Volkswagen’s 4Motion is an ideal driving partner
When the weather turns nasty, you’ll be grateful to have AWD on your side
It’s winter, so various carmakers are showcasing their winter-friendly models.
What makes a car particularly adept at winter driving is all-wheel drive. No, it’s not really any safer to drive an all-wheel driver in winter than, say, a modern two-wheel-drive car equipped with ABS, traction control, and a good set of winter tires.
However, AWD does add a measure of convenience, since it reduces the amount of shovelling needed when you’re snowed into a parking spot, and it eases the flow of traffic when conditions are snowy, icy, slushy, or a combination of all of those, because four driving wheels are better at getting a car moving than two.
At a Volkswagen event on frozen Lac Sacacomie, a winter wonderland two hours northeast of Montreal in Quebec’s Mauricie region, we sampled the five models in the company’s lineup that are available with all-wheel drive: the Golf SportWagen and Alltrack, the Tiguan, the Atlas, and Volkswagen’s sportiest all-wheel driver, the Golf R. Take note that, on any of these models, AWD is available from the base trim on up.
The least expensive AWD Volkswagen is the Golf SportWagen 4Motion, which starts at $25,695. Next up is the $31,175 Tiguan 4Motion, the Golf Alltrack at $34,345, the Atlas 4Motion at $39,790, and finally the Golf R at $42,065.
Volkswagen’s 4Motion is a simple yet effective AWD system, contained in a compact unit that’s mounted just ahead of the rear axle. Interestingly, the AWD system doesn’t reduce cargo capacity when compared to similar frontdrive models. The 115-kilogram unit contains an electronically controlled Haldex multi-plate clutch that engages only when additional traction is needed at the rear wheels.
When driving on a level road at a steady speed, only the front wheels propel 4Motion-equipped VWs, reducing fuel consumption compared to full-time systems. If any loss of traction is sensed at the rear, the Haldex clutch engages quickly yet progressively to transfer torque to the rear axle. Depending on the conditions, the clutch can engage completely, allowing full engine torque to drive the rear wheels.
Drive modes vary depending on the model (Eco, Sport, Offroad, etc.), and they alter throttle response, engine and automatic transmission mapping, and ABS and traction control settings; they don’t affect AWD system operation.
The stability and traction controls can be mostly turned off on all models but the Atlas.
On the snow-covered ice on Lac Sacacomie, 4Motion is seamless in operation. It permits easy and safe negotiating of the slalom and serpentine circuits carved though the snow onto the lake’s icy surface. All vehicles are equipped with winter tires, which further enhances handling.
With the sportiest modes selected and the stability control turned off (except on the Atlas), all of the test vehicles allow for some oversteer, which can be terrifying if it happens on a winding public road. It’s for this reason that Volkswagen won’t allow even the most reckless of drivers to turn the safety systems off completely.
Snowbound hooning on a closed course is one thing, and in that context, maybe excessive electronic intervention isn’t the ideal driving partner.
But when you’re on your way to the cottage and a blizzard hits when you’re partway there, you’ll be grateful that Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system has your back.