Mazda CX-7 Europe Bound

Press Release

After a successful launch in North America and Japan where more than 46,000 units have been sold, the Mazda CX-7 is coming to Europe adopting specifically engineered characteristics to meet the demands of European drivers. Tuning was conducted for driving performance, handling, ride comfort, suspension settings, steering, brakes, ABS, ESP, NVH (for powertrain, road noise, window noise) and craftsmanship. In total, ca. 30 percent of the European version set-ups for the Mazda CX-7 are different than versions in other regions of the world. Test driving and tuning was conduced by Mazda's European R & D Centre located in the middle of Europe in Oberursel (near Frankfurt, Germany) where, besides the European design studio of Mazda, a whole team works for every model's compliance to EU specifications, regulations, market needs and tastes. For the Mazda CX-7, a 15-member engineering team took as their basis the US version and developed all the different specifications needed to match European customer tastes. They began by benchmarking the best competitors praised on the EU market as references on European roads. Together with suppliers and Mazda Japan colleagues, the team worked hard to deliver a driving feel that is in a more sporty direction by testing the European CX-7 on Nürburgring's Nordschleife, mountain roads, on German Autobahns at high speed and for winter testing in Northern Europe. This included powertrain testing of CX-7's high-performance 2.3-litre DISI turbo petrol, which produces 191 kW/260 PS of output (the US version produces 244 HP) and 380 Nm of torque - the same as Mazda's high-performance MPS engine. This powerful turbo engine was then mated to a specially-developed six-speed manual transmission. Top speed tests were conducted on Germany's Autobahns, along with maximum speed limiter control and high-speed acceleration. Intensive chassis testing was conducted at Nürburgring's "green hell" (the Nordschleife) as well. For instance, the EU market has unique requirements for high speed stability. So the first step here was to concentrate on overall body rigidity with reinforcements on different parts of the chassis. The front cross members and the ones placed on the transmission tunnel were made thicker, as were the front suspension towers. For European drivers, the feeling of being connected to the road and the quality of road feedback, is crucial. To deliver this, the suspension of the CX-7 was reworked. The pull bars linking the rear suspension to the body, for example, adopt a different layout and suspension settings were redefined to find an ideal compromise between agility and drive comfort. The tyres, the steering characteristics, as well as the ESP settings, are all different as well. With these enhancements beneath its sporty suit of clothes, combined with SUV roominess and flexibility, the Mazda CX-7 is poised to set a new standard in its segment in Europe. Demanding, sporty and different, it gives European customers everything they could ever want to support a multi-activity lifestyle with high levels of driving enjoyment.