Is there a way to test the AWD function? Mine may not be working properly.

[Kedis82ZE8]

It seems this may be different while vehicle is at speed moving or stopped with high traction versus stopped while detecting a low traction condition.

Tight Cornering Control
• When the 4WD CM determines that the vehicle is in tight cornering, it reduces the torque transmitted to the rear
wheels to avoid tight corner braking characteristics.

 

[eumazdadriver]

I have CX-5 AWD (MY 2015) diesel, and it is amazing in snow or other slippery conditions. I have to say that it is far more responsive that Subaru Forester that I owned before.
I know that Mazda AWD is not a true four-wheel drive, but it is just as capable in light off road or slippery conditions....in fact, it is exactly what most of us really need.

 

[Anchorman]

It seems this may be different while vehicle is at speed moving or stopped with high traction versus stopped while detecting a low traction condition.

Tight Cornering Control
• When the 4WD CM determines that the vehicle is in tight cornering, it reduces the torque transmitted to the rear
wheels to avoid tight corner braking characteristics.

Not sure what you are saying.

 

[ColtX-5]

We have a fwd volvo and an inclined driveway. At 4 inches of snow the car cannot make it up and the front wheels spin with 0 traction, just as on a roller. These videos indicate to me having one of these mild awd vehicles may not necessarily make it up the driveway. And my driveway happens to be a real world condition.

I should note, this has been our experience on a set of continental dws tires with 9/32 thread (practically brand new). Since tires are the most critical piece in traction I feel my resolution would be to get a set of snow tires and skip the awd.

Or perhaps you could more gently try to climb the incline rather than overpower the rear clutch as one driver did in the videos.

 

[ColtX-5]

I confirmed with Mazda USA we do not have limited slip in the rear. NZ does :-(.

Ooohh. so how do we get LED parts here? Is the whole unit different, or does it have a clutch pack inside?

 

[ColtX-5]

...............................

I wouldn't take a limited slip differential in the CX-5 if someone paid me to let them make the switch for at least three reasons;

1) Less efficient. A limited slip differential causes the wheels to bind against each other whenever cornering.
a2) Reliability. LSD's put friction material in the differential oil which makes it more likely to have failure. The friction packs require replacement ne
3) A LSD is not needed on a CX-5 if you know how to drive. Why mess with initial cost/complexity if it's not needed?

An LSD may reduce fuel mileage, but no manufacturer claims it.

Clutch pack LEDs have been in production since at least the 1960s with no impact on a diff's reliability. They DO need to be reclutched every 100k miles, or so, in the case of Ford's 8.8"

If you know how to drive, an LSD will get you into and out of lots of places, with less fuss, than an open differential will.

The bottom line, is an LSD has no down side and lots of ups, IF you know how to drive.

 

[ColtX-5]

This is true. Most limited slip differentials are worn out and acting like an open differential.
How on earth could you know such a thing? You have x-ray vision?!

A LSD only helps with getting going, it will not help you stop any faster or go around turns any faster.

Have you ever autocrossed a car? If not, you are in for a surprise on the effectiveness of an LSD in a turn. If not, maybe you should try it before commenting.

The clutch packs in LSD's can wear out surprisingly fast. The ones in my F150 4X4 only lasted about 30,000 miles. And I've never had my differential flushed so all that clutch pack material is still floating around in there. I need to take care of that.

The LSD in my 4WD Explorer lasted almost 140k miles and was still functional. Since the load on the clutch pack varies with torque input to the pinion, there will be a lot of time when the plates wear little to none.