer beware

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  Great Fun - 2008 Mazda CX-7
  By chuckdee - September 4 - 12:43 pm

  I had been restoring and driving a 1991 BMW M5 and after thousands of $$$, I finally blew the engine. Faced with needing a new Something, ANYTHING, I succumbed to the ads and tried the CX-7, the Speed6 and the Tribute. Even though Id had three turbocharged Saabs in the past, the turbo lag nearly killed me a couple times, because I thought the thing would have acceleration similar to an m5... duh! Clearly it does not, but it IS fun, totally different looking and certainly fast enough. Ive had 15 cars in my life, including 2 Vettes, Saab Turbos, etc. and this is a fun, easy handling SUV. Just dont try to pass an M5 in heavy traffic until you count a heavy turbo-lag 1-2-3!

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  Beloved CX-7 Went Up In Flames - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By alk76 - August 23 - 8:57 am

  I loved my Mazda from day one. In July 2007, I leased my CX-7. In July 2010, because I loved it so much, I financed the rest and kept it. I have proof of all my oil changes and maintenance to the vehicle. I paid it off nearly one year early with some of my retirement savings so I could enjoy not having a monthly payment for the first time in my life. I also put brand new tires on before the winter season and another 3k to replace the cracked transfer case, leaking oil cooler and loose ball joint (as recommended by Mazda).

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  Great crossover and fun to drive! - 2008 Mazda CX-7
  By Jim_ in_ PA - August 21 - 10:30 pm

  Fun to drive and outstanding engineering by the Japanese. Currently getting 22 mpg. The 2.3L 4 cylinder has great acceleration along with great body syle, this crossover is a real winner! Most fun I have ever had driving a vehicle.

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  CX-7 style, performance and utility. - 2007 Mazda CX-7
  By Rob P. - August 20 - 11:26 pm

  We first saw the CX-7 at the Chicago auto show this past winter and my wife and I decided it was the vehicle for us. Since we took delivery (6/03/2006) weve been very impressed with the performance and styling of the car. The utility features of the CX-7 were in keeping with why SUVs are purchased in the first place. It only has slightly less room than that of our previous Mazda Tribute. I am sure its reliability will be just as solid as any other Mazda - this being our 6th Mazda. The only negative is the ease of scratching the plastic on the dash, glove box and the door panels. It looks rather cheap and it is very easily scratched.