Subaru Symmetrical AWD vs. Honda, Toyota, and Volkswagen
Subaru’s All Wheel Drive Vs. Honda’s Real Time, Volkswagen’s All Wheel Drive. This is an internal video that was not meant for public consumption.IT IS NOT A PROMOTIONL VIDEO! It is a recap for those who attended a driving event in spring 2007 (hence the previous gen Highlander). The events in this video took place one year after the previous shared AWD video at a different location.
Respond to this video…
They both still wouldn’t climb. Traction control was left on for the purpose of the video. Other vehicles and scenarios were also tested, but not everything made the video.
I’d like to see what the Highlander and CR-V did with traction control off.
What if the driver accel to the wall? ahahaha.
What if somebody bump into your vehicle rear? that’s mean major damage to the RWD.
But of course, Subaru is a popular choice for countries that do not have normal roads like Australia or Mexico.
Too bad Subaru doesn’t have any trucks
For sure my next vehicle is going to be a Subaru. My piece of shit Toyota Corolla gets stuck so easily even with Blizzak winter tires. “active” traction control is a huge scam; all it does is cut the power. There’s just no replacement for a good limited slip or locking differential.
@enigmaj316 This isn’t a hill climb, it’s an incline with compromised traction. Something that wouldn’t be uncommon to find in a driveway during the winter. Considering most of these vehicles don’t have Limited Slip Differentials or traction control systems capable of acting as an LSD, They are supposedly designed for moving power away from traction compromised wheels. Honda advertises the CRV as a 4×4.
Cornering is more a function of chassis, weight distribution, and suspension tuning.
@SoDaSub In this case, the TCS will cut power to all 4 wheels and the vehicle ends up bogging down and won’t go anywhere. TCS is then turned off to allow the vehicle power to the wheels. The driver would then rock the vehicle back and forth to free it from being stuck.
@robMD2010 This was done with traction control on and off for the audience. The video was filmed with it on, as it was thought to be the best way to demonstrate they way the systems fully integrate with their AWD and traction control systems. Traction control on and off didn’t make a difference as the vehicles weren’t “stuck.” Subaru has the same instructions in the owners manual about vehicles being stuck. It is a condition where none of the wheels have traction.
@SoDaSub the fact that the vehicle won’t move tells me that it is stuck. if you really want this to be viewed as an unbiased test you should test this with the traction control off. Don’t worry about it making the Subie look bad, it still (I’m Assuming) did it with the traction control on. If you want this to really sway buyers it needs to be a more complete test of vehicle capabilities. Not just a “We know the Subaru will win this” kind of test.
@SoDaSub Granted, but my point is that AWD isn’t designed for off-roading or even hill-climbing.
It is designed for traction through cornering, and some sort of test showing how they differ in that area would be much more telling. While I conceed subaru AWD is the best, how well they do under conditions they weren’t designed is a bit of a moot point.
Very interesting video! Could someone explain the point about the Passat having an asymmetric drivetrain and the ensuing torque steer beeing the reason why it cant climb on 1 wheel? From my point of view this doesn’t make much sense as the torque distribution should be based on wheel speed sensor outputs?
@robMD2010 That scenario specifically is applied to all 4 wheels being stuck. Subaru has similar instructions in its manual. This is a case of 2 wheels having traction and two wheels not. The vehicle isn’t “stuck.” It’s just not able to transfer power to the wheels with traction.
@enigmaj316 Subaru’s system doesn’t require you to be in motion. That’s kind of the point… to show not all AWD systems are created equal. Some of these systems with a running start on the hill incline failed there as well.
@SoDaSub the manufacturers instructions for the CR-V state that if you have no traction and are stuck unable to move (I’m pretty sure this test qualifies) that you should turn off the traction control. This is for the reason stated by BLKCG6. the Traction Control system is applying breaking force and limiting the system. The fact that this video was filmed in front of Honda salesman means nothing. The vast majority of sales people sell based on buzzwords, not actual product knowledge.
Sorry but this video is quite useless. You’d have to be a moron to buy any of these if you intend to do any amount of serious off-roading.
These systems are designed to improve grip in slippery driving conditions, not pull cars up an incline from a standstill with only one wheel under traction. Anything more than gravel would deem most of these cars useless. Except for the CRV, which is useless at all times.
Kudos to Subaru, but everyone knows their AWD sytem is brilliant. Always has been.
@vibhavparker Seeing that the Forester is the most awarded small SUV in history, reality begs to differ.
HONDA CRV IS THE BEST ..FOLLOWED BY TOYOTA ..THIS VIDEO IS BIASED
I moved from the Chicago area to a small town in South Dakota and traded in my ’02 Impala LS for an ’05 Baja Turbo, given how much more snow SD gets and how much colder the temps are (they only use sand because salt is ineffective). It seems to snow 4 – 8 inches every weekend since November, and every weekend I take my Baja out for a joy ride before the plows get to work. It’s so nice to have a car I can get into after some big snow without worry !
@autoxerwgnI I have a 2000 Subaru Impreza RS (automatic transmission with a LSD in the back).
The manual models would have an easier time getting up the ramp because they split power differently than the automatic models. Manuals split 50% up front, & 50% to the rear.
The automatic models puts 90% power to the front wheels, & 10% to the rear wheels. Up to 90% power can be sent to the rear wheels when wheel slippage occurs. I’m in NYC right now & thankful that the AWD system works so well
@autoxerwgnI I have a 2000 Subaru Impreza RS (automatic transmission with a LSD in the back).
The manual models would have an easier time getting up the ramp because they split power differently than the automatic models. Manuals split 50% up front, & 50% to the rear.
The automatic models puts 90% power to the front wheels, & 10% to the rear wheels. Up to 90% power can be sent to the rear wheels when wheel slippage occurs. I’m in NYC right now & thankful that the AWD system works so well.
If the programming of the traction/stability control was more aggressive with brake application, all of the vehicles should have been able to climb the ramps, although maybe not very smoothly.
Subaru’s AWD is better than most other low cost systems. SH-AWD should be able to climb because the diff is capable of actually locking the front and rear wheels together, much like X-Drive does. Notice how Subaru did not use a manual transmission vehicle to test. It would have likely preformed like the CR-V and Highlander since the center diff can not lock completely to pull the vehicle up the ramp.
Subaru’s AWD is better than most other low cost systems. SH-AWD should be able to climb because the diff is capable of actually locking the front and rear wheels together, much like X-Drive does. Notice how Subaru did not use a manual transmission vehicle to test. It would have likely preformed like the CR-V and Highlander since the center diff can not lock completely to pull the vehicle up the ramp.
@BLKSG6
So you’re saying that the CRV’s AWD system doesn’t work with the traction control on? Since the traction control is default on when the vehicle is started, you’re saying that the CRV is 2WD unless you engage AWD after being stuck in the mud somewhere? … or turn the traction control off all together on a snowy day? That would make the CRV’s system completely rubbish. The video was made in front of a live audience which included people who sell Honda vehicles.
I think his explanation has everything to do with the crvs inability to climb. The crv pumps fluid from front axle to rear activating the rear axle. If traction control is slowing down the front axle then the action of the fluid is held back. The more the fronts spin the more the rear is engaged. Turn off the crv traction control and let the fronts spin fully to completely engage the rear. I think you just didnt want to show the crv going over the hump.