The Mazda CX-7 is a perfect case study of the perils of introducing a car to one market that's clearly been designed for another. When it was first sold in this country, it was only offered with a thirsty 2.3-litre petrol engine and sales suffered as a result. What might have worked really well in California didn't look quite so appealing in a filling station in Croydon. Mazda belatedly introduced a diesel engine for the car and its fortunes picked up a little but by that time the CX-7 was approaching the end of its life. All of which is a bit of a shame, as the CX-7 is a genuinely likeable vehicle and represents a bit of a used bargain, in diesel guise at least.

About the Mazda CX-7

It's not often that we'll make a clear 'don't buy' recommendation with a used car, as most cars have a target audience that they work for, but the petrol-engined Mazda CX-5 is a car plagued by reliability issues. If you really want a sleek but thirsty Japanese SUV, try Nissan's Murano instead. The much-improved CX-7 2.2-litre turbodiesel warrants a thumbs up on the other hand. With reasonable economy, a much better reliability record and an engine that suits an SUV a whole lot better, it's a car that is starting to move into 'used bargain' territory.

Representative finance example

If your borrow amount is £7,000 with a deposit of £1,000, a selected term of 48 months, at a representative APR of 17.9% (fixed) and an annual fixed interest rate of 17.9%, you would pay £171.83 per month. Total charge for credit would be £2,247.84 and total amount repayable is £8,247.84.

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