Bitche Original In the Northeast, when winter comes, the temperature is often minus ten degrees. It’s really hard to get people interested in going out. Not only people, but cars too. Snow that won't melt all winter is a nightmare for many rear-wheel drive vehicles. Therefore, at this time, four-wheel drive and front-wheel drive models will be more suitable for traveling in such weather. Volvo was born in the Nordic region, which is also a world of ice and snow. Its mechanical full-time four-wheel drive system has left a reliable impression on everyone in the ice and snow.

But can the electronic full-time four-wheel drive system that has evolved to this day still withstand the test of ice and snow? After all, an environment close to minus 20 degrees will be a big problem for battery power and motor performance. That's right, this time we came to Changbai Mountain in Jilin to test drive Volvo's new S60 in ice and snow. Since it is a test drive event, I know that many people will tell me at this time that the front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive S60 do not have the fun of "catching shrimp". So if we put aside daily travel, how can we make it work on icy and snowy roads? Are front-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive vehicles as fun as rear-wheel-drive vehicles?

First of all, the models for this ice and snow test drive are Volvo S60 front-wheel drive B4 and B5 and four-wheel drive T8 versions. For this test drive project, the organizer specially put snow tires on all S60s. Because most of the Changbai Mountain Scenic Area at this time has snowy roads and there is not much ice, so there is no need to use tires with stronger grip. The tires were nailed, but I have to say that I am very confident.

The test drive project is divided into three parts. Among them, the first one is a continuous test drive prepared for the four-wheel drive T8 version. Curves and U-turns, the second one is slalom and U-turns prepared for front-wheel drive B4 and B5 models, and an experience project to test drive the traditional art of ice and snow - fixed circle drift.

So, let’s go back to the original question, can the electronic four-wheel drive system that Volvo has evolved to now still give us reliable driving conditions?

●Subject 1

Now all T8 models in the Volvo family use the same powertrain, and the parameters are also uniform: 288kW and 640N·m.

The four-wheel drive system equipped on the T8 version also adopts a four-wheel drive structure with front oil and rear electric. The front wheels are driven by the engine and the rear wheels are driven by the electric motor. , and can intelligently distribute power to the front and rear wheels according to road conditions.

I still remember that when I tested the Volvo XC90 T8 version, as an SUV, the escape ability provided by this four-wheel drive system is indeed not as good as Volvo’s previous traditional mechanical all-wheel drive system. The four forces come from time to time. Today we will take a look at how this four-wheel drive system will help the vehicle on snowy roads when put into a car like the S60.How much help it brings.

This project is divided into two laps. The first lap is driving with ESC sport mode on, and the second lap is driving with ESC sport mode off. . At the beginning of the first lap, after all, the motor power of the rear wheels is only 65kW and 240N·m. On such a snowy road, the rear wheels help the entire body start faster. It is also because of this that the front wheels There was only slight slippage on such snow.

The S60 T8 version performs very steadily in continuous curves. When the throttle opening is large, the rear of the car is also relatively stable. ESC will monitor the vehicle's sideslip when the vehicle is driving on a low-adhesion road surface. This does not completely limit the tail slide like traditional ESC, but will allow sideslip under certain conditions. Therefore, after the rear of the vehicle slips slightly, it will be quickly pulled back by ESC. For novices, this is undoubtedly a lot of fun on the basis of safety.

When passing the final U-shaped bend, most people will undoubtedly choose full throttle. At this time, you will find that it is based on front-wheel drive after all. With the four-wheel drive system, the push is certain. After the counterattack restores some grip, you don't even need to wait until the direction is completely back to normal before you can exit the corner with full throttle.

If you are stable enough after the first lap and do not climb the snow wall, your self-confidence will swell at this time, but you must understand that this does not mean that you It drives well, but the electronic control system helps you drive well. But don't worry, after turning off ESC in the second lap, you will have a better experience of the fun of "catching shrimp".

When starting, the tires will obviously slip more than the first lap, which means that you will secrete more adrenaline until you enter the continuous corners. Road, the sideways slip of the car becomes more obvious, and a smile will unconsciously creep onto your face.

But you will soon feel bored, because even after turning off ESC, the system does not support full shutdown, and the vehicle will It retains 30% of the anti-skid BUFF, coupled with the support of the four-wheel drive system, so in U-shaped bends, the body does not drift as exaggeratedly as imagined.

● Subject 2

After two rounds of subject 1, some talented friends may feel that drifting is nothing more than that. But don’t worry, the front-wheel drive version of the Volvo S60 driven in Subject 2 may give you a more different experience. Similarly, subject two also turns ESC on in one circle and turns off ESC in one circle. Without the four-wheel drive system, you will find that even when ESC is turned on, the front wheels of the front-wheel drive version will slip a lot. The small ESC light will constantly pulse on your dashboard to help you get started.

Compared with the continuous curves of subject one, subject two is more professionalThe steering around the pile may give you a very headache. The very precise steering and very fast front response on normal roads seem to be missing on snowy roads, and the snow tires do not seem to be of much help. There is a high probability that when you go around the first barrel, you will slide the car two or three meters away.

But if you are lucky enough not to run out of the track, the fun begins when you turn back and step on the accelerator to enter the second pile barrel. The entire body will use a very exaggerated The stance tells you that a front-wheel drive car can also be a lot of fun.

After turning off ESC on the second lap, you will find that things are far from that simple. The front wheel will slip wildly at the start, and you even need to use left and right steering to help. Starting from the start, while going around the pile, you will also see the most exaggerated body posture in this day's test drive.

But what is surprising is that whether ESC is turned on or not, the front-wheel drive S60 accelerates and brakes very well on the straight road. , especially when braking, even if you slam the brakes during a lap with ESC turned off, the front wheels will not lock and slide as expected, but will continue to brake until the vehicle stops.

But I have to say that the suspension system adjustment of the S60 front aluminum double wishbone and rear composite leaf spring is really excellent. , whether it is around a pile or accelerating and braking at full speed, the degree of compression and stretching of the suspension is not exaggerated. The feedback of road feel on bumpy and snowy roads is also very good. The overall performance is very resilient and crisp.

●Experience Project

To be honest, the last experience project was what I was looking forward to the most, but when you really get to the Dingyuan venue, you will I found that due to the four-wheel drive and ESC calibration, the performance of the S60 T8 cannot be regarded as drifting, but can only be said to be sliding. Most of the time, reverse impact is needed to transfer weight to make the rear end of the car slip. It is difficult to perform continuous non-drifting. Intermittent drifting action.

Full text summary:

As a I am a die-hard fan of Volvo, and after one day of experience, I have an even greater favorable impression of the entire brand. Regarding today’s test drive on ice and snow, it really explains that fun actually has nothing to do with the drive form, luxury or not, or the drive shaft, but it depends on whether you have a heart to find fun. You don’t have such a thing. Attitude, even if you buy a performance car, you will drive it like a grocery shopping cart or a flirting car.

Leaving aside today’s ice and snow test drive, after all, we rarely experience such driving conditions every day. Naturally, I don’t want to go into too much detail on the power part of the S60. After all, the acceleration time of the T8 version is already close to that of the Audi S4. The most important thing is that I finally found the real use of this electronically controlled full-time four-wheel drive system. Moreover, the calibration of ESC allows a certain degree of sideslip, which also allowed me to use the S which has no personality in the first place.Above 60, some shining points were found.

But having said that, in these years, Volvo has been a powerful presence in both the Swedish Touring Car Championship and the WTCC. It can be regarded as a brand that has grown up from the track and has rich experience. Mechanical tuning experience. But it has to be said that all Volvo models now use 2.0T engines. Even the performance-oriented T8 plug-in hybrid model uses the same system. Although it has made a great contribution to environmental protection and carbon neutrality, But in this way, apart from positioning, the personality differences between each model will become smaller and smaller. It is naturally a good thing that the S60 has such changes. If the personality of the model can be adjusted in a targeted manner in terms of powertrain, it will be better. More perfect.