Mazda most certainly does not have the marketing muscle of monster car makers like Ford, Toyota, General Motors, Nissan and even Honda. So you might not have noticed, even heard, that there is a revamped CX-5 small SUV (sport-utility vehicle) for sale.

2017 CX-5 cabin: a vast improvement over the 2012-2016 version. The driving position is excellent and the centre stack topped off by the seven-inch screen is well conceived and executed.

But you should know about the 2017 CX-5. Even though the exterior design change are modest to the point of being unnoticeable, overall, the CX-5 at the top of a class of best-sellers, from Ford’s Escape to Toyota’s RAV4, Chevrolet’s Equinox, Nissan’s Rogue, Honda’s CR-V and more.

The CX-5 – right through all the 698 changes made for 2017 – is, in fact, a sophisticated little rig with lots of room for your IKEA take-homes in the cargo hold, composed behavior on any type of roadway, a handsome cabin, excellent seats and a history of being a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (The 2017 model has not yet been rated, but should at least match the 2016 score.)

If you’re shopping for one of these family-type rides – and 406,116 Canadians bought a compact SUV last year – then you are going to have a tough go of it. Not because you don’t have much to choose from, but because you suffer an over-abundance of choice.

Strip out the badges and logos, and you might think you’re in a German SUV.

Honda has just done a total re-vamp of the CR-V and a complete re-do of the Equinox is just now coming. Ford also nicely updated the Escape for 2017.

Nissan, likewise, has improved the Rogue for the current model year and this tall wagon is now the best-selling vehicle in the United States. Subaru gave the Forester a recent makeover and Kia reinvented the Sportage just last year, 12 months after Hyundai did the same for the Tucson.

And while a totally new Volkswagen Tiguan is coming, I should point out that this VW’s electronics were recently improved. That leaves Jeep’s Cherokee, the fifth most-popular in the class. It’s a nice ride, but – shockingly – the Cherokee now feels just a little dated.

As for the CX-5, if we stripped off all the badges and markings and put you behind the wheel of a loaded GT ($36,730, but the base model is $24,900), you might mistake it for some sort of German SUV. Mazda hopes someday to be known as the BMW of Japan, so this is fitting.

A simple and useful centre console. The controller knob is not the complex disaster commonplace with German cars. This design works.

What fits particularly well in the cabin is the new seven-inch, centre-stack touchscreen. The outgoing iteration of this piece of essential technology – the screen and its functioning — was small and cheap and performed accordingly. This new screen, vital in the age of smartphones, now has the size, resolution, contrast and high-up position to make it completely useful and user-friendly.

Similarly, the head-up display available for the GT with the Technology package is not the dollar-store imitation of a head-up display Mazda ran with for several years, but instead a crystal clear visual that helps you keep focused on the road ahead while monitoring speed and other functions.

Those of you who still care about the actual experience of driving – who don’t see their car as nothing more than appliance – will love all that Mazda has done for the 2017 CX-5.

You will enjoy the experience of driving this CX-5. If you want an automotive appliance, shop something else.

It all starts with driver comfort. The steering wheel and pedals are placed precisely where they need to be, while the centre console and shift lever are within easy reach. Seats all around are excellent.

But it’s when you get moving that the fun begins. The chassis, we’re told, is 15 per cent stiffer, which means better suspension tuning – a more complete balance of handling and ride comfort. Mazda is making available something called G-Vectoring Control in all-wheel-drive models and it uses engine timing to control chassis dynamics. Amazing.

If you get AWD, you also get a new ball-bearing rear differential. No small thing, this. It’s stronger and more efficient and suffers less friction in a place always under some stress.

On top of all that, this CX-5 has a lower centre of gravity and a wider front and rear track. All good for handling. For visibility, the A-pillars have been pushed slightly rearward, the beltline is lower and the rear pane is now a single piece of glass.

Details like the stitching, the mixture of colors and tones, the placement of the door pull…all this stuff is done well in the CX-5.

Add all this up, throw in more sound insulation and the 2.5-litre four-cylinder in my tester (187 horsepower, 185 lb.-ft. torque) and what you’ve got is a high-zoot little SUV with leather-trimmed upholstery and tremendous usefulness. You would in fact be remiss if you chose to ignore the CX-5, if you found yourself overwhelmed by the force of the giants in this small SUV class and missed taking a test drive.

Don’t make that mistake.

2017 Mazda CX-5 GT

Price: $36,700, including freight and PDI.

Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder (187 horsepower/185 lb.-ft. of torque).

Drive: all-wheel drive.

Transmission: six-speed automatic.

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 10.2 city/8.3 hwy using regular fuel.

Comparables:  Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Chevrolet Equinox, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Tiguan, Mini Countryman, Mitsubishi Outlander.