Ski season is well and truly here which means a winter getaway might be on your agenda to enjoy some fresh snow and crisp mornings before they’re gone.
Driving in snowy, muddy, or wintery conditions is not something you do every day, so if you’re heading out on a road trip with the family this winter, it’s important to ensure you know how your Subaru can assist you when you encounter wet or icy surfaces.
Fortunately, if you are a Subaru driver you are already one giant step ahead thanks to the invisible advantages of our favourite feature. Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) is standard across every NZ-new Subaru and this super handy engineering feature delivers power to all four wheels simultaneously to give you twice the grip capacity and enhanced control.
Our All-Wheel Drive system and a symmetrical drivetrain work together to deliver a superior sense of balance from the ground up. This means that AWD automatically transfers power from the wheels that slip, to the wheels that grip. It provides enhanced control and traction, which all adds up to help to keep you and your family safer on the road.
As you turn off the tar sealed highways and begin ascending the long, windy, gravel roads that lead to many of New Zealand’s ski fields – and descending them after a fun-filled day on the slopes – the next ace up your sleeve is X-Mode.
All our NZ-new SUVs (Crosstrek, Forester, Outback and Solterra) are equipped with X-Mode and once you activate it, your Subaru SUV knows you mean business. It works by controlling the engine output, transmission, torque split and braking system to compliment the AWD system - which translates as X-Mode taking the scariness out of navigating steep, slippery or just plain tricky descents.
Whatever life, or weather conditions throw at you and whatever obstacles get in your way, another nifty feature called Motor Assist further enhances X-Mode’s rough-road capability by enabling quick and easy torque control.
Hill Descent Control does exactly what its names suggests and is inbuilt into X-Mode to help you maintain control and a safe speed while going down steep hills.
Dual X-Mode is available on select Subaru models and it dials capability up another notch. It allows you to switch to the SNOW/MUD setting which generates maximum torque more quickly, making it easier to move your Subaru in deep mud or snow. No one wants to be ‘that’ driver stuck in a ski field carpark and Dual X-Mode is your superpower to help prevent this embarrassing situation.
There’s also a suite of safety features across our Subaru range than help keep you safer on the roads and come in handy in wintery conditions, such as the Adaptive & Auto Dipping High Beam which uses the EyeSight® cameras to detect oncoming traffic and dip the range of light-beams to avoid blinding the oncoming driver while still providing full visibility of the rest of the road. Or the Front View Monitor which uses a camera mounted in the front of the car to let you see the area immediately in front of you when parking or navigating snowy conditions. Find out more about what features are available from our Subaru Vision Assist packages across selected models here.
Our Subarus are built to adventure, and that’s why each Subaru SUV is created with a great amount of ground clearance to help you head off on those roads – or non-roads – safely. The Subaru Crosstrek and Forester both feature 220mm ground clearance, our large SUV the Subaru Outback has 213mm and the Solterra EV has 210mm of ground clearance.
Winter doesn’t have to mean the end of road tripping or adventures, in fact we like to call it ‘Subaru weather’! Our vehicles have been crafted with adventures in mind and are packed with capability to ensure you can get out and do what you love safely, no matter what the season. Subaru’s legendary Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive makes sure your wheels have the grip they need to stay on the roads and the control to navigate challenging conditions, while X-Mode provides extra guidance and safety on steep or slippery descents. And a host of other safety features mean your Subaru has what you need to help keep you on track this winter.
Find out more about Subaru’s capability features here, or find out more about our All-Wheel Drive range here.