I could be wrong, but it seems like the gen 1 CX5 owners don't like the 17's because in their mind its the "same car". It might share a similar (it's not identical) chassis and motor, but it's certainly not the same car. This car is not a mid-life refresh, Mazda sees it as a brand new car the same way they see the CX-9, which is why they look so much alike inside and out. Like it or not it's a new car, and most of us like it. The old CX5 was nice to look at but it certainly didn't feel like it was as nice as as an A4, ATS, TLX, or Q50 whereas the new CX5 does. Sure it's not as fast as them, and it doesn't use premium fuel, but the '17 CX5 is a little luxury CUV.