2016~2023 Looking for opinions on front wheel vs all wheel drive for 2016 CX9

fivepak

Member
:
2013 CX-5 GX 6spd
Looking at purchasing a cx9 today and going between two cars that are the equipped exactly the same way but the all wheel drive is 5,000$ more.

I live in Eastern Ontario where we get long winters with significant snow accumulations but I also use winter tires. Our last car was a fwd CX5 and with winter tires it did fine. There were maybe a dozen or so times where I wish it was an awd.

Ultimately trying to determine whether it's worth spending 5$k more for all wheel drive. From the countless hours of reading on this forum, it doesn't seem like people are overly impressed with the i-active AWD Mazda's come up with.

Can anyone with a fwd model comment on torque steer, traction control when driving in wet or winter driving?
 
FWD with winters will perform better than an AWD with most all-season tires. I bought an AWD and put winter tires on it, but that was just because I wanted to be as safe as possible (have my wife and my little one with me in the car sometimes). I'm in Manitoba and the AWD is nice every once in a while, but it's hardly a requirement. It performs as well as you can expect almost all FWD-based AWD systems to perform.
 
Funny how the Canadians agree.

I'd say AWD may be nice to have, but isn't a requirement. If you were OK with FWD in your previous CX5 there isn't much reason you won't be fine in the bigger CX9. Only difference maybe will be the added torque with the added weight, contributing to wheelspin a bit easier if you get on it. But like with anything else you'll learn to adjust as the driver.

Reality is if you don't venture off the beaten path and drive on groomed roads in winter AWD isn't a requirement.

I just traded in my AWD CX-5 for a FWD Mazda 6 Sig and not looking back. If anything it makes you think more about what you're doing because you don't have the false sense of security that can be associated with AWD. After all it only helps you go, doesn't help you stop or turn.

$5,000 is a good chunk of change.... If it were a closer gap I'd consider the jump but that's a good amount of money for otherwise identical vehicles.

A couple of other benefits of FWD not often considered: Less complexity, less maintenance, better fuel economy.

Happy shopping.
 
$5K is a big difference between 2 vehicles that are similarly equipped. Here in the US, I believe the difference between at GT FWD and a GT AWD is just the cost of the AWD, around $1800(?). Torque steer might be lesser in the AWD vehicle since the power can be distributed to the rear. But, if you can manage with FWD and snow tires, I would save the $5K.
 
Looking at purchasing a cx9 today and going between two cars that are the equipped exactly the same way but the all wheel drive is 5,000$ more.

I live in Eastern Ontario where we get long winters with significant snow accumulations but I also use winter tires. Our last car was a fwd CX5 and with winter tires it did fine. There were maybe a dozen or so times where I wish it was an awd.

Ultimately trying to determine whether it's worth spending 5$k more for all wheel drive. From the countless hours of reading on this forum, it doesn't seem like people are overly impressed with the i-active AWD Mazda's come up with.

Can anyone with a fwd model comment on torque steer, traction control when driving in wet or winter driving?

Huge diff on FWD vs AWD...I*d say should only be $2-3K CAD the most and not $5K. If you can negotiate it to close the gap then do it...also think of resale value later on as most Canadians would prefer AWD so if you sell it then it has more appeal than the FWD and while you may not need it there is a perception that AWD is better than FWD though science may differ...just my opinion but having FWD with winter tires will suffice TBH
 
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Pulled the trigger on the fwd. It was too good of a deal to pass up.
 
Agree that the gap should be 2-3k... It's just that there was a really sweet deal on the fwd. Dealership was sitting on it for a while so just looking to break even so I think I got it for a few k less than the market value.
It's what made the proposition hard to pass up.
 
Agree that the gap should be 2-3k... It's just that there was a really sweet deal on the fwd. Dealership was sitting on it for a while so just looking to break even so I think I got it for a few k less than the market value.
It's what made the proposition hard to pass up.

That was likely the reason the FWD was sitting on the dealer lot for awhile and no wonder they offered a good price on it (they wanted to move that stock)...if you look at it in a diff way, the money you saved on FWD vs AWD you can buy a good set of winter tires and still be ahead. My point earlier was that from a buyer perspective there is just more appeal on AWDs vs FWDs (that is why dealers move them more) but not to say there is no demand for FWDs...
 
Totally agree with you. AWD is certainly more appealing... The FWD is for more price conscious people looking for better value (such as myself).

Super good news is that they're also throwing in 4 winter tires so i actually don't have to spend any money on tires. I'll be able to pay off the CX9 a full year quicker.
 
Back