It would surprise me if the entire system was 100% identical (due to the fact that the CX-5 is a heavier vehicle with a longer wheelbase) but from a functional perspective they work the same way.
I don't know. GM used the same rear-end under the S10 pick-up as it did the LS1 F-body. Ford used the same 8.8 rear-end under a TON of vehicles. Mazda may have crunched the numbers and found that using the CX-5 parts would be just fine for the Mazda 3, and the cost of setting up 2 source lines was a pointless expense.
Has yours ever gone into fail-safe mode? I'm sure you've had it in some challenging conditions getting to your mountain cabin. I've driven through deep/wet snow a couple of inches deeper than the ground clearance with
an ice layer underneath. The CX-5 was shockingly capable, even able to drive up gentle rises under these most challenging conditions. As soon as I took my foot off the accelerator the car would grind to a stop instantly and as I
stepped on it, it would lurch forward. I've never seen the over-heat fail-safe light go on, even when driving icy hairpins winter rally style. I'm sure if I continued this long enough it would eventually over-tax the system but that is not typical real world usage. I'm sure the most likely over-heat situation is deep, dry beach sand in summertime temperatures. But, IMO, only idiots drive a car they care about in deep, dry beach sand. Still, it's nice to know it can do it in an emergency. But don't plan on doing it for miles! In my Nissan Patrol 4x4 I've been in dry sand and it took around 80 hp just to maintain forward motion on level ground at 5 mph! But it was dug in nearly to the axles.
Having put the 2013 CX-5 AWD through the paces on/off road, summer/winter, I can say there is far too much skepticism on these forums about it's capabilities. Yes, every system has it's limits if you push it hard enough but those limits are a lot higher than many people (mostly non-owners) allude to.
Here is a short video showing my CX-5 climbing a wet, cold and slippery steep lip with half worn out Geolanders on it. This hill is much steeper than it looks in the photos. I high-centered on the first failed attempt but succeeded the second time with a slight adjustment to my line to avoid high-centering. Note that the hill was so steep and slippery I slid backwards about 6 feet with all four wheels locked up on the first failed attempt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCROYEK1DM