SPY PICS: Mazda's new CX-5 almost ready

It's been the nation's most popular SUV since it burst onto the market in 2012, and now it's almost time for a new CX-5.

Here are the first shots of the second-generation CX-5, snapped here filling up at a service station during development testing in southern California.

Look past the disguise on this Michigan-registered prototype and it's clear the new CX-5's body design will be evolutionary, which isn't surprising when Mazda Australia sold more than 25,000 of the popular mid-size SUVs last year.

Yes, the slightly rounder five-door wagon body design wears Mazda's latest corporate face as seen on the facelifted Mazda 3 and 6 -- complete with signature wing extending into the headlights – and borrows styling cues from both the bigger new CX-9 and smaller China-only CX-4.

Inside the more aerodynamic body, there's likely to be a significant move upmarket in terms of materials quality and equipment levels, including an extension of Mazda's ACTIVESENSE active safety suite.

But it's underneath where the big changes occur.

The original CX-5 was Mazda's first all-new 'SKYACTIV' model -- and the first to wear its latest 'Kodo' design language — in 2012, since which time it has produced redesigned 6, 3, 2, MX-5 and CX-9 models.

So its successor was always going to be the opening salvo in the Japanese car-maker's next-generation SKYACTIV II model range five years later in 2017.

That means further developments in the company's SKYACTIV body, chassis and, perhaps most importantly, powertrain technologies.

Mazda cut its fleet-average fuel consumption by 30 per cent between 2008 and 2015, and aims to achieve the same reduction with its seventh-generation model range starting next year.

Key to that will be a new range of SKYACTIV II engines, petrol versions of which are expected to introduce diesel-like homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion technology with compression ratios as high as 18.0:1.
While the existing CX-5 is already one of the most efficient models in its class, the engine advances should combine with weight reductions to lower fuel consumption to less than 5.0L/100km for both petrol versions (currently as low as 6.4L/100km) and diesels (5.7L/.100km).

It's not clear if the new CX-5 will come with the new HCCI engines from launch or whether they're being reserved for a midlife upgrade due around 2020, by which time Europe will have mandated fleet-average CO2 emissions of just 95g/km.

Combined with the added scrutiny and awareness of diesel emissions in the US and Europe following Volkswagen's Dieselgate scandal – and Mazda's promise nearly four years ago to introduce a diesel model in North America – there's plenty riding on the new CX-5 diesel.

Efficiency gains should come despite an expected increase in interior space – both to further differentiate the CX-5 from the newer CX-3 and compete with rivals like next year's all-new Honda CR-V – and it's possible the next CX-5 could spawn a seven-seat version that would revive the CX-7 name and slot between the CX-7 and CX-9.

Given its importance in the US — and the fact the current (facelifted) model was revealed there in 2014, followed by the new CX-9 last year — expect the MkII CX-5 to make its world debut at this year's Los Angeles motor show in November, before going on sale Down Under next year.