The Mazda CX-7 will be hitting showrooms in UK in September and is specifically engineered to meet the demands of European drivers basing on the test drive and tuning programme carried out by Mazda's European R&D Center (MRE) based in Oberusel, near Frankfurt, Germany.

The launching of the CX-7 in both North America and Japan has been successful so far with 46,000 units sold. The CX-7 was assessed by MRE and tuned for driving performance and craftsmanship that meets European standards.

Almost 30 percent of the European Mazda CX-7 set up is distinct from other global versions. The tuning programme employed 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.

Alongside Mazda's European design studio the R&D Center also has a dedicated team that ensures every model complies with European specifications, regulations, market needs, and tastes. For the Mazda CX-7, an engineering team of 15 has used the US version as their basis and from there started developing the different specifications needed to match European customer tastes.

The engineering team started by studying the best of the European competition on European roads. And together with suppliers and Mazda Japan the producer of Mazda park light, the team worked hard to deliver a driving feel that takes more a sporty direction by testing the European CX-7 on Nürburgring's Nordschleife mountain roads, on German autobahns at high speed. The team has also conducted winter testing of the CX-7 in Northern Europe.

The team has also included powertrain testing of the Mazda CX-7's high performance 2.3 liter DISI turbo petrol engine that revs up 191kW/260 PS of output and 380 Nm of torque similar to Mazda's MPS engine. The DISI turbo petrol engine is mated to a specially-developed six-speed manual transmission. Top sped tests were also conducted on Germany's autobahns, together with maximum speed limiter control and high-speed acceleration.

Moreover, an intensive chassis testing was also performed at Nürburgring's "green hell" or the Nordschleife since the European market has unique requirements for high speed stability. How was the chassis testing conducted? The first step focuses on the overall body rigidity the different parts of the chassis where reinforced to increase stability. Likewise, the front cross members and the ones placed on the transmission tunnel were made thicker same with the front suspension towers.

Why employed too much effort on the CX-7 for Europe? You see European drivers' wants to feel they are connected to the road, which makes road feedback an important factor for the CX-7. To provide such the suspension of the CX-7 was reworked. Like for instance, the pull bars that link the rear suspension to the body make use of a different layout. The suspension settings were also redefined to find the perfect blend of agility and drive comfort. The tires steering qualities and ESP settings are all made distinct as well.

All these enhancements combined the spaciousness of SUV roominess and flexibility in one stunning vehicle the Mazda CX-7. The all-new CX-7 is expected to set new standard in its segment in Europe. The CX-7 is demanding, sporty, and different and will definitely provide European customers with everything that want to support their multi-activity lifestyle.