Subaru Safety: Traction, Control and Braking

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• published: 23 Mar 2012
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http://www.bachmansubaru.net/ - (502) 719-7263 9800 Bluegrass Parkway, Louisville, KY 40299 Here's the scenario: You've got an all-wheel drive vehicle so you think you can handle slippery road conditions. But suddenly, something is in your path. How does your vehicle react? In a certified independent test of five vehicles within the same class, we looked at vehicle stability, traction, and control to see how different all-wheel drive vehicles react in a double lane change maneuver. Cones are set to indicate traveling lanes and the road hazard. Here's what each vehicle has to do: Get into the turn, make an evasive lane change to avoid the hazard, then correct itself without incident. First up, the Honda CR-V. This is a clear case of under-steering where the vehicle's momentum pushes it out from the directed line even when the driver is pointing the tires in. Next, the Toyota RAV4. Under-steering again. Now, the driver tries to counter that outward push to keep the vehicle in line but you can see the back end whipping around and the results of that. Let's see how the Nissan Rogue does. All of these vehicles are traveling at the same average speed. While this vehicle hasn't driven off its line as much as previous vehicles, it's enough to affect the driver's ability to avoid trouble when returning to the lane. Next vehicle, the Ford Escape. This is the worst case of under-steering yet, but also notice the nose dipping from braking - that's not the driver. That's the system taking control away from the driver in the interest of maintaining stability, but it doesn't seem to be helping. And finally, the Subaru Forester. It holds its line through the course. Wherever the driver points the wheels, the vehicle maintains traction and goes in that direction, avoiding the hazard and quickly returning to its lane without incident. By looking at vehicle stability, traction, and control, things that can contribute to your safety on the road, we can see a clear difference in these all-wheel drive vehicles and a clear winner in Subaru. Bachman Subaru on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BachmanSubaru Bachman Subaru on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BachmanSubaru