If it seems like Mazda’s CX-5 crossover is as fresh as the driven snow, it really isn’t. The current model?which we still really, really like?debuted as a 2013 model four years ago. That means it’s about time for a redesign, and Mazda has one in the wings for 2017 (we previously predicted it would be a 2018 model, but Mazda proved us wrong!). Oh, and the automaker is already teasing us with a darkened photo of the new CX-5.

At first blush it might not appear as though the new CX-5 crossover is any different from the old one, but look more closely, and the new is revealed. (To help you visualize the changes, we’ve enhanced and lightened Mazda’s photo, above.) The fenders on the new model are pumped up, Arnold style, to meet the wheels in more dramatic fashion, while the greenhouse is sleeker than before. Mazda clearly took inspiration from its new CX-9 three-row crossover when designing the 5’s front end, resulting in a long hood and a buff grille flanked by squinty headlights.
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So far, the image above is all Mazda has provided in terms of information or details surrounding the new CX-5. To learn more, we’ll have to wait for the crossover’s 2016 Los Angeles auto show debut. For now, we’ll say things are certainly looking good.

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