ok so i may have put my foot in my mouth that time...
but what i meant was the extra/deeper pleats in a OE paper filter don't make the air flow better(vs the K&N) they help collect dirt(for longer service life of the paper filter)
There is no way to tell which filter has less resistance without testing the specific filters in question (the CX-5 OEM filter with it's larger surface area or the K&N that has a coarser filter media). But I can tell you this - the OEM filter causes very little pressure drop, so little that even the most free flowing filter will not measurably increase performance.
For proof of this simply do two back to back 0-60 (or zero to 100) runs - one with the OEM filter installed and one with it removed entirely. Or use a dyno. There will be no difference in performance. That's how good the OEM filter is.
The OEM filter is not actually made of paper - it's a synthetic fiber mat that is over 1mm thick and flows more freely than any paper media I've seen. It is less affected by humidity and moisture than a traditional paper filter as well. The airbox is designed to allow larger particles to fall back out of the filter media via gravity in order to increase it's service life. An oiled filter is sticky so that benefit is lost. Also, the OEM filter has a massive surface area of 378 Sq. inches or 2.6 square feet. And contrary to your repeated assertions, more surface area does flow more freely than less surface area. And these facts explain why more power CAN NOT BE REALIZED BY REPLACING THE AIR FILTER (or even removing it altogether). The air filter in the CX-5 is not restrictive enough to reduce the volume of air the engine can pass.
However, the links you provided were very enlightening in terms of just how many grams of abrasive dirt a K&N filter allows to pass directly into the nice clean and well lubricated engine. After reading the results of those tests, I don't think any self-respecting auto enthusiast could use an oiled K&N filter in any engine that was worth treating well. Thank you for illustrating the reason why a growing body of auto enthusiasts will not run K&N filters in their vehicles. The facts are finally getting out there.