What’s the effect of AWD on the driving dynamics of torsion beam vs independent suspension?
I had a CX-30 loaner for a day but I was more aware of feeling claustrophobic and the terrible rear views than the actual performance.
I haven't driven one, but in the most general terms the Mazda torsion beam design should be considered a semi-independent rear, generally thought to not offer as much variation in up-down travel and twist between the two wheels as a fully independent set-up. You're likely to feel more of a jolt when hitting a bump or pothole. As for smooth road driving, reviewers disagree on its handling. As mentioned before, Car & Driver likes the handling quite a bit, others less so.
For one take on the subject, see the following video:
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The following video provides views of how it behaves under very aggressive maneuvers. Note that the right hand pane is in slow mo--much of this video is at 70-80 mph revving around 4000 - 4500 RPM. The lower left hand pane shows a fair amount of independent travel. One caveat--this is a European Skyactive-X version not sold in North America. I don't think they put in a fully independent suspension in this version. Somebody else can chime in on that. If this is in fact the torsion beam rear, it looks pretty competent to me.
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As for being claustrophobic, it is in the subcompact class after all. Some others in the class might be a little taller or wider inside, but you're dealing with a bunch of fairly small vehicles. As for limited rear view that's actually a Consumer Reports knock on the CX-5 as well when compared to the Forester.
It's a styling trend, with so many vehicles with some combination of high belt line, sloping rear roof or a chunky D-pillar. If backup motion detection and blind spot detection doesn't do it for some, then another vehicle closer to a squared off two-box design might be the better choice depending on other personal tradeoffs in those vehicles.