March 28, 2024

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Text and photos by Cor Steenstra

We first drove the Mazda CX7 just after it had beenbrought out onto the market back in 2007, and at that time we were thoroughly impressed with the car. We felt it was time to see if our feelings had changed since it was quite a long time ago.

The CX7 in its current guise has had a face lift to align it better with the the current Mazda design philosophy, but thankfully the noticable face lifted parts do not detract from the solid design base we found originally. The front fascia has been the one part that was impacted the most, now displaying the bold Mazda grille and big air intakes surrounding it.

The total impression is a more aggressive looking face, which does wonders on the freeway in that the “overtaking potential” is more intimidating and people do move over quicker. Overall though it has not taken anything away from the harmonious shape we found appealing originally.

Driving the CX7 was still very much up-to-date. The one thing that still irritates in nearly every Mazdas we drive is the choice of color on the diplay, and the brightness of it, or lack thereoff. The orangy red is of course to give it a more sporty feel, but with the bright light here in Southern California, and with the lack of an option to put it onto full bright, it becomes necessary to park in shaded areas to be able to read the displays. That can not be the intention. Maybe give people a choice in display color, like partner Ford does?

The CX7 is still on good levels in all areas, but the times have changed and people’s expectations have as well.

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