As mentioned in another thread, today (Friday) presented the first viewing of the 2017 version of the CX5 in our showrooms.
First impressions - somewhat mixed really with a few nice features being either added or modified whilst other modifications such as the relocated MZD don't impress me personally.
From the front the car looks really attractive with a lot of the design being adopted from other Mazda models. The additional chrome around the rear quarter windows look nice but are not something that I would willingly pay extra for.
The interior has had a bit of a makeover with at long last an arm rest being installed that is usable by the driver. With the current model I find it located far too much to the rear. Additionally, there is a useful little tray in which to place the Smartphone and charging facility.
I do like the reshaped fuel lid which also feels a lot more solid when rapped with the knuckles. The current model lid has always given me the impression that it was constructed from old bake bean cans lol.
And look what is revealed when one pops the lid. The salesperson really couldn't offer an explanation for the blanking plug to the right of the fuelling cap and I wonder if perhaps Mazda have it in there minds to introduce an AdBlue tank for subsequent updates to the model. An alternative view of course is that in some markets an AdBlue tank is already fitted.
Whilst on the subject of fuel caps, I also like the relocated fuel cap release which is now situated next to the bonnet release and not on the floor.
I almost missed the updated wing mirrors and whilst the overall shape remains visually to be the same, one is hard pushed to notice the indicator repeaters that are nicely slotted in between the upper white part of the mirror and the lower black section. In fact, on the adjoining car which was a grey colour the transition was even harder to make out.
It should be noted that the advertised HUD (Head Up Display) is somewhat confusing. On the standard and middle version of the vehicle it is a small pop-up window that appears on top of the dash in front of the driver. For the truly HUD feeling one has to invest in the top of the range model. I only got to see this on a demonstrator that was undergoing having transfers and the like being affixed in the underground garage and so it was far too dark to take reasonable pictures with my Smartphone. However, for those, like me, who perhaps have never experienced the HUD feature it really is quite unusual. I fully expected the cars reading to appear on the windscreen directly in front of me which in reality it does of course. That said, the projection is such that one has the feeling of reading numerals that are located some way in the distance and are part of another car. It's a bit like reading another vehicles number plate that is in front of you when waiting at the traffic lights. Strange indeed.
Summary. There's not enough here to make me want to rush out to the bank and draw out a heap of money to replace my current late 2015 model. That said, with a price increase of only approx three hundred Euro's over the past two years, it certainly does awake ones interest.