Volkswagen offers some good insight into winter driving. One section we liked in particular.
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Benjamin Leuchter, Volkswagen Test and Development Driver, and Peter Bunke, Head Trainer at the Volkswagen Driving Experience have some advice for you if you are planning to take your new VW ID.4 out in the snow this season for the first time. This information is particularly timely given that many ID.4 owners are posting warnings that the ID.4 isn't what they expected in the white stuff.
Related Story: Long-term Test of Michelin CrossClimate2 All-Weather Tires
Winter Tires
The first piece of advice that VW offers is to get yourself the right tires for the mission. VW recommends the use of high-quality winter tires in snowy conditions. Bunke explains that winter tires are designed to have better performance on snow than summer or all-season tires. And don't forget to inflate your tires as temps drop.
If your vehicle is equipped with a drive mode selection feature, always choose snow or slippery for winter conditions (duh). However, did you know that Eco is also a good mode to select on-road in slippery conditions? Torque is not your friend in slippery driving and the Eco mode will hobble that powerful motor a bit and let you start off a bit more smoothly.
Take Control Yourself
Active drive assist systems are great in most conditions, but Leuchter recommends refraining from using cruise control systems and increasing the distance between your vehicle and the car in front of you as stopping distances may increase in wintery conditions. He also suggests all the obvious things. Drive smoothly, avoid sharp inputs and don't stab the brake.
AWD Doesn't Help You Stop
Vehicles like the ID.4 equipped with all-wheel drive are better at starting off in slippery conditions. However, that is the most you can expect. AWD does not help you stop. And although manufacturers like to promote AWD as a turning aid, in slippery conditions your tires are going to be your limitation. So, remember the first piece of advice. Get tires with the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol at a minimum.
Related: Here’s How Pro Testers Know If A Vehicle Is Good In Winter Ice and Snow
Want More Help? Take A Class
If you are not confident behind the wheel in wintery conditions help is available. Try a winter driving class. If you are in the Northeast, we suggest Team O'Neil Rally School's Winter Driving Course. We learned a lot and it was also a blast!
Torque News has not had a chance to test the VW ID.4 in winter conditions yet. However, if the Facebook club member posts are any indication, the vehicle is not ideal for winter on its stock tires. If we have a chance to test the ID.4 we will report our findings.
Image of CrossClimate2 tires by Michelin. Image of ID.4 by VW.
John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American news outlets and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin
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