Mazda uses more of its Kodo design language with the 2017 CX-5 makeover.
It’s promising to be one of the busiest L.A. Auto Shows in years, with manufacturers already signaling plans to preview as many as 50 new cars, trucks and crossovers at the Los Angeles Convention Center next month.
Include Mazda in that list, the Japanese maker adding an all-new version of the CX-5 to the list. Considering current market trends, this could be one of Mazda’s most important launches in several years.
While the automaker isn’t saying much, it issued a statement with this teaser image promising it has “refined all aspects of its award-winning compact SUV’s design and technology to deliver new dimensions of driving joy.”
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As with other recent Mazda entries, the teaser shows the influence of recent concept vehicles, Mazda that it “has taken the CX-5’s KODO — Soul of Motion exterior to a new level, honing the car’s beauty and imparting a formidable combination of sophistication and strength.”
The outgoing Mazda CX-5.
Refinement is the watchword, it seems. Unless we get some surprises in Los Angeles, this isn’t going to be a revolutionary makeover of the Mazda CX-5.
Under the hood, for one thing, the carmaker is expected to retain the current powertrain options for the 2017 CX5. For the U.S., that would mean a choice of a 2.0-liter inline-four, or a bigger 2.5-liter package, both making use of Mazda’s familiar Skyactiv technology. There are almost certainly going to be both front- and all-wheel-drive variants.
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Skyactiv is more than just a suite of powertrain enhancements. It is a holistic approach to car design, Mazda officials are wont to say. On other models, the company’s designers and engineers have addressed everything from chassis design to lugnuts in a bid to improve vehicle dynamics, performance and fuel economy.
Odds are high that the 2017 Mazda CX-5 will come in at least a little lighter than the outgoing crossover. That should boost what is already segment benchmark mileage.
Mazda hinted at its future design direction with the RX-Vision concept shown in Tokyo. last year.
Expect also to see the ’17 CX-5 add Mazda’s intriguing G-Vectoring technology. Unlike torque vectoring, it doesn’t try to enhance handling by shifting torque from left to right. Instead, it subtly modulates engine output to get the nose to hunker down, ever so slightly, as you start to corner. Demonstrations suggest the car will turn better, with less occupant head-toss.
It’s been barely four years since Mazda launched the last CX-5, so the replacement model is coming quick. Visually, the changes are modest, with the crossover getting a lower, broader appearance from more pronounced fenders and a sleeker greenhouse.
The interior is certain to get updated, as well, and that should include not only a more refined look and feel, with upgraded material choices, but an improved infotainment package, the outgoing system taking some hits for its display and balky voice response capabilities.
We’ll find out more in barely three weeks, when Mazda takes the spotlight at the 2016 L.A. Auto Show.
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