are you kidding? i don't even know which is which but the first one looks WAY better/different to me.

seats, vents, doors, on and on.

 

so this is basically just a refreshed cx-5 that they're going to call the cx-50, is that right? it's hard to keep track sometimes.

also, carscoops says it will only be offered with awd (great). i assume this is because subaru has crushed mazda on this. also, given the subaru, mazda, toyota love triangle, i wouldn't be surprised if mazda isn't just using subaru's parts.

 

No, the refreshed/facelifted CX-5 debuted earlier this year, is made in Japan, still has multi-link suspension, etc. The CX-50 is built in Alabama and shares the same platform as the CX-30 and the Mazda3, the main difference being that it has torsion beam rear suspension.

Mazda is moving to AWD-only for all of their crossovers/SUVs in the US and Canada. No word on whether AWD-only will become a global thing. I don't see Mazda using Subaru parts for anything significant, but time will tell.

Also, in the interior pics above, the first pic is the CX-50, second is the CX-30. They look different enough to me, more than I would expect from two different models under the same brand.

 

Interesting comparison on your part between Subaru and Mazda AWD marketing . But one thing that makes the Subaru AWD systems so popular and attractive is the Symmetrical simplicity, ease of service/repair, effectiveness on slippery roads, and low insurance costs of the Subaru systems, compared to the more complex and difficult-to-repair systems with transverse engines. It's one reason (among several) why Subarus, long ago, became cult-vehicles, and have a dedicated group of buyers even today. Even in the D.C. area, which does not have consistantly severe winters (and sometimes very mild ones), the Crosstrek, Outback, and Forester all sell like there is no tomorrow.

 

Can we call it a Navajo? <g>