Mazda never rests, especially when it comes to its best-selling models in the US markets. Mazda’s CX-5 which originally debuted in 2013 and got refreshed for the 2016 model year, is now in its second gen with updated design as well as a few other things. It is supposed to make its debut at Los Angeles Auto Show in these forthcoming days, and we are going to present you a few things that you need to know before you officially see it.
2017 Mazda CX-5 Color
First, with the new design of 2017 Mazda CX-5 debuts another thing and that is a new color scheme which represents the evolution in the paint techniques that Mazda has been perfecting for a long time. It now adds aluminum flakes and an additional translucent layer which provides a very deep and saturated red color and is called Soul Red Crystal.
The dimensions
Second, Mazda really put some effort into making this one serve both passengers and driver. To manage just that they moved the A-pillars back 35 mm which, according to them helps improve drivers visibility. They also lowered it slightly to make it more grippy and broaden its front and rear tread to give it kinda sport-looking stance. The nose of the car looks somewhat bigger, especially in the photos, but that is not the case when you look at it live. The short rear overhang somehow helps it look rather shorter than the previous CX-5. The reality is that the both old and new CX-5 vehicles are pretty much about the same length, with the exception of the US market where the new model will be 179.1 inches long compared to the old model’s 178.7.
Mazda CX-5 Interior
Third, entire interior has been changed and upgraded, which is now a great news when it comes to new models. Lately, automakers have just taken the previous versions interior shuffled a few things around, upgraded the upholstery and abracadabra there you have it, new interior. No, that is not what Mazda did. They positioned the floor console and the shift knob higher up for easier access, installed, first ever in Mazda, reclining seats with a two-step mechanism. When we are on the topic of seats, we must say that they now give out a certain richly luxurious and expensive feel like the newly designed cushions adapt way better to the passenger’s lower body. To push everything even further and to offer even more we are now getting heating function. The tech side of it brings a lot of goodies such as a head-up display that projects navigation directions on the windshield as well as a high-resolution 4.6-inch color TFT digital display to the right of the instrument cluster.
Engine department
Fourth, and a little disappointing, thing is the fact that Mazda will continue to use the same engines from the previous model – 2.0 L, 2.2 L, and a 2.5 L diesel units but they haven’t disclosed any of the specifications regarding the lineup. What is more likely is that they will remain the same as in CX-5’s predecessor. North America is supposed to get the 2.5 L engine that made 184 HP and 185 lb-ft of torque on the 2016 model, and the company announced that they will bring the 2.2 L diesel to the US in the second half of 2017.
The fifth and the last thing we have to fill you in is the attempt of Mazda to minimize the road noise coming into the cabin, which was a painful spot on the previous model as well as on the good amount of other compact crossover class vehicles. The automaker has focused on reducing low-frequency road noise on harsh roads and high-frequency wind and tire noises when traveling at high speeds. They claim that the new model has achieved “approximately 10 percent clearer conversation levels” than the previous model when driving at 62 MPH. Impressive!
