In winter, many Quebec motorists swear they won’t put a wheel out without a vehicle equipped with four-wheel drive. It is true that this driving aid offers an additional margin of safety to face slippery and snowy roads. But is it essential?
Posted at 6:45 p.m.
“Absolutely not,” thinks Pierre Des Marais, driving trainer and former race car driver. “All-wheel drive has a real advantage for consumers who regularly have to climb a steep slope. Like the one at Beaver Hall in Montreal? “No, all-wheel drive is not essential. The propulsions and tractions can circumvent this obstacle by taking rue Berri,” he adds with a smile in his voice.
Mr. Des Marais recognizes, however, that traction and (especially) propulsion have limits, but these are generally reached depending on who is behind the wheel. “It sometimes takes some planning to get out of a snowy parking space or even to climb a slope, but it’s still quite possible in many circumstances,” he says.
Not necessary
Franck Kirchhoff, trainer and owner of Mécaglisse, agrees.
As long as the size and quality of the tires are the right ones and the ground clearance is high enough, propulsion and traction have little to envy to integrals in normal winter conditions.
Franck Kirchhoff, trainer and owner of Mécaglisse
Mr. Kirchhoff says this also applies to electric vehicles, “whose higher weight and lower center of gravity do not necessarily require the use of all-wheel drive”.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TOYOTA CANADA
All-wheel drive may not be as essential as you think.
Yvan Jérôme, reader of the Auto section of The Press, confirms it. Owner for three years of a Tesla Model 3 with rear-wheel drive, he admits having had fears about his choice at the beginning. “Having always had four-wheel-drive vehicles, we had some doubts about rear-wheel drive performance during the white season, especially on a rather low sedan. I will never compare its prowess with our previous vehicles, but I must say that with good winter tires, and proper handling, we had no problems in average snow conditions. »
Greater vigilance
Never mind, and despite widespread belief, propulsion (rear-wheel drive) still has its place on our automotive chessboard and not just to satisfy purists or sports car enthusiasts. Thanks to advances in active safety, getting behind the wheel of a rear-wheel drive is far from being as perilous as some would imply. On the other hand, it is sometimes more delicate and therefore requires greater vigilance.
As for traction, one of its precursors, the French brand Citroën, liked to remind its detractors that propulsion was like “putting the horse behind the cart”. In addition to its gains in motricity, this architecture with its understeering nature (front axle that pulls straight) is now perfectly mastered by motorists and driving aids. And even better, propulsion and traction have two other advantages up their sleeve: they consume less energy than an integral, tow more easily and cost less to maintain and repair.