Mazda says that its new CX-7 ‘sports crossover SUV’, due for European launch later this year, adopts specifically engineered characteristics to meet the demands of European drivers.

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This follows a test driving and tuning programme carried out by Mazda’s European R & D Centre (MRE) based in Oberusel, near Frankfurt, Germany. 


Following its launch in both North America and Japan, where more than 46,000 units have been sold, MRE assessed and then tuned the Mazda CX-7 in Europe for driving performance and craftsmanship. 


The company says that around 30% of the European Mazda CX-7 set-up is different to other global versions. 


These improvements for the European market include tuning to handling, ride comfort, suspension settings, steering, brakes, ABS, ESP and NVH for powertrain, road noise and window noise.

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For the Mazda CX-7, an engineering team of 15 took the US version as their basis and developed the different specifications needed to match European customer tastes.


This began by benchmarking the best of the European competition on European roads. Together with suppliers and Mazda Japan, the team worked to deliver a driving feel that takes a more ‘sporty direction’ by testing the European CX-7 on Nürburgring’s Nordschleife, mountain roads, on German autobahns at high speed as well as winter testing in Northern Europe.


For European drivers, Mazda says, 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. For example, the pull bars linking the rear suspension to the body adopts a different layout and suspension settings were redefined to find an ideal compromise between agility and drive comfort. The tyres, steering characteristics and ESP settings are all different as well.