DRIVING ON ICE, WITHOUT THE ICE

Jaguar’s latest Instinctive All Wheel Drive™ models ‑ the 2013 Jaguar XJ AWD and XF AWD ‑ are the newest additions to the Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience tour. When it's 70 degrees in Florida, some may wonder how the team demonstrates the car’s all‑wheel drive capabilities. We ask Jaguar Driving Instructor Doug Van Den Brink to explain.

A few weeks ago the ALIVE Driving Experience was held in Orlando, Fla. How do you showcase Instinctive All Wheel Drive™ to customers when there’s no snow?

We’ve devised a great demonstration track and while we put down a lot of sand to let the cars slide, the biggest innovation for us is P‑Tex. It’s an extremely durable thermoplastic that’s used on the bottom of snowboards and skis. It’s also the stuff hockey players practice on in the summer.

How do you use it?

It comes in large sheets which we join together and put down on top of a steep dirt‑and‑rock incline we build. When we spray water on to it, it’s just like ice ‑ actually, it’s slipperier than ice. It allows us to really show the benefits of Instinctive All Wheel Drive™. First we get customers to turn off the car’s DSC traction control system. As they accelerate up the incline, even with all‑wheel drive, there’s a lot of wheelspin and little forward progress – as much as there would be with any only‑mechanical AWD system. Then we get them to engage DSC, and the all‑important Winter Mode*, and ask them to take another run at it. The difference is night and day and the cars tackle the obstacles with no trouble what so ever.

How does the system work?

The beauty of the system’s power transfer control technology is that it can provide a continuously variable torque split.

In dry‑road conditions, an electronically controlled wet multi‑plate clutch sends a small amount of “pre‑load” torque to the front wheels as the vehicle starts off, and then seamlessly sends most torque to the rear wheels, once underway, to maintain a performance oriented rear wheel drive feel.

The system can rapidly apply torque to the front wheels, either in response to wheel slip or to pre‑empt the possibility of rear‑wheel slip.

Selecting Winter Mode heightens the system’s sensitivity, causing the vehicle to pull away from standstill in second gear, softening the throttle response and all the time directing torque to the wheels, or wheel, with the most grip. The system sends more “pre‑load” torque to the front wheels before switching to a 30:70 torque share between front and rear to maximize traction on slippery surfaces.

Tell us about the cool off‑camber test you create?

As part of the Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience, we create a steep side incline which we get people to drive on to. When they accelerate away with all the traction control systems turned off, the car just slides off the hill. Again, when they re‑engage DSC and hit the Winter Mode, the combination of these with all‑wheel drive is amazing and provides easy, controlled forward motion, holding the car on the side incline without any extra effort from the driver.

What’s the reaction from customers?

Our customers see it as a real safety and security benefit. The demonstration is extremely effective. Most tell us that they would want it on their cars no matter where they lived. Florida and the south get a tremendous amount of rain, especially in the summer. Road surfaces get slick and the beauty of the system is that there are no compromises; all‑wheel drive simply enhances traction while retaining the sporty agility and steering feel that owners love in their Jaguar vehicles.

We hear you know a thing or two about driving on slippery surfaces?

In addition to being an instructor with the Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience, I run a racecar in the Formula Drift Championships.

The Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience is taking place this weekend in Washington D.C. and returns to Florida for a stop in Miami April 5‑7. To get a taste of what goes on, go to http://www.jaguarusa.com/drive‑experience/overview/ and click on the ‘Watch’ button.

*These features are not a substitute for driving safely with due care and attention and will not function under all circumstances, speeds, weather and road conditions, etc.  Driving should not assume that these features will correct errors of judgment in driving.  Please consult owner’s manual or your local authorized retailer for more details.