[wvenable]

You cannot touch the touch screen on a Mazda with the commander knob unless you're in Carplay/Android Auto and only if you've found the buried setting to enable it.

It is not an alternative for touch screen, it replaces it.

[max8539]

Oh, my bad, the touch screen isn’t working when the car is moving. But this is just a Mazda restriction, not a technical one.