It is easy to be nonplussed by crossovers - is it a small SUV or a hatchback on steroids? It doesn't usually have any real off-roading abilities so you can't take it dune bashing but, on the other hand, it's roomy yet generally as easy to drive and park as a Ford Focus. The two main benefits, as far as I can tell, of the ubiquitous crossover is the extra height for better visibility in traffic, a bit more cargo space than a hatchback and a safer way to transport the family.
The Mazda CX-7 ticks these three boxes admirably - with a few pleasing extras that make it a great value family car with a base price of Dh94,000. I'd advise anyone considering the Lexus RX crossover, with a base price of Dh161,000, and the Infiniti FX, with a whopping base price of Dh209,000, to take a look at a top of the line CX-7 for around Dh120,000.
For that price, you'll get a car that is just as attractive as either the RX or the FX, very comfortable leather seats, an excellent Bose sound system and super-efficient a/c that can drop the cabin temperature to 15°C, perfect for quickly ensuring you can still touch the wheel after leaving the car parked in the summer heat.
You might get a V6 engine with the premium crossovers, but I found the 2.4L four-cylinder engine offered plenty of poke on the motorway. The CX-7 has two more Nm of torque than the RX and only five Nm less than the Infiniti. And if you are considering this as a family car, as is the profile of most crossover buyers, why the heck do you need to be burning down the motorway at 200kph anyway? If you care about your kids, there is no need for such speed, it is that simple.
Adding to the CX-7's care-for-kids credentials are ABS, a very reliable stability control system, curtain airbags in the back as well as the two front bags and the middle rear seat has, dangling from the ceiling, a proper three-point seat belt. I really hope it is used and that the car is never driven with more people than there are seat belts.
As standard on the CX-7, as it really should be for any SUV or crossover where rear visibility is limited, there is a pretty good reversing camera on the dashboard. I still prefer the clever reversing cameras that pop up in the rear view mirror, but it is always a handy feature on a car that can be nerve-racking to drive backwards, especially in a crowded mall car park or a street with kids playing.
The CX-7's six-speed gearbox is a blessing too. A couple of weeks ago I tested the Mazda3, a car that should by rights be a solid rival to the Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sunny but as all three cars have a lame four-speed automatic box, all three can be equally frustrating to drive. If Mazda decided to incorporate the CX-7's six-speed transmission into the Mazda3, it would be the clear segment leader among these smaller Japanese cars.
But if you want to enjoy this excellent gearbox, you'll have to trade up to the CX-7, CX-9 or the Mazda 6 Ultra. It is almost as good as the six-speed gearbox Volkswagen use on the Passat and Golf GTI. Both Volkswagen and Mazda have come up with transmissions that shift gear seamlessly in automatic mode and do double duty as a sequential manual for when more control is required.
The only two quibbles I really had with the CX-7 were the hard-to-read speedometer and the possible car theft risk with the starter button.
I am seriously long-sighted but the speedometer has been sunk deep into the dash behind the steering wheel. With sunglasses on, the only sane way to drive in UAE daylight, the orange on black is not easy to read.
Keyless entry is all well and good but I am still not entirely convinced by keyless start-up, especially if you left the car unlocked. It would be very easy for someone, either a thief or perhaps an errant teenager, to take. Still, car theft rates are exceedingly low in the UAE and given the number of people in my neighbourhood who think nothing of obnoxiously leaving their car parked with the engine running and hazard lights on, CX-7s probably won't end up being used in Abu Dhabi ram-raids any time soon.
glewis@thenational.ae
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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57%20Seconds
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Company%20profile
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
