Joined
·
42 Posts
We got five inches of snow a couple of days ago, so I called-up a local id.4-equipped dealer for a test drive. On arrival, the sales manager hesitated to let us take a test drive, because he was worried we'd wreck his only demo (he called it "irreplaceable" 
).
But he relented, and we went driving around some snow-covered neighborhood streets and a nearby industrial area. The id.4 had the OEM tires. And the snow had turned to 3 inches of snush (slush and snow). I tested normal stops, panic stops, normal starts, "launches", and took some turns with speed+acceleration.
I was very impressed with the lack of anything interesting happening: there was almost no slippage on normal starts, and very little spinning even when "launching" with floored go-pedal. I also took some turns at a higher speed than normal, and accelerated through the turn in a way that I expected would break the rear end loose. But it stayed planted. This could be due to the car, or just the modest power.
For comparison, I drove a Bolt to and from the dealer, and it happily sent sprays of snow into the air when I floored it. Also, it was much easier to induce a fishtail. The id4's Anti Slip (maybe plus a bit less torque) helped keep it boring.
I have an AWD reserved, but my assessment was that for driving an id.4 with good snow tires in ordinary winter snow (mostly plowed roads with some loose snow and some icy patches), AWD is not necessary. The larger case I see for AWD is getting the vehicle moving after it's been snowed-in while parked; or driving through unplowed streets, parking lots or driveways. Personally, I'm much more concerned with ending up in a crash or the ditch due to lack of control, and not so concerned with being unable to move at all.
).But he relented, and we went driving around some snow-covered neighborhood streets and a nearby industrial area. The id.4 had the OEM tires. And the snow had turned to 3 inches of snush (slush and snow). I tested normal stops, panic stops, normal starts, "launches", and took some turns with speed+acceleration.
I was very impressed with the lack of anything interesting happening: there was almost no slippage on normal starts, and very little spinning even when "launching" with floored go-pedal. I also took some turns at a higher speed than normal, and accelerated through the turn in a way that I expected would break the rear end loose. But it stayed planted. This could be due to the car, or just the modest power.
For comparison, I drove a Bolt to and from the dealer, and it happily sent sprays of snow into the air when I floored it. Also, it was much easier to induce a fishtail. The id4's Anti Slip (maybe plus a bit less torque) helped keep it boring.
I have an AWD reserved, but my assessment was that for driving an id.4 with good snow tires in ordinary winter snow (mostly plowed roads with some loose snow and some icy patches), AWD is not necessary. The larger case I see for AWD is getting the vehicle moving after it's been snowed-in while parked; or driving through unplowed streets, parking lots or driveways. Personally, I'm much more concerned with ending up in a crash or the ditch due to lack of control, and not so concerned with being unable to move at all.
