Leaked Image Shows What to Expect from the Next Mazda CX-5

• This new generation of the CX-5 could arrive for the 2026 model year.

• The overall look remains close to the current model, with elements taken from more recent Mazda vehicles.

• A hybrid powertrain developed entirely in-house will be available.

Mazda has been working on the next generation of its popular CX-5 crossover for some time now, and a leaked image suggests it could be officially revealed fairly soon.

Posted on the Car Design News Instagram page and spotted by the Spanish website Coche Spias, this photo shows a front three-quarters view of the upcoming model.

While we don’t have confirmation that the next CX-5 will resemble the crossover in the image, multiple prototypes with a similar design have been spotted testing on public roads over the last few months, which lends credence to the leaked photo.

Surprisingly, the new design remains very similar to the current model, apart from the appearance of the front-end and the shape of the side windows.

Indeed, Mazda seems to have kept the overall lines of the second-generation CX-5, which has been on the market since the 2017 model year.

Changes include the front grille, which adopts a thinner chrome accent inspired by more recent Mazda models, such as the CX-50. The bottom of the front bumper is also reworked and now looks more aggressive.

The headlamps are also different, with their inverted L-shape integrating into a crease that surrounds the grille.

New alloy wheel designs are also included, and the window line is reshaped, particularly on the C-pillar.

While the leaked image doesn’t show the rear of the new CX-5, camouflaged prototypes appear to feature similar taillamps to those of the CX-70 and CX-90, along with exposed round tailpipes.

As it currently does, the next CX-5 will benefit from a limited amount of black cladding around the wheel arches in order not to step on the toes of the more outdoorsy CX-50.

Under the hood, the next CX-5 will be available with the automaker’s first hybrid powertrain developed in-house, which means it won’t share the Toyota hybrid system used in the CX-50.

Few technical details are available at the moment, but we know it will use Mazda’s upcoming Skyactiv-Z gasoline engine, which will be introduced in 2027.

This new generation of Skyactiv powertrain promises to be more efficient and more powerful than the current Skyactiv-G models.

More details about the next Mazda CX-5 should be revealed over the coming months, as the Japanese automaker prepares to launch it for the 2026 or 2027 model years.

Source: Car Design News (Instagram) via Coche Spias