What Are Your Biggest Gripes?

[mikey1981]

I guess when the CX-7 is THIS GOOD, people have to complain about some things right? like gloss on leather & ipod connection. Thatd be the day where i wouldnt buy a car cuz it didnt have a preinstalled aux in the dash (im not saying i wouldnt like the feature, but with tech now, there are so many ways around not having an aux port that its a minor if forgetable problem)

on first test drive, coming from a loaded 2dr accordv6, the leather in the mazda actually impressed me. How it will wear over the long term who knows, but its alot thicker and stiffer than my accord which seemed way too thin and creased easily.

 

[vbbuilt01]

Well...

To begin, are you aware that only the front of the seats and the headrests are actual leather? The rest is vinyl. Now, that is fine (a lot of non-luxury cars do this), however, I think Mazda did a cheap job for two reasons:

1) They did a poor job of matching the leather with the vinyl. They are largely different in gloss and texture. Most cars - even lesser ones like Kia - do a better job than Mazda did. My concern grows when I consider how different they'll be in 3-4 years when the leather wears down. They'll be night and day I'm afraid.

2) The used too much vinyl. Using vinyl on the back of the seats is common - but I feel they should have at least used leather on the sides of the seats, especially if they were going to do such a lazy job at matching it with the vinyl.

Anyhow, I checked out the leather on all the cars I test drove in the last year since I planned on getting a new car with leather, and the CX-7's is below average. I expect at least average for a $28k car.

So, your concern isn't really about the quality of the leather. Rather, it's the use of vinyl alongside leather, that bothers you?

In answer to your question, no, I wasn't aware that vinyl was used and no, I did not notice that the colors of the vinyl and leather didn't exactly match.

Based on your statements, I'm guessing you won't buy the CX-7, correct?

Vince.

 

[Platonium]

My issues are minor:
iPod
Turbo lag (just got the PCM flash, so it's a bit better)
Lack of overall features (vanity lights, memory seats, power pasgr seat)
Lower than expected mileage even though I do mostly highway driving below 80 mph
Overall, I really like the car and think Mazda did a great job. My dealer is excellent!

 

[meanstreak]

So, your concern isn't really about the quality of the leather. Rather, it's the use of vinyl alongside leather, that bothers you?

In answer to your question, no, I wasn't aware that vinyl was used and no, I did not notice that the colors of the vinyl and leather didn't exactly match.

Based on your statements, I'm guessing you won't buy the CX-7, correct?

Vince.

A lot of cars these days are leather seating surfaces with Vinyl sides. Some motorcycle seats are made that way also. I remember Corbin Custom Seats claiming that using Vinyl increased the live span of the material because the seat sides seee most of the abuse through compression and Vinyl stretches better than leather and is less likely to crack, but I'm not certian that's true.

I'll have to look closer but mine seemed to match pretty good. I have all black so maybe that's not so bad

 

[jmhumr]

So, your concern isn't really about the quality of the leather. Rather, it's the use of vinyl alongside leather, that bothers you?

In answer to your question, no, I wasn't aware that vinyl was used and no, I did not notice that the colors of the vinyl and leather didn't exactly match.

Based on your statements, I'm guessing you won't buy the CX-7, correct?

Vince.

No, the fact that they used vinyl is fine. The fact that the leather looks like it will mismatch horribly in a couple of years is what bothers me.

I bought my CX-7 back in September.

 

[jmhumr]

I guess when the CX-7 is THIS GOOD, people have to complain about some things right? like gloss on leather & ipod connection. Thatd be the day where i wouldnt buy a car cuz it didnt have a preinstalled aux in the dash (im not saying i wouldnt like the feature, but with tech now, there are so many ways around not having an aux port that its a minor if forgetable problem)

on first test drive, coming from a loaded 2dr accordv6, the leather in the mazda actually impressed me. How it will wear over the long term who knows, but its alot thicker and stiffer than my accord which seemed way too thin and creased easily.

Why can't people be disappointed when they just dropped $30k+ on a car only to find out that Mazda failed to include a feature that comes standard on many cars that cost half as much?

And for those who feel there's not much to gripe about with the CX-7, please take some test drives of the other Small-SUVs/crossovers out there. No doubt the CX-7 is the best-looking and most fun to drive, and I'm a very happy owner. But in terms of features and interior quality, it is either equal to or below brands like Suzuki, Kia, Honda, etc. The companies at or below Mazda's tier have stepped up their game. Mazda needs to step up theirs.

I don't think I'm alone - CX-7 sales are struggling for a reason. I might trade mine in for the GT trim this spring, because there's no way they can liquidate the massive inventories I see built up in my area without practically giving them away.

 

[mikey1981]

They come standard on cars that cost 1/2 as much because the ones that cost 1/2 as much r complete garbage (KIA, SUZIKI, please) so they add that crap in order to attract buyers who actually buy into those features as a selling point.

It is my 100% honest opinion that right now the 7 offers a BLEND of features & quality at this price point that others cannot match. Quality being build quality, crash ratings, etc etc and features being std air bags that Toyota still lacks, Trac Control, Stab Control etc etc as Std features. Thats what matters.

If an ipod jack matters that much to anyone, then maybe u r just the buyer Suziki looking for. Call it an oversite call it whatever you will, its really not that big of deal when u think rationally about it. If it matters that much, then i would recommend blowing 25k on a CRV with 166HP.

This isnt directed to JMH, but a general statement.

 

[CXRabbit]

I guess when the CX-7 is THIS GOOD, people have to complain about some things right? like gloss on leather & ipod connection. Thatd be the day where i wouldnt buy a car cuz it didnt have a preinstalled aux in the dash (im not saying i wouldnt like the feature, but with tech now, there are so many ways around not having an aux port that its a minor if forgetable problem)

I did not go out looking to complain, trust me. And you last part about lack of aux port being a forgettable problem would be true if it played out in the real world.

Offer me a solution then? Cause you know I haven't found one, and that can't be for lack of trying -- even with the "tech now" the only available solutions for the Mazda GT with Tech Package are sucky ones... at least the solutions that come FROM Mazda, hence the complaining ABOUT Mazda.

It is my 100% honest opinion that right now the 7 offers a BLEND of features & quality at this price point that others cannot match. Quality being build quality, crash ratings, etc etc and features being std air bags that Toyota still lacks, Trac Control, Stab Control etc etc as Std features. Thats what matters.

I agree with you on this.
But that doesn't mean I can't have some gripes... especially when some of them were completely unavoidable. A lot of these "little" issues are just that... they would have been LITTLE to very-low-cost for Mazda to address. Some of it was just poor planning.

 

[mikey1981]

I agree, poor planning.

u can get an iPod FM transmitter, those have been around forever, thats a start no? those work on any system.

 

[mikey1981]

and im not saying u cant complain! has there ever been a perfect car? nope

 

[spike blue]

and im not saying u cant complain! has there ever been a perfect car? nope

if there is a perfect car it will cost 400.000 dollars LOL come on if you guys have a lot of gripes why did you buy this beutifull baby???(shrug)

 

[CXRabbit]

I agree, poor planning.

u can get an iPod FM transmitter, those have been around forever, thats a start no? those work on any system.

Hehehehe, it's been talked about here before. FM Transmitters suck... especially in NY. I've tried nearly every one on the market (though there's one or two I didn't try). I kept the one that sounds best (even posted a picture of it here) and it's just too frustrating to listen to.

Some of them look hideous (with wires hanging all over the place), some of them won't charge your iPod at the same time without more wires hanging all over, and all of them have sounded awful.

So it isn't for lack of trying

 

[dmitrik4]

i have a Kensington FM transmitter for my iPod, and it works great. i couldn't find the digital version by the time i needed it, so mine has only 8 frequency choices, but the sound is clear and strong. i can't speak to NYC, as i only use it on long trips.

the CX-7 leather could be nicer, but it's not bad. i wish they had given us the option of heated cloth seats.

i love the car, but if i had to pick something to be improved upon, it would first be the lack of a manual transmission (which would seem to be at the core of the "soul of a sports car"), but a close second would be the hardness of the dash and door surfaces. they look OK, but feel terrible. i think my protege's dash and door surfaces feel nicer.

that said, i'm still extremely happy w/ it.

 

[altspace]

Could have, would have, should have.....it's all the same. Love it or leave it is what I say.

 

[dmitrik4]

perhaps, but i have yet to find a "perfect" car.

 

[UpNorth]

Maybe people would feel better about the thread if it was called a wish list rather than gripes. I think that's really what we're talking about here. From what I've read, people here genuinely love their cx-7s. I know I do. but as with anything, there is room for improvement. Recognizing that doesn't mean I want a different car. I don't think you can beat its mix of value, performance, flair and utility.

 

[jmhumr]

if there is a perfect car it will cost 400.000 dollars LOL come on if you guys have a lot of gripes why did you buy this beutifull baby???(shrug)

Why are you guys sensationalizing everything? Obviously no one here thought these "gripes" were deal-breakers, or we wouldn't have purchased the car!!!

So PLEASE, stop acting like we dislike our cars because there's no iPod adapter, etc. It IS, in fact, possible to find flaws in something you like. I'm positive that even Bentley owners have some gripes about their cars. It doesn't mean you wish you had a different car!

So please, lay off. Mazda appreciates (and in certain cases, acts upon) this kind of feedback - that's why we receive so many surveys. I'm sure you're more than welcome to start a thread titled "Who else thinks their CX-7 is perfect?" Please do that, and stop hijacking this thread by questioning owners who wish Mazda had made some different decisions.

(This isn't directed at spike blue, but everyone who has posted anti-gripe sentiment.)

 

[meanstreak]

Why are you guys sensationalizing everything? Obviously no one here thought these "gripes" were deal-breakers, or we wouldn't have purchased the car!!!

So PLEASE, stop acting like we dislike our cars because there's no iPod adapter, etc. It IS, in fact, possible to find flaws in something you like. I'm positive that even Bentley owners have some gripes about their cars. It doesn't mean you wish you had a different car!

So please, lay off. Mazda appreciates (and in certain cases, acts upon) this kind of feedback - that's why we receive so many surveys. I'm sure you're more than welcome to start a thread titled "Who else thinks their CX-7 is perfect?" Please do that, and stop hijacking this thread by questioning owners who wish Mazda had made some different decisions.

(This isn't directed at spike blue, but everyone who has posted anti-gripe sentiment.)

I love my CX7... flaws included. ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM

 

[tdf2001]

My gripes:

1. Better quality interior materials.
2. Smoother power delivery when starting.
3. Lighted vanity mirrors.

What I absolutely love:
1. Handling
2. Braking
3. Mid-range performance when passing.

Pretty much what most people are saying, it seems.

 

[milhouse19]

My gripes:
2. Smoother power delivery when starting.

Did you get the latest flash update? There is a noticeable difference in power delivery.