Redesigned Mazda CX-5 Leaks Online Ahead of Official Debut

The third-generation Mazda CX-5, which spy photographers have already caught on the road wearing camouflage, appears to be getting awfully close to its official debut, expected later in 2025.

A picture has just leaked online via Coche Spias (with @cardesignnews as the source), showing us the redesigned CX-5 without any disguise. The quality isn't great, but we can still appreciate the revisions made to the exterior, at least on the front and sides.

Unsurprisingly, the evolution of the Kodo design language is a conservative one. After all, why mess with a good thing? The current CX-5, launched for 2017, remains by far Mazda’s best-selling product, although it has lost ground to the competition in recent years. Similar to the CX-9 that became the CX-90, the new model boasts a more upscale appearance. At the same time, the front bumper is more prominent and more sculpted, adding muscle and sportiness to the CX-5.

Photo: Coche Spias

Some of the lines vaguely remind us of the sleek EZ-60 electric crossover that Mazda unveiled in Shanghai last April, but this CX-5 arguably has a unique identity. The silhouette looks a little longer, too, supported by contrasting black trim on the wheel arches and lower body.

Although we don’t have a good shot of them, the redesigned wheels look much better than what we're used to from Mazda. By the way, it's impossible to know the trim level of the CX-5 pictured here.

Will the new Mazda CX-5 arrive as a 2026 or 2027 model? That's yet to be confirmed. What we do know for sure is that the company is working on an all-new gasoline engine called SKYACTIV-Z which, unlike the SKYACTIV-X that came before, will be offered in North America. Combined with Mazda's new in-house hybrid system (different from the Toyota-sourced powertrain in the CX-50 Hybrid), it’s expected to debut in the next-generation CX-5 sometime in 2027.

Photo: Mazda

Speaking of the CX-50, orders in Canada have been suspended since May 12 due to the new countertariffs. This is Mazda's only vehicle assembled in the U.S., at a joint plant with the Toyota Corolla Cross. The automaker is not giving up permanently on the CX-50. Instead, it will indefinitely pause production for the Canadian market. With that in mind, the new CX-5 can’t come soon enough.

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