directly measure traction too. We measure steering angle, brake pressure, throttle. “We take all this data and calculate 200 times per second what’s happening and we can come up with a precise torque split [to maximise traction].” CONCLUSION Coleman professes that “the goal for AWD is to take the same dynamics for dry pavement and have it on slippery surfaces, or low-grip surfaces.” That may be true on a wet road, and it’s fair to say the CX-5 was controllable on snow, but the frontend doesn’t bite into corners like it does on dry asphalt. Clearly there’s still a long way to go in this respect, and perhaps it will
take electric cars – with a motor in each wheel – and more advanced tyre technology to deliver drysurface levels of grip on low-friction surfaces like ice and snow. Of course, there’s also the question of a level playing field, as there is with any comparison test against competitor vehicles staged by a car-maker, Mazda said all the cars were standard, but we – and Honda and Subaru – have no way of knowing for sure. Nevertheless, one thing is certain. Mazda’s part-time AWD system – as seen in the CX-3, CX-5 and, soon, the new CX-9 — is remarkably effective and, at least in the conditions we tested it, showed its most direct rivals a very clean pair of heels..
51