CX-5 body style changes for 2021?

ahh yes the rumor mill .. most if not all of the reporting on the topic is very generic at best:
 
I think the rumor is 2021 will still be the same. 2022 is when change will start.

That's what I've surmised as well. If true, it's pretty poor timing on Mazda NA's part. All other companies are pushing all sorts of SUVs/crossovers into the center of the table, and the best Mazda has done is goof around with tiny cars (Mazda3, CX-30, MX-30) that don't sell well in NA. They're completely whiffing on crossover craze by merely tinkering with the CX-5 and CX-9 and, most importantly, failing to offer something in between those two.
 
my guess is that for 2021 the CX-5 will get rebranded as the CX-50 and get the new style interior then
 
Isn't the traditional model cycle five years minimum. 2017-2021 would complete the run and fall 2021 we will get our much ballyhooed 3rd gen CX-5(0).
 
Isn't the traditional model cycle five years minimum. 2017-2021 would complete the run and fall 2021 we will get our much ballyhooed 3rd gen CX-5(0).

Yes, but the 2017+ CX-5 wasn’t all new. It was essentially a major facelift and update using the same platform as before.
 
That's what I've surmised as well. If true, it's pretty poor timing on Mazda NA's part. All other companies are pushing all sorts of SUVs/crossovers into the center of the table, and the best Mazda has done is goof around with tiny cars (Mazda3, CX-30, MX-30) that don't sell well in NA. They're completely whiffing on crossover craze by merely tinkering with the CX-5 and CX-9 and, most importantly, failing to offer something in between those two.

But smaller cars are in much higher demand in Asia and Europe, which combined equal a market greater than twice the size of North America, with a massively higher potential for growth. China alone is the largest auto market in the world.
 
But smaller cars are in much higher demand in Asia and Europe, which combined equal a market greater than twice the size of North America, with a massively higher potential for growth. China alone is the largest auto market in the world.

Glorified hatches are fine for those markets, but Mazda NA has been their most successful market and they’ve been offering the same two SUVs for nearly a decade. That’s just bad business.
 
Glorified hatches are fine for those markets, but Mazda NA has been their most successful market and they’ve been offering the same two SUVs for nearly a decade. That’s just bad business.

North America represents only 27% of Mazda’s market.

If Mazda really wanted to increase sales in North America, they would invest in pick-up trucks — by far the best selling vehicle type in the USA.

Further, there aren’t having any difficulty selling their crossovers even without major updates — Hell, I just bought one because I judged my 2020 CX-5 to be the best of the bunch of all 2020 models available ... coming in as a completely open book in my search. I had zero brand loyalty going in after having only owned two vehicles in the past 20 years.

My shopping search included both mid-size sedans and 5-seat crossovers from EVERY major manufacturer. I visited dealerships to sit in (and in some cases test drive) brand new Hondas, Toyotas, Fords, Hyundais, Kias, Subarus, Mitsubishi’s, and Nissans.

Further, while the CX-5 hasn’t had a major redesign in a while, that’s allowed them time to iron out the majority of the kinks (and that’s important, too, as any redesign will inevitably include new ones). And to be fair, there have been some model year over year updates (to my understanding include better noise reduction, more standard advanced safety features on every trim, the addition of CarPlay and Android Auto ... )

This is subjective, but I think it’s still got the best curb appeal and the best looking interior (in the GT/GTR) in its class (though I liked the Rouge’s interior, too). I was shocked by how cheap and uncomfortable (cheap plastics and rock-hard armrests) even top end trims on the market leaders (such as Toyota and Honda) were.

I would have preferred a hybrid option, remote start, and a way to adjust the cargo floor to provide a truly flat floor with the rear seats folded down, but other than that, I’m pretty damn happy.
 

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The 2021 100th anniversary edition photos look exactly the same as the 2020 model down to the infotainment system. Probably a couple of small tweaks to packages, but nothing worth waiting for. 2022 or 2023 will be the year of big changes.
 
Mazda president Akira Marumoto said the launch of the new platform, which will include the next-gen CX-5 (or, as as others have mentioned, likely renamed CX-50) has been pushed back to 2023. Don't know quite how that impacts the 2021 & 2022 CX-5's, but it in the current state of the automotive industry, combined with the current CX-5's being so well received, it wouldn't surprise me if they stand pat until the new platform launches.

And when it does, oh boy! Reportedly, it'll be RWD biased. Plus, expect Mazda to enter the hybrid/EV market since creating more flexibility for different emerging drivetrain technologies was cited as the reason for the delay in platform development.

Anyway, I'm already looking forward to 2023, and the wife and I are well positioned for the next-gen. We recently took out a 3-yr lease on a 2020 CX-5 GTR, and bought-out the lease on our previous 2017 CX-5 Touring. Assuming the 2023's live up to my imagined expectations, that'll come just in time for our next purchase/lease. I also expect to buy-out the lease on the 2020 and keep it too. So, we expect to continue to be a two CX-5 family (maybe three?).
 
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Mazda president Akira Marumoto said the launch of the new platform, which will include the next-gen CX-5 (or, as as others have mentioned, likely renamed CX-50) has been pushed back to 2023. Don't know quite how that impacts the 2021 & 2022 CX-5's, but it in the current state of the automotive industry, combined with the current CX-5's being so well received, it wouldn't surprise me if they stand pat until the new platform launches.

And when it does, oh boy! Reportedly, it'll be RWD biased. Plus, expect Mazda to enter the hybrid/EV market since creating more flexibility for different emerging drivetrain technologies was cited as the reason for the delay in platform development.

Anyway, I'm already looking forward to 2023, and they wife and I are well positioned for the next-gen. We recently took out a 3-yr lease on a 2020 CX-5 GTR, and bought-out the lease on our previous 2017 CX-5 Touring. Assuming the 2023's live up to my imagined expectations, that'll come just in time for our next purchase/lease. I also expect to buy-out the lease on the 2020 and keep it too. So, we expect to continue to be a two CX-5 family (maybe three?).
curious as to why you choose to lease then buyout..isn't that more expensive?
 
curious as to why you choose to lease then buyout..isn't that more expensive?
It's what works for us. Taking advantage of lease deals keeps the monthly down. And buying it out at the end doesn't really make it more expensive; just spreads it out, with Mazda carrying the "unfinanced" part (the residual value) during the lease.

As it turned out this time, my wife only put 12K miles on the 2017 in 3 years driving it. So, the residual/payoff based on an anticipated 30K miles driven was already below market (see the final paragraph as to why I say "already"). So, we decided it was a keeper. I expect a similar situation when the 3 year lease on the 2020 is up. In fact, with her working from home at least through the end of the year, and probably beyond, I'm guessing the miles will be even lower.

Anyway, I've leased at least a dozen cars in the past. It is essentially just another form of finance with a balloon note on the end. Of course, you have the option of turning it back in. But I have never simply turned one in at lease end. We either trade them before the lease is up, or we pay it off in order to keep or sell it ourselves. That way you avoid any extra fees for excess miles or dents & dings, and you retain any equity in the vehicle for yourself. Even when we didn't want to keep one, I've never lost money trading or selling an off-lease car, and have made money on most.

There's also a little trick I learned a while back. A brand dealership can usually negotiate the lease-end buyout down. In the case of the 2017 CX-5 they were able to knock off $2,000, which we split with the dealer. So, our payoff was reduced by a grand, they made a tidy profit for handling the re-fi, and they gave us a heckuva deal on the 2020 to boot! Everybody's happy!
 
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It's what works for us. Taking advantage of lease deals keeps the monthly down.

Doesn’t putting that last balloon payment you’ll wind up making toward a down payment in the beginning due the same thing?

I read something about there being tax benefits or incentives if you owned a business that actually leased your cars for you ... is that your situation?

When I ran the numbers for myself, I found by buying (at 0% Interest) everything I paid went towards my equity in the car; while if choosing to lease, my money went toward both finance charges and (essentially) the fees for a long-term car rental. None gave me equity.

Worse, at the end of the lease I might owe significantly more if I went over mileage or returned it with (as you said) some dents or dings. At which point, my choice was to pay even more for a car I would never drive again; or be stuck buying it as a used car at essentially the same price anyone coming in off the street would pay.

Since the starting price was the same, and I reasoned, considering how many boxes this car ticked off my shopping wish list, and how I’d made my last two cars last me nearly 21 years (I’m a up, up, and away guy ... never put much priority in my car); I wasn’t likely to want to get something else in just a few years ... and given my profession (which involves not being able at all to predict what kind of commute I might have, and thus if I’ll drive 10,000 miles a year or 30,000) ... leasing didn’t seem to be the right way to go for me.

But still very curious to learn more about the process.
 
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