Mazda CX-7 | Shed of the Week
The 260hp MPS Mazdas were quirky, rare Q cars; the SUV that shared their turbo engine even more so...
Don't judge him, but back in the '80s when things were so very different in so many ways, Shed was contractually obliged to attend photo shoots involving scantily-clad models and motorbikes. Actually, scantily clad is an exaggeration. Completely unclad would be more accurate. Charming girls to a fault, these professional models were so at ease in their natural state that they didn't bother to robe up when the shutter wasn't clicking. This was an issue for Shed at one particular London studio that had a snooker table for models and hangers-on like him to enjoy in the downtime between setups. You try sinking an important pink when a naked starlet is casually chalking her cue at the other end of the table.
One of the most uninhibited models, a Swedish lass, bumped into Shed once in Croydon's Whitgift Centre. She had to introduce herself to him as he simply didn't recognise her, what with it being the first time he'd seen her with any clothes on. Why is Shed revealing all this now? Only because today's Shed of the Week, a Mazda CX-7, is a bit like one of those moggles. One of the two European-spec CX-7s had a 2.2 four-pot turbodiesel (170hp/295lb ft), the Mrs Shed spec if you will, but the one we've got here is the substantially more titillating Postmistress-spec 2.3 DISI turbo four petrol promising 260hp and 290lb ft.
The numbers were big but accessing them wasn't always easy. Although maximum torque came in at a reasonable 2,750rpm, max power didn't arrive until 5,000rpm, an area you weren't aurally rewarded for exploring. Financially it would be a challenge too, because even the average fuel consumption was only 27mpg. By hanging all the consequences and hand-shandying the six-speed manual box we got in the UK (markets like the US had a more fragile auto), you could hustle this 1,700kg car through the 0-60mph run in 7.7 seconds or so. The idea of conventional clothing concealing a high-powered platform puts Shed in mind of the Postmistress. She might not look that special to the casual observer but performance-wise Shed knows she is very much a CX-7 in a sea of 1.6 Corollas.
Also like the Postmistress, the CX-7's body still looks quite sleek. It was a Callum design, but by Moray, the lesser-known elder brother of lan. Living in his sibling's shadow didn't do Moray any harm. He gave the Mazda range a sorely needed juice-up in the first decade of the 21st century before moving over to Ford US to head up passenger car design there. There's no getting away from the fact that the CX-7 is an SUV from a time when there was less emphasis on Sport than on Utility, manufacturers' PR departments trying to get around the shortfall of SUV sportlichness by coining the phrase 'soft roaders'.
Initially at least the hot CX-7 looked more promising, with a robust chassis package including fully independent suspension, vented disc brakes, stability and traction control, and a MATS torque-splitting all-wheel drive system feeding up to 50 per cent of torque to the back wheels. The MPS (Mazda Performance Series) 3 and 6 models that used the same engine were actually a very decent steer. In rare moments of lucidity Shed seems to remember a batch of MPS 2.3s being used as track tuition vehicles by the instructors at Thruxton, but of course he might have got that completely wrong.
Unfortunately the CX-7 bombed in the UK, commercially and physically. It was introduced here in 2007, just before the big global crash, with very little forethought as to who might buy it. As it turned out hardly anybody did, and the ones who did take the plunge soon found themselves facing a few reliability issues. VT actuators stopped actuating and timing chains stretched. A degree of play in that department was acceptable, but if you ignored it for too long top end carnage would ensue. Piston rings could stick in wonky liners, conrod bearings could turn and turbochargers could fail. If you weren't driving it hard enough, which few did, soot and sludge would bedevil the spark plugs and engine. Cooling could be an issue too, busted thermostats or clogged/leaking radiators ultimately killing the head if your approach to this sort of thing was to ignore it. Air-con, heating and lights were all susceptible to fritzery.
It all sounded out of character for a company responsible for the hyper-reliable MX-5. On the other hand, you might think it was entirely in character for a company responsible for the early RX rotaries. Whatever, for reasons that may or may not be connected to its reliability record, Mazda discontinued the high-powered CX-7 in 2012. The MPS line was closed down a year later. Hopefully CX-7s like our 98,000-miler that have somehow made it through to today will have been fettled with longer-lasting parts.
September's MOT test of our Shed picked up on a corroded but not seriously weakened rear subframe. If you're into preventative maintenance, new replacements aren't exactly jumping off the shelves in the UK. Mazda might be able to sell you an OE item for fierce amounts of cash, Shed doesn't know, but if you look hard enough you should be able to find pre-loved subframes. Shed spotted one in Lithuania at just over £100. Adding postage to the UK unfortunately triples that outlay, but at least it shows you that some solutions are available. Our car looks like it was photographed and chucked online three minutes after it came in. Nobody bothered to remove the two takeaway drinks, the abandoned water bottle or the remnants of what looks like a Gregg's pasty in the driver's footwell. On one level, that's a shame, but on another level (Shed's one) it's an opportunity to stroke your beard, if you have one, and then try to chip something off the £1,999 asking price. You might need to when you see the annual VED bill of £700+...
Suppose at this price it’s a risk you’d take though, and just weigh the car in if it occurred. Despite the above, I like it as an oddity…there’s always some appeal in a car that a) I didn’t know existed and b) has an engine that doesn’t match the appearance
Also, isn't that picture background the one used by an auction house? If so, could it already have some serious issues and just been off-loaded through an auction?
Just checked and there are 3 x 2.5 S-maxes on AT for sub £2K.
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