Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Winter 2010/2011 | Page 41

TECH TALK

you’ll notice that nothing hangs down,
everything is placed as close to the
frame as possible.
This approach to design not
only creates superior airflow under
the vehicle – and, thus, better fuel
efficiency – it also helps prevent snow
build-up and enables your Subaru
to better clear what your favourite
snowplow driver has left at the end of
the driveway. (N’ice.)
Speaking of ice, even the roof rails
on the 2010-11 Subaru Outback are
engineered to battle the nasty stuff.
They swing into place and back out
again, making it easier to clear snow
and ice before loading them up
with gear for that weekend getaway.
It’s worth noting that this design
also reduces wind noise, cuts wind
resistance and increases fuel efficiency,
so it’s a winter win/win/winner.
Finally, we arrive at the reason why
more Canadians choose to drive
Subaru – the celebrated all-weather,
all-road, All-Wheel Drive system.
It goes without saying that many
manufacturers now offer all-wheel drive
on their vehicles (Subaru has been
doing so for nearly 40 years, but that’s a
story for another day). But these

systems can be of various designs and
some are definitely more suited to
winter conditions than others.
The Subaru symmetrical full-time
AWD system is always on, so it’s always
ready to provide superior traction, grip
and control, regardless of the driving
conditions. On the other hand, many
competitors offer only part-time or
on-demand all-wheel-drive systems.
So, the question to ask is this: Does
black ice give you a warning when it’s
about to appear in the road ahead?
Answer: No way!
A superior all-wheel-drive system
is one that is always sending power
to all four wheels when the vehicle is
in motion. This design makes it easier
to pull away from a snow-covered
parking spot, keeps the car planted to
the road in icy conditions, and creates
a more confident feeling behind the
wheel when cornering, changing lanes
or exploring the other side of that
snow drift.
Subaru has an AWD system suited
to all driving styles and requirements.
Some versions maintain a 60/40 torque
split front/rear for more predictable
driving in both summer and winter.
Others offer a 50/50 torque split

coupled with a manual transmission
or a 45/55 torque split for sportier
driving. Then, of course, there’s the
Subaru Impreza WRX STI with its
Driver Controlled Centre Differential:
The driver can choose among four
different settings that control the
torque split via an electromechanical
centre differential.
To complement Subaru symmetrical
full-time AWD, all vehicles also come
standard with Vehicle Dynamics
Control (VDC). At the first sign of a
loss of traction, VDC automatically
kicks in to set the vehicle back on
its intended path and