Published on Feb 4, 2016
2016 Mazda Ice Academy to demonstrate i-ACTIV AWD and to have some fun with the Mazda MX-5.
Mazda’s predictive i-ACTIV all-wheel drive technology was introduced in the 2013 Mazda CX-5, the first sixth-generation vehicle with a full integration of SKYACTIV Technologies.
Subsequent models for the North American and Australian markets with i-ACTIV AWD include CX-3, which went on sale in 2015, and the all-new CX-9, which will go on sale in eight global markets in 2016.
Several other global Mazda products also feature i-ACTIV AWD.
Mazda’s innovative i-ACTIV AWD works similarly in all models in which it is implemented, complementing Mazda’s Jinba Ittai—“horse and rider as one”—and Hoshiru Yorikobi—“joy derived from driving”—philosophies. That is to say, Mazdas are meant to be sporty and engage their drivers, allowing for precise control and spirited dynamics. i-ACTIV AWD was designed to complement those tenets—not hinder them.
In normal operation, vehicles route approximately 98 percent of their power to the front wheels, but torque transfer can reach as much as 50:50 front-to-rear if the vehicle determines more power is needed at the rear wheels.
Where many systems are touted as sending power from “the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip”—a reactionary system—Mazda’s i-ACTIV AWD is predictive, reading road, engine, transmission, weather, windshield wiper use, internal and external temperature, yaw sensors, steering and other conditions more than 200 times per second to determine torque transfer.
In all, i-ACTIV AWD uses 27 different sensors that feed to a central control module to determine how wheels need to be driven before the ever reach a patch of ice or deep puddle.
I slowly crawled up the road, zig-zagging left and right to avoid the stuck cars. The CX-5 didn't even hesitate for a split second, performed stop-and-go easily, I couldn't even feel the AWD trying.