Our 2010 Mazda CX-7 was a decent enough replacement car after an accident. We had it for 5 years, from 2013-2018. It started wobbling and shaking one day in July, and no mechanic could figure it out. We went through a lot of money trying to fix it, then threw in the towel. One mechanic hit the nail on the head when she said Mazdas are good cars, but when they go bad, they go bad fast.
SUV at this price range don't come with 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes so I was pleasantly surprised. Excellent brakes. Handling especially in slippery conditions is very stable and sure footed. I tried to spin it out and drift it over snow, just to show my son how to handle such situations, but I could not get it to slip. I am used to doing this maneuver in open and empty spaces over many years, but this car would not let me drift - Very Sure Footed! Made in Japan, and I have not had any quality issues. Highly recommended.
I have had some scary moments in this car. I have had it for 3.5 years now and when it rains it never fails i lose traction. One time recently we had a bad rain storm and my car lost traction and hydroplaned and the front end went downward which made me think i was about to flip. I was on a hwy but know this vehicle so as soon as I saw rain I let off the gas, it was too late. All I can say is Thank God! My kids weren't with me. I have read this is an issue with the cx-7, as well as the headlights going out often, which mine do. In fact, I can not keep headlights working in my cx-7. I also can not keep the interior lights working and my mechanic has done everything to try to fix this matter but has been unsuccessful. The stereo however is the best part of this car. I enjoy it very much. The a/c is another matter, im having trouble from time to time with a smell and have had it recharged twice recently. When my cruise control is on a feel a miss with it, like a small jerk, so that is worrisome. I recently hit 122k miles and i will say when i hit the 100k mile mark things started to fail and it continues. I recently spent over $600, for repairs to keep me on the road and as I type i had to drop my car off to get the headlights repaired yet again. This is the 3rd time within the last few months. I am about to part ways with this vehicle and i do not intend on buying another Mazda. I will be looking for a safer vehicle, this one has really scared me!!!
2010 Mazda CX-7 s Grand Touring 4dr SUV AWD (2.3L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
Review
I have bought 10 cars in my 35 years of driving (2 car family). This was by far the worst. This was the most expensive at $35k and only made it 87k miles before engine went bad. It is also well known (but covered up) that Mazda failed in the development of this vehicle and refused to stand behind it. Imagine having a 'fancy' car like this that was a small four cylinder turbo getting 22 mpg highway? The turbo and VVT goes bad every 40k miles ($4.5k) while having tires ($2k) and brakes ($1k) ware out every 30k miles. Electronics had impossible to fix glitches killing batteries. When the car died the Mazda certified dealership repair shop took 4 weeks to even determine it needed a new engine. First they tried to pass off a $4.5k repair bill claiming it was fixed and I insisted on a test drive....,with technician in car and a one mile drve car engine light came on and acceleration issues resumed and began smoking (very dangerous). The technicians told me these cars were a piece of garbage and it could not be fixed. I sold it to junk car dealer directly from their front lot...imagine a pristine looking 5 year old car finished being picked up by cars for cash. At the same time I have a 2005 Mercury Mountaineer with 150k miles that never needs any repairs, a 2008 Kia Sportage with 250k miles never having costly problems and now a 2016 Ford Fusion with 55k miles that hasn't needed a single thing but oil change. Buying and then dealing with Mazda was my only mistake in buying a car in 35 years. The class action lawsuit was beat in court by a bias judge and Mazdas high priced lawyers.