British publication Tire Reviews has tested three different all-wheel drive transmissions. To do this, they took a 190-horsepower Audi A4 sedan with a rear axle coupling, as well as an 184-horsepower BMW 3 Series and a 180-horsepower Jaguar XE, in which the front wheels are connected with a coupling.
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Cars on the same Nokian tires (the dimensions of the wheels were the same only for Audi and BMW, and for Jaguar they turned out to be a little wider) were compared in acceleration from a standstill and in braking at speed on packed snow and clean ice. After many attempts, it turned out that the Audi A4 accelerates better than the others, and the BMW three-wheel stops faster.
- For German sedans, they additionally arranged a test of climbing a snowy mountain, in which the BMW 3 Series was twice out of three times faster on the top. At the end, all three cars were tested for handling in the snow. Audi completed a lap on the track in 1: 28.9 with the stabilization system activated and in 1: 28.1 with it off. For BMW and Jaguar, the times were 1: 31.0 / 1: 27.9 and 1: 22.0 / 1: 28.1, respectively.
- In conclusion, the study authors concluded that there is not much difference in the performance of all three AWD systems. Tire Reviews said most of the differences are due to the driving style of the different drivers.
