Very true, in every way it's a completely different car. Very much like the old vs new Altima, but it's not everyone that's observant. The minute that a company preserves the profile, silhouette somewhat, people say the car is the same. IMO, Toyota's basically all have the same face right now, I think that will age poorly, Chevrolet and Mazda are the same.
That's hard call to make until sufficient time has passed. It's kind of like speculating on a draft pick or a trade. I do think Mazda's mid-cycle grill/ cladding and wheels change does age the original car a bit in the short term. There are cars that will start to look old but then look good again as they get much older.
