Our X type is great in the snow and ice with AWD but I need some input from the high tech members of the group.
XE has Torque vectoring, ASPC, DSC, RSC, TVbB, Drive control, ABS
Does that mean it is good in snow and ice above the speed where one of the above gives great traction. We cannot drive around at the slow speed they specify we would get pushed off the road so does all the above add up to AWD as far as safety is concerned.. experts over to you I am totally confused!
d

 

dballward, I guess I need to start with a simple statement of "if you don't have the ability to put power down to the ground on all 4 wheels, then it is not going to compare to AWD". You need all 4 wheels to be able to pull you through adverse weather.

All those other acronyms are nice and will help in maximizing what traction you may have for going and stopping. But, a tire of a given size can only apply but so much force to make a car move. The amount of force is relative to a lot of factors (width of wheel, type of surface the wheel is in contact with, friction modifiers like water/ice/oil/etc). Again, if you only have 2 wheels pushing the car, that will ultimately be less ability to move the car through adverse conditions what what 4 tires with power can do.

Do I anticipate an AWD XE, yes. Have they made those specific words, I have not seen it myself that I can recall. You get an AWD XE with those systems in it, you are going to have a vehicle that will be much more difficult to stop than even your X-Type.

I guess I have to make one other obvious statement in that regardless of the amount of high tech that you have in a vehicle, the faster you drive in adverse weather, the more likely you are to loose control. No amount of tech is going to save you if your tires loose traction. This is where going with studded tires/chains is going to be your best "tech". Sometimes it is the simple tech that does the best. The computers are just maximizing what you do have.