Mother Proof's view

Who was the genius who decided to implant Mommy Guilt into women alongside the embryo in the uterine wall? Here’s an example: I was off enjoying a day at the spa recently – courtesy of my father, who must think I’m a total wreck because with each birthday the spa gift certificate gets much more involved – and while being rubbed down by Hunky Male Masseuse I found my mind wandering. I was trying to force my fantasyland thoughts toward Male Masseuse showing up at my door all manly and retro-like, decked out in stubble and (clean) flannel, presenting me with a Christmas tree he’d just cut down from the fictional forest near my home. The tree was sparkling with perfectly formed snowflakes, and of course was already centered in that freakin’ Christmas tree stand. That fantasy, however, kept being rudely interrupted by Mommy Guilt, who incessantly nagged, “Make your menu list for the week, call Cade’s teacher for a status report on her phonetics, and don’t tip Male Masseuse too heavily – spend that money on an extra Christmas gift for the kids.”

Despite my tactically kind, warm and polite pleading to Mommy Guilt, “Please quiet down, I’m trying to recharge so I can be the best mommy possible,” she didn’t go away. Mommy Guilt never seems to listen to me, and she never stops nagging. That is, until the two of us climbed into the shiny new 2008 Mazda CX-7 in my driveway. This car is sleek and sexy from the outside in, which seems like a direct invitation for Mommy Guilt to intrude: “That car couldn’t possibly be functional, safe and flexible enough to accommodate your growing girls.”

The great news is that not even Mommy Guilt could ruin my two weeks in the CX-7. As soon as she experienced the luxurious seat heater and swanky faux croc suede detail in the front seats, she was as quiet as a mouse.

Mommy Guilt discovered that while the turbocharged engine in the CX-7 was fun to play around with (safely), the kids could easy buckle themselves into their booster seats. They had independent access to their very own cupholders, thanks to the CX-7 having two of them hidden in the backseat’s fold-down center armrest. Speaking of storing things, Mommy Guilt loved the cavernous center console in which she could stash her bag of sneaky tricks, keeping them on hand so they could be pulled out at the most inopportune moments. When she’s in rare form, she could even pull the lever in the cargo space, fold the backseat and make room for bucco bags full of regret, remorse, shame, distress, disappointment and conscience.

Mommy Guilt was thrilled that a CX-7 with all-wheel drive has a base price under $30K, and she quivered with the knowledge that this also got her dynamic stability control and traction control (allowing us to get the kids to school safely even in the most slippery conditions), a tire pressure monitoring system and 24-hour roadside assistance, just in case. One could easily pay $5K more for similar features; the tradeoff is that this low-ish price tag meant having to put up with more road noise than Mommy Guilt would normally care for. Also, she didn’t love the center rear seat belt that extended down from the ceiling (that’s a pet peeve of hers).

All in all, Mazda stopped Mommy Guilt in her tracks with the CX-7. Turns out, I can be a good mom and drive a cool car. Let me repeat that mantra: I can be a good mom and drive a cool car! Thanks to that ah-ha moment, I think Mazda and I will be BFF.

*For more information on the Mazda CX-7 and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.

LET’S TALK NUMBERS

Latch Connectors: 2

Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): Groove On

Specs

2008 Mazda CX-7

Base price: $28,000

Price as tested: $31,250

Engine: 244-hp, 2.3-liter I-4

Fuel: 16/22 mpg

Length: 184.1″

Width: 73.7″

Ground Clearance: 8.1″

Turning Radius: 18.7 ft

Cargo space: 29.9-58.6 cu ft

NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings

Frontal Impact

Driver’s side: 5 Stars

Passenger’s side: 5 Stars

Side Impact

Front occupant: 5 Stars

Rear occupant: 5 Stars

Rollover resistance: 4 Stars