When we saw the
official photos of the all-new 2019 Mazda3, there was one image in particular
that intrigued us — and our readers. In it, Mazda showed the i-Activ AWD system
but the press release didn’t mention anything about it being available in the
United States.
The answer came
from Drew Cary, Senior Manager, Brand Communications who plainly told Carscoops
via e-mail: “Yep! AWD will be an option.” For now, no further details are
available but that’s all we needed to hear.
That’s obviously
great news for Mazda enthusiasts and for fans of AWD compact models, especially
since the Japanese automaker never offered an AWD Mazda3 in the United States.
It did, however, offer an all-wheel-drive system on the Japanese market model,
the Axela.
According to
Mazda’s press release from yesterday, the i-Activ AWD system adds “four-wheel
vertical load” detection and works in harmony with G-Vectoring Control Plus
(GVC Plus) to control torque distribution between the front and rear wheels.
As a result, “it is
fully capable of responding faithfully to the driver’s intentions, regardless
of the driving scene,” reads the press release. The updated i-Activ AWD system
is also said to reduce overall mechanical loss by approximately 60 percent over
the previous model. Consequently, fuel efficiency stands to gain.
As for the
G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus) system, it adds direct yaw moment control
via the brakes, enabling the car to better handle emergency avoidance
maneuvers. Additionally, it offers “more confidence-inspiring controllability
in various situations, including lane changes at high speeds and driving on slippery
roads.”
