Part of the crossover concept necessitated combining sporty design with SUV comfort and practicality, and the new Mazda CX-7 has plenty of both. There is SUV space for five passengers to travel in comfort and SUV rear Seat functionality and boot space, all of which makes it an ideal vehicle for active lifestyles.

Comfortable and Versatile
Getting into and out of the Mazda CX-7 has been optimised to be as easy as possible, with large door openings front and back, and a load sill that makes packing the large boot equally easy.

The side sill has a special design and is positioned very low to reduce the chance of making the hem of the trousers dirty when people get into and out of the vehicle.

The driver’s Seat can be electrically adjusted six ways (depending on grade) – fore and aft slide (260 mm), up and down (55 mm) and for seatback recline – which together with steering wheel tilt adjustment (45 mm), means that people of widely varying stature can find just the right driving position. And not only is the driver’s Seat versatile, it also has manual adjustable lumbar support for long trip comfort (on high grade) and a sun visor extension device.

Mazda CX-7 Seats – Long Trip Comfort with Excellent Side Support
Mazda CX-7’s seats are the product of extensive research into what causes fatigue on long trips with the goal of optimising body pressure distribution to help elevate unwanted muscle activity in most driving situations. For instance, too little lower lumbar support results in the pelvis moving forward, while too much or too little upper thorax support causes the thorax to move forward. This unwanted movement was resolved by making CX-7’s front seatbacks both wide and supportive enough to help keep thorax movement to a minimum.

A large lumbar plate, a continuously variable lumbar adjustment and strong lumbar support material were introduced to help prevent the back from rounding. Together, these features mean more comfort on long trips. As the sports crossover SUV, Mazda CX-7’s seats also supply superior lateral support during sportier driving.

Mazda CX-7’s boot is typical SUV – large, flexible and rugged. With the rear seats up, the boot is more than 100 cm long, large enough to carry three golf bags, and has a load volume of 455 litres (to the belt line). The split rear seats can be folded 60:40 using Mazda’s unique Karakuri system with a one-touch rear Seat back release located in the boot trim, which means a large flat load floor can be created without having to open the vehicle’s back doors. With the back seats down, the load space is 176 cm long, 105 cm wide and almost 79 cm high, with 774 litres capacity (to the belt line) and 1,348 litres of total load volume to the ceiling – big enough for transporting larger items such as bicycles.

To prevent items like boxes from sliding forward, there is a lip at the back of the rear seats and there is even a reversible trunk board made of robust rigid material. Turn this water-proof board over and you can transport soiled items without staining the carpet.

NVH
Mazda CX-7’s interior is not only highly versatile, it is also quiet – a key factor in interior comfort. Various technologies are employed to achieve this, including realisation of a sporty engine sound while reducing engine vibration and powertrain-related noise. Mazda engineers tuned the resonance characteristics of the engine mounting system to reduce high frequency engine noise. They also optimised front sub-frame components to provide lower engine vibration, optimising the vibration characteristics of the front drive shafts and reinforcing the right and left engine mounts. These measures are combined with multiplex layer sound absorption insulation for the dash panel to reduce engine noise reaching the cabin.

Wind noise has also been reduced by designing various exterior body regions to be as aerodynamic as possible. The side corner of the front bumper, the cross-section of the A-pillar, the door mirror, the rear side corner and the roof’s rear-end lip are all optimised for low drag and low wind sound. A generous application of sound absorbing material to all noise transmission routes inside the body frame is employed to reduce noise reaching the cabin.

Mazda CX-7 also features an enhanced body seal structure that uses a seaming welt around the door openings, one-way valves at 12 points in the lower doors and a double layer seal surrounding the doors which helps keep sound from entering the cabin through the side openings. Body rigidity has been optimised to reduce body frame vibration, and the structure of the wheels was designed to reduce vibrations being transferred from the tyres to the suspension. And finally, European-specification tyres are introduced with a structure that helps to reduce road noise even further.

Ergonomics and Quality
The new Mazda CX-7 interior is easy to use and has a high quality feel. Insightful interior packaging ensures for plenty of room for five adults, while a high hip point ensures good visibility for the driver and passengers from the 1,645 mm tall vehicle.

The interior features an ergonomically optimised centre stack panel that is easy to operate from either front seat, and a high floor console contains the gear shift lever, contributing to a sports car-like driving position. Upmarket feel is heightened throughout the cabin with interior materials optimised for firmness, smoothness and high quality feel, including leather door trim and centre arm rest on high grade models, together with the leather seats. A leather steering wheel and shift knob are available for a touch of sophistication, while high quality grains are used for the dashboard and door trim, and superior Seat materials are employed throughout the cabin.

Storage and Equipment
There are numerous storage compartments placed around the cabin that are designed with optimal size and location to store items that people are most likely to bring along. CX-7’s large centre console box can hold up to 5.4 litres and has two cupholders at its front edge. There is also a lockable glove box compartment, bottle holders in the deep front door pockets, two bottle holders on the rear centre armrest when folded down, and a large pocket on the back of the front passenger Seat for magazines or maps.

Mazda CX-7 will be offered in two grades in Europe– mid and high range (depending on market). Standard equipment for mid-range vehicles includes AM/FM radio and CD player (with MP3 capability), audio control switches on the steering wheel and leather steering wheel and shift knob. There are one-touch power front and rear windows, 12V sockets in the dashboard and centre console, remote central locking, cruise control and an anti-theft alarm system (depending on market). Standard for high-grade models are leather seats with front Seat heating and a Bose® premium audio system with Centerpoint® surround sound and nine-speakers. Xenon lights with an auto light and rain sensor wiper system are standard on this top model, while Mazda’s Advanced Keyless Entry & Start System is available (depending on market).

BOSE® Premium Sound System
Complementing CX-7’s fun-to-drive character is an available premium nine-speaker, 240 W, multi-channel audio system that was developed by Mazda jointly with BOSE. This exclusive system architecture includes a Centerpoint® surround sound system that utilises innovative signal processing to achieve surround sound from a normal stereo source through five channels – centre front, left/right front and left/right rear – giving the cabin the feel of a concert hall. The system is also able to optimise the sound using Audio Pilot® that automatically adjusts tone characteristics to cancel out cabin noise at any particular moment.