Barely two weeks after I had my winter tyres from Continental fitted and the weather has turned nasty.

So it seems only fair to give some initial feedback. Even before the weather turned cold, the tyres were proving themselves in the wet. On a 300-mile round trip using a totally sodden M1 they were noticeably better at tackling standing water. Where the standard tyres would have started to aquaplane, the winters cut through. In the dry and cold there’s a touch more road noise, but given the Mazda‘s superb refinement this is not a big issue.

Now I’m just waiting for the snow to arrive.

Mazda CX-7 2.2 diesel 5dr manual
Mileage 7640
Claimed combined
consumption
37.7mpg
Our average
consumption
34.8mpg
P11D price £26,515
Model price range £26,515
CO2 (tax) 199g/km (31%)
BIK 20/40% per month £136/£273
Service interval 12,500mls
Insurance group 32
Warranty 3yrs/unltd mls
Boot space (min/max) 455/1348 litres
Engine size/power 2184cc/173hp
Top speed/0-62mph 124mph/11.3secs
Why we’re running it Revised CX-7 now (only)
has a diesel variant
Positive Ride comfort, interior
space, Bluetooth
Negative Satnav foibles, A-pillar size