Thank you. Keeping the car, I wasn’t overwhelmed with the CX-5. Don’t need all the extra toys.

I felt the same when I looked to change my 15yo gen-1 Mazda3 to a new gen-3 car back in early 2017. Nice car it was, but it (despite having 20% more power and 50% more torque) underwhelmed on the perfomance front and the purchase price was high (as was most rivals at the time). I had similar issues trying to find a mid-spec car - 75% were top spec, anothe 15-20% base spec (no climate control), little to no bargians on mid spec cars on the few that were even available.

The latest cars are a significant step up in interior quality and styling, and the SA-X engine and the 2.5 SA-G are decent (if not spectacular), but it is tough finding a reasonably-priced one, as most cars are (including those second hand up to 2yo).

If I were you, keep looking until you find what exactly suits you best, then keep an eye on dealers and the car supermarkets for particular bargains that may appear from time to time. You migth get lucky with a local dealer or car supermarket desperate to flog something you really like. Then you can pounce before anyone else does.

That's how I snapped up my current car (del miles only car at Motorpoint), saving over 25% (£3k+) on the new price back in 2006 and well over £1k the best price that any broker could get at the time. Unfortunately, the market being as it is at the moment means that supply is severely restricted for newer cars, leading to higher prices on the secondhand front.