Why are there so many AWD cars now?
- Thread starter Elkins45
- Start date
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Balance? Yes. Weight distribution is better. But Mazda does not have full-time AWD. As far as I know, once you reach a certain speed, it is FWD. Unless it transfers some torque (usually 10%) during cornering. Still, if there is no slip, only thing it will do is help with some oversteer.
Gotcha. I'm not well versed in AWD systems post 2015ish outside of the Evo, GTR, and STIs. The Evo has a Torsen up front with a clutch pack for the center (ACD - Active Center Diff), and 2 clutch packs for the rear (Active Yaw Control) so technically open diffs, until they're not.
What's more confusing is the RS trims switches the active rear diff to a mechanical one because of WRC rules at the time (only 1 active diff allowed in WRC at the time.) It pushes the car into corners more but is much stronger than the active diff and is a preferred swap for drag racers on radials.
The Mazda's AWD during passive operation is something like 99% front and 1% rear or 98% front and 2% rear. I forget which one but they keep the rear just slightly active to reduce the "pause" before the system becomes energized.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
For what they claim (bcs. every manufacturer claims that) what happened at 12-minute mark, should not happen:
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Eh, I doubt it, unless you are hard on the gas in a near aquaplaning situation, then a full time AWD could prevent spinning up the inside front tire... Or I suppose if you were hard on the brakes, a full time mechanically linked AWD system can help redistribute braking forces a bit, but this is getting into rally racing territory, saving 1.2 seconds per kilometre at maximum driving aggressiveness type stuff.
No one should be driving that hard on street where these small differences matter, and in an emergency situation, its a very very small difference in performance, when the tires still make the most difference. Also the driver just slowing down a mph or two is much more significant than the type of drive system.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
It is absolutely irrelevant. Driving on rails is due to suspension, which Mazda generally executes well.
Prior to Active Torque control in the Sienna, which does provide some rear torque at initial acceleration, the Sienna had a fixed 50:50 ratio full time AWD system, which then used ABS to brake a slipping wheel.
The early Toyota RAV4 automatics electronic multiplate clutch AWD system may have worked that slow (starting mid 90's on the 1st gen), It's really no worse than a Haldex Gen2, but it wasn't 2015 that the rear axle gave some oomph an initial acceleration, as Active Torque Control was introduced to the RAV4 in 2006 (3rd gen)
It's no different than the "Off-road" mode on the Tiguan & Atlas. Press a button and the logic for the AWD & ABS system is different than driving on normal slippery roads. But you see, after pressing "Trail mode", it got out just fine.
This is also why subaru has "X-mode" on their cars.
And that's how he tests. He tests in default modes until it gets stuck, and then activates the other modes and gizmos to get it unstuck, to show a difference in behavior.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Not 3rd gen. 3rd generation initially had 100% FWD. I failed to be clear that I am talking 3rd generation. in 2015 they updated to send 10% back at initial acceleration.
I know previous ones were 50:50%.
While certainly not necessary, I really wish we'd have gotten AWD on my wife's 22 Santa Fe 2.5T. The engine puts out a goodly amount of torque and easily overpowers the front wheels, especially when turning and/or shifting the weight off the inner tire.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
In Atlas, I never used off-road mode and went through much worse terrain than that. Steeper mixed with mud and snow, no gravel. Yet, no issues in regular drive mode.
The 3rd gen has Active Torque Control AWD, since 2010. So your date is off.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Is that the same as that electric oil pump?
Please....
The VW Atlas forum got triggered when MotorTrend said the Atlas BaseCamp is useless with only 1 front wheel (with the Continental TerrainContact A/T) losing traction.
https://www.vwatlasforum.com/threads/motortrend-trashes-atlas-off-road-performance.6277/
No special mode could on the Atlas could get the car unstuck.
Of course, it's the driver's fault, because if he drove faster and used momentum, he would not have gotten stuck in the first place. But using momentum is sort of cheating and puts you at risk for more unexpected vehicle damage, which is a no-no when you borrow a press vehicle.
And that's why the Youtube reviewers crawl off-road, to 1) increase the chance of getting stuck and testing the brains of the AWD system and other gizmos and 2) avoid the surprise trail damage that would get them on the ban list (See Everymandriver on why Toyota stopped lending him cars to review).
Yes if you search hard enough you will always find a example to back up your point.
You sure like to get argumentative on these threads.
Toyota used 1 AWD system for the 3rd gen Sienna, for its 10 year lifespan, it's the Active Torque Control. Dynamic Torque Control was never available in 3rd gen Sienna.
Unlike the PQ35 Tiguan, which started with a Gen4 haldex and ended with a Gen 5 Haldex (around 2012-2013 was the switchover)
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