Even without additional features, there is a huge investment to be made for launching a new model..training, molds, changes in assembly line, etc. And no car company is there as a non-profit or humanitarian organization so the cost is passed on to new customers.
The only case where newer things are less expensive is if the technology or material, and be consequence the product, is less expensive as is the case in electronic items. The size of chip gets smaller even when improving the computing power. That does not apply to cars in general.
Back on the thread...my personal views (so far) is the exterior looks better than previous gen. but the interior is a let down (the dashboard to be specific). The seats and color looks better.