Tech for dummies
Drift assist buttons
It is a truth universally acknowledged that going sideways is a thrill. But where exactly does the thrill lie? Do you just want tyre smoke with no skills from you? Or do you want to be a part of a delicate balance of car and driver? Or do you get your kicks from the jeopardy: is it worth doing only because it might go wrong? Depending on your answer, diferent skid-button systems might suit you.
McLaren’s new 720S has “variable drift control”. You can bring up a slider on the centre touchscreen: an upward movement twists a planview graphic of the car to a steeper angle to the direction of travel. This progressively reduces the intervention threshold of the traction control. Be aware: even before the slider is at its max position, you can still spin the car if you don’t pay attention. “It’s not a hero mode,” say the engineers, and now admit maybe they should have chosen another name.
On the new Mercedes-AMG E63 S, engaging the drift button summons two separate but equally dramatic consequences. First, it turns it from a four-wheel-drive saloon whose tyres can barely contain the stupendous power, to a rear-drive one whose tyres manifestly and hopelessly can’t. Then for good measure it disables the ESP. This one really is for advanced students only. Well-insured ones.
The one on the Ford Focus RS is a bit more helpful. This hatch has a variable torque split – both front to back and side to side – courtesy of an electronically controlled clutch pack for each of its rear driveshafts. Drift mode organises the torque to make the car more tail-happy, but you still have a safety net.
Perhaps the most sophisticated is Ferrari’s Side Slip Control. This, like all of them, uses the various wheel speed and yaw sensors around the car to fgure out when the tail is beginning to slide. It then monitors what you do with the throttle and the steering. If it fgures you’ve got matters under control, it lets you drift further. If not, it controls power and the e-diferential and dampers to rein the car straight. PAUL HORRELL