Images of the purported upcoming Mazda CX-5 facelift have found its way onto the interwebs, courtesy of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology once again, our most reliable leaker (hah) thus far.
Based on the images we obtained, it seems that the aesthetic changes on this facelift exercise is relatively mild. Up front, there’s a pair of new headlights with C-shaped daytime-running lights, flanking the slightly revised grille featuring a thicker chrome trim.
Below that, the front bumper has been cleaned up for a cleaner, yet – in our opinion – slightly more aggressive look, thanks to the wider lower air intakes.
It’s also a similar theme at the rear, where the tail lights are slightly reworked with a more angular shape (featuring the same C-shaped light signature), alongside a redesigned bumper. Completing the exterior design changes are the new set of allow wheels.
No interior photos have been spotted thus far, but we don’t expect to see many -if any – updates to the Mazda CX-5 facelift’s cabin. The 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display was only added to the CX-5 (in other markets) earlier this year, so expect that to be retained in this updated model.
As for powertrains, the accompanying data sheet from the Chinese government website mentions two naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine – a 2.0-litre unit with 155 hp, and a 2.5-litre mill with 196 hp, both of which should be from the same SkyActiv-G range as the current model.
Is the Mazda CX-5 2.5L Turbo a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Read our full review here!
With the Chinese badging at the rear, you might think that this could be just another China-exclusive model – which, to be fair, isn’t all that uncommon (like the Mazda CX-4).
However, the Mazda CX-5 in China has historically been the same global model as the rest of the world gets – so unless there’s a big change in the company’s operational policy, the facelift model you’re looking at here will most likely also make its way into Malaysia sometime soon.
Either way, it seems that we don’t need to wait that much longer, as a recent report by Japanese publication Creative Trend suggested that the updated Mazda CX-5 facelift will go on sale in Japan in December this year.
This minor facelift should also be the last one we see of this generation, before the all-new rear-wheel-drive model makes its debut in the next few years.
[images: Autospy, 易车原创/qq.com]
