There has been some confusion what KPC does exactly, especially since Mazda has another handling system called G-Vectoring Control Plus (GVC Plus).

So, what’s the difference?

GVC uses the engine torque to control a car’s swaying and pitching motion. Then, GVC Plus builds on that by lightly applying braking force to the outer wheel as the steering wheel is returned to the center position. This provides a recovery moment that restores the vehicle to straight-line running and achieves greater stability.

This enables Mazda vehicles equipped with GVC Plus (exclusive to front- and all-wheel drive vehicles) to better handle emergency avoidance maneuvers and offers more confidence-inspiring controllability in various situations, including high-speed lane changes and driving on slippery roads.

All in all, the effect of GVC and GVC Plus is akin to torque vectoring by braking (yaw control).

On the other hand, KPC suppresses the MX-5’s upward posture during cornering. KPC doesn’t alter the MX-5’s engine torque delivery (they’re after handling purity, after all). Instead, it applies a light braking force to the inner wheel as the steering wheel is turned into a corner (upwards of 0.3 G). This helps pull the rear body down and suppresses body roll. During more aggressive cornering, the braking effect is increased enhancing the limited slip effect.

KPC, according to Mazda is meant exclusively for a rear-wheel drive setup. It is also meant to work in tandem with the suspension system (we still don’t know how KPC will affect those going for aftermarket setups), but at least the system doesn’t add any weight.

The new system is supposed to mimic the behavior of more complex and heavier adaptive dampers.

Now, Mazda is the first to admit that the effect of both systems would be more or less the same from a general consumer standpoint, but the physics involved are quite difference. This has led them to name them as two separate systems.