Fishtailing in a car after hitting a patch of black ice is adrenaline-pumping and scary. Feeling your car wrestle itself out of your control isn’t an often sought-after experience. After all, your car is a several-ton machine that controls whether you and others live or die. But losing control sometimes happens. Maybe you took a corner too fast, perhaps you’re hydroplaning, or you skipped off a patch of ice, mud or snow. This is why it’s standard for newer vehicles to come with some form of a traction control system. These systems are giving every car a type of pseudo all-wheel drive. But different systems have different outcomes. Factors like the drive train, speed and terrain can affect how effective a car’s traction system is. Is one option really better than any other?
CNET’s XCAR series recently compared three cars with different drive trains and traction control systems to tackle this question head on. Three CNET employees took a test drive on a course designed to inhibit tire traction. The drivers tested a BMW 120D, with rear-wheel drive, a Renault Megane 275 Trophy, which has front-wheel drive, and a Subaru Impreza that comes equipped with all-wheel drive. Each vehicle also has an electronic traction control tracking system that can be turned off.
The first test involved driving each car over a kick plate at 30 miles-per-hour. First with the traction system on, and then again with it disabled. The kick plate is a slick surface designed to kick a car’s rear wheels to the side causing it to fishtail and slide out of control. Each car handled the task admirably with traction assistance on and off. However, the Renault Megane driver emphasized the difference in steering control and the force required to manage the steering wheel between the two modes. The other two didn’t show or discuss much of a difference in performance.
The second test involved driving on an icy or snowy road simulation. Each car tried to navigate a stretch of road at 20 miles-per-hour. Traffic cones were set up in a zigzag pattern as obstacles. Even with the traction control assistance turned on, both the BMW and Renault Megane struggled to stay on the road, nonetheless avoid sliding into the orange traffic cones. Each car failed miserably with the systems turned off. However, the Subaru handled the task with ease and missed every cone — at least with its AWD traction control turned on.
The final test was taking a sharp turn on a slippery road at speeds ranging between 40 miles-per-hour and 50-miles-per-hour. The Impreza driver went first, tackling the corner at roughly 40 miles-hour. He accelerated through the turn and said there wasn’t any discernable difference. The car didn’t overturn or underturn. The other two cars didn’t perform quite as well, although they both took the turn at faster speeds. The BMW driver reported the steering wheel was a bit finicky with how it turned, and he had to tap the breaks before finishing the turn. The Renault performed similar to the BMW with its traction system turned on, but once again it had the biggest issues once the traction control was turned off. The driver had to pull out of the turn and hit the brakes once he approached 50 miles-per-hour.
The consensus from all three drivers is the stability and traction control systems modern cars come with significantly help navigate lousy road conditions. With each obstacle, the systems kept the car responding accurately. But when it comes to the drivetrain itself, AWD gives the best control at high and low speeds. Although there are a few drawbacks to AWD, if you live or travel in temperamental weather, then that’s your best bet for a safe ride home.
