Question on the AWD system

If this were the case, then wouldn't you expect the AWD version to perform better on a skidpad test, which is an objective measure of roadholding/handling?

Because it did not perform any better.
No, because there is no time limit. They can gingerly accelerate right up to the limit of lateral adhesion. Driving on the track or a cloverleaf, one presumes that time is a factor.
 
How did you come to the conclusion that the AWD CX-5 is a "superior drivetrain setup" for the conditions asked about in the OP?
Can you offer any evidence, or is this just your opinion?

The OP asked what benefits AWD provides during spirited driving. I simply used FWD test data as a benchmark. Skidpad results indicate that AWD does not provide any benefit.

Again, where is the OP asking for a lecture on why you think a FWD CX5 is better? You are not "helping" the OP at all. Members have been linking videos about how the I-active AWD works in all conditions.

Its very simple why the AWD is the superior driveline. It is better in all types of driving then a FWD only setup. Since I drive in all types of weather AWD offers much more stability. Its not even a question and thus its the superior drivetrain.
 
Again, where is the OP asking for a lecture on why you think a FWD CX5 is better? You are not "helping" the OP at all. Members have been linking videos about how the I-active AWD works in all conditions.

Its very simple why the AWD is the superior driveline. It is better in all types of driving then a FWD only setup. Since I drive in all types of weather AWD offers much more stability. Its not even a question and thus its the superior drivetrain.
But the OP is explicitly NOT asking about driving in "all types of weather".
So those observations are irrelevant.

People have been posting promotional Mazda marketing videos about how AWD "works". But they don't show any measurable benefit or improvement in performance with. The only way to measure that is to compare AWD to a non-AWD model.

And the only statistics posted thus far do not indicate any benefit of AWD in dry driving conditions.
 
But the OP is explicitly NOT asking about driving in "all types of weather".
So those observations are irrelevant.

People have been posting promotional Mazda marketing videos about how AWD "works". But they don't show any measurable benefit or improvement in performance with. The only way to measure that is to compare AWD to a non-AWD model.

And the only statistics posted thus far do not indicate any benefit of AWD in dry driving conditions.

For cornering, I believe we've already shown this. For acceleration? It's a 180hp 3500# SUV. Of course it's not going to light the tires on fire without AWD, lol! The GT-R and SG, though, have AWD for a reason. That reason is 310# torque at 2000rpm.



Skip to 1:30. They are on/off the throttle balancing it. Easily heard and seen. You don't do that mess on corner exit. You are on the throttle. With AWD, you can get on it harder and sooner. This is why it doesn't show up in your static skidpad testing. It's a test in isolation, and it isn't about corner exit.
 
Never having to give a thought to available traction is very powerful in itself
I had a FWD 2016 Mazda 6 on OEM tires. It was a battle taking it out in any snow conditions. 3-4 inches of snow was enough to cause white knuckle driving.

Since then between my wife and I we've had 3 AWD vehicles...her 2018 CX5, a former 2016 Jeep Renegade AWD and my 2019 CX5 GT awd. In any snow conditions there has been no issues.....and these are all on factory tires no snow tires needed.
 
If you drive and experience both, you will see the difference. I know personally as I have experienced both at their limits.
 
He is variably correct. It is so close that it varies by test. AWD doesn't help skidpad tests because they can take any amount of time they choose to reach terminal v, which results in little to no issue for a FWD vehicle.

I fully understand, skidpad tests are more about the tire limits. In just interested in seeing the information he is presenting and from which publication.
 
Skidpad results are exactly the same between AWD and FWD... 0.82.

In addition, here are some more excerpts from the article...
- Our all-wheel-drive CX-5 Grand Touring test car carried an extra 141 pounds of mass compared with the front-wheel-drive CX-5 Grand Touring we recently tested.
- Despite increased launch traction, the heftier AWD model’s straight-line performance fell behind its lighter FWD kin.
- This CX-5 taking 8.1 seconds to go from zero to 60 mph, 0.3 second longer than the front-drive model.
- A bigger disappointment was the all-wheel-drive CX-5’s 70-mph-to-zero stopping distance of 182 feet—five feet longer than its front-wheel-drive counterpart

 
Yep it's definitely heavier and increase mass will make it take longer to accelerate and stop. No argument there. However drag racing and panic braking are not my driving Style.
 
I fully understand, skidpad tests are more about the tire limits. In just interested in seeing the information he is presenting and from which publication.
All of them I've seen place the vehicles within 0.02g or so when tested head to head.
Skidpad results are exactly the same between AWD and FWD... 0.82.

In addition, here are some more excerpts from the article...
- Our all-wheel-drive CX-5 Grand Touring test car carried an extra 141 pounds of mass compared with the front-wheel-drive CX-5 Grand Touring we recently tested.
- Despite increased launch traction, the heftier AWD model’s straight-line performance fell behind its lighter FWD kin.
- This CX-5 taking 8.1 seconds to go from zero to 60 mph, 0.3 second longer than the front-drive model.
- A bigger disappointment was the all-wheel-drive CX-5’s 70-mph-to-zero stopping distance of 182 feet—five feet longer than its front-wheel-drive counterpart


0.3 seconds could be environmental for all we know, same for the braking distance. Also, car-to-car variance...how broken in were these 2 samples?

Long story short, none of what you linked talks about cornering in a dynamic situation like the road on a track. Those are "tests in isolation". It's like you're arguing with us that a college weightlifter can punch and deliver 1200# of kinetic energy and Mike Tyson only delivers 1100# of kinetic energy, so the college weightlifter will outbox Tyson. Okay...

*KE figures made up to illustrate
 
I had a FWD 2016 Mazda 6 on OEM tires. It was a battle taking it out in any snow conditions. 3-4 inches of snow was enough to cause white knuckle driving.

Since then between my wife and I we've had 3 AWD vehicles...her 2018 CX5, a former 2016 Jeep Renegade AWD and my 2019 CX5 GT awd. In any snow conditions there has been no issues.....and these are all on factory tires no snow tires needed.
Again, the OP clearly specified that this thread is exclusively about DRY driving conditions.

If you want to discuss the merits of AWD in snowy conditions, you should start a new thread.
 
Again, the OP clearly specified that this thread is exclusively about DRY driving conditions.

If you want to discuss the merits of AWD in snowy conditions, you should start a new thread.
Describe to us what happens when you drive on snow? DO things change? Or are they just...exaggerated? Contemplate on this for a bit as to how it might apply to cornering dynamics.
 
Skidpad results are exactly the same between AWD and FWD... 0.82.

In addition, here are some more excerpts from the article...
- Our all-wheel-drive CX-5 Grand Touring test car carried an extra 141 pounds of mass compared with the front-wheel-drive CX-5 Grand Touring we recently tested.
- Despite increased launch traction, the heftier AWD model’s straight-line performance fell behind its lighter FWD kin.
- This CX-5 taking 8.1 seconds to go from zero to 60 mph, 0.3 second longer than the front-drive model.
- A bigger disappointment was the all-wheel-drive CX-5’s 70-mph-to-zero stopping distance of 182 feet—five feet longer than its front-wheel-drive counterpart


Car and Driver recently tested another AWD CX5 and came up with better stats. Skidpad remained .82

0-60 7.9 secs
70-0 braking 169 ft

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a32161895/2020-compact-crossover-comparison/
 
Yep it's definitely heavier and increase mass will make it take longer to accelerate and stop. No argument there. However drag racing and panic braking are not my driving Style.
But as I posted earlier, the AWD version was also slower in the 5-60 MPH rolling start test, as well as the 30-50 MPH and 50-70 MPH tests.

So you agree that the AWD is a worse performer when drag racing, normal acceleration, braking, while being no better in the only objective roadholding/handling available.

But you still contend the AWD provides measurable advantages in dry-weather driving because you've "experienced" it?
 
Again, the OP clearly specified that this thread is exclusively about DRY driving conditions.

If you want to discuss the merits of AWD in snowy conditions, you should start a new thread.

Actually you may want to follow that advice as the OP was never asking for the merits of a FWD CX5.
 
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