Mazda’s i-ACTIV AWD conquers slippery roads
Snowy New England winters make all-wheel-drive a priority when it comes time to buy a new car. Systems vary from one manufacturer to the next, and they’re not all created equal. Mazda’s i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive offers a comprehensive system for keeping your car safely under control in slippery conditions.
Mazda introduced i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive in 2013 on the CX-5 and then rolled it out to the CX-3 and the CX-9, which is all-new this year. They worked to create a system that stayed true to the Mazda design aesthetic and would be welcomed by Mazda enthusiasts. The brand is known for having cars that are fun to drive, so an all-wheel-drive system that was too clunky and interfered with that experience wouldn’t do.
The idea behind i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive isn’t simply to have a system that reacts when a wheel slips, but one that predicts when a wheel is about to slip. This maintains the connection between the driver and his car and maintains confidence behind the wheel.
Predicting slip means you won’t notice a loss of traction before the all-wheel-drive system realizes a wheel is slipping or feel the jerking sensation of torque transferring from the front wheels to the rear wheels. It instead creates a seamless transition for a more pleasant driving experience.
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At the Mazda Ice Academy in the snowy Colorado mountains, we had the opportunity to test this technology on a specially created ice track. Mazda sent us out to tackle a variety of scenarios, including steep hills, cone-filled courses, and tight turns. They also provided competitive cars for comparison.
The i-ACTIV system performed very well, easily showing up that competition with a noticeably smoother drive on sections of the course where other cars slipped. It wasn’t so much that the Mazdas we drove were immune to the snowy surface, but that they handled the conditions without ever feeling out of our control. No wild steering wheel corrections or frantic stomping on the brakes was required to keep the cars going in the right direction.
The Mazdas did particularly well on a steep, snowy hill designed to test starting from a dead stop on an incline. It’s the sort of nightmare winter scenario that makes you wish you picked a different route home. If there’s a place where you’re bound to get well and truly stuck, then a steep, snow-covered hill is that spot.
READY FOR WINTER: The Mazda CX-5 with i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive was a top performer on the slippery surfaces at the Ice Academy.
Multiple runs had the same result. While other systems couldn’t accurately determine where to send the torque, leaving the driver doing fancy footwork between the gas pedal and brake, the Mazdas with i-ACTIVE all-wheel-drive did just fine. There was much less slipping and sliding and not once did anyone have to roll back down the hill and give it a second try. Mazda credits the predictive nature of their all-wheel-drive system for making all the difference.
The seemingly psychic powers of i-ACTIV all-wheel-drive come from its connection to the many other systems in the car that collect information about the environment. That temperature gauge on the dashboard that lets you know it’s below freezing also lets the car know the roads might be icy. Turn on the windshield wipers and the i-ACTIV system knows the roads are wet.
Data collected from yaw sensors, steering, and the transmission add even more detail about the environment around the car. There are 27 different sensors in all, which combine to measure conditions 200 times per second and help determine the best distribution of torque to the wheels. It sees what you don’t whether it’s a puddle at the side of the road or black ice covering the highway.
If you’re looking for a new vehicle and want the security of all-wheel-drive without compromising on the joy of driving, then Mazda’s i-ACTIV system fits the bill.
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