Subaru All Wheel Drive

Subaru has been able to deliver great all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicles to the public for years now. The Subaru AWD setup is comprised of three types of all-wheel-drive powertrains that differ from each other such as Continuous AWD, Active AWD and the newest VTD AWD. As we look at what Subaru has produced we see that the company has been years ahead of the competition and as we see more and more AWD vehicles coming to market, just remember that Subaru has time tested each of their systems. What is also great about Subaru is that their AWD cars are competitively priced against several front-wheel or rear-wheel-drive only vehicles.

Active AWD: is used on Subaru’s that have an automatic transmission, most power is sent to the front wheels and uses a traction sensing computer input to control the amount of power that is sent from the transfer case. Once the computer recognizes that wheels are slipping in the front it splits the power via a hydraulic multi-plate transfer clutch. This is common on most non-sport Subaru automatic models.

Continuous AWD: is used on Subaru models with a manual transmission. This setup normally splits power evenly to a 50/50 front-and-back power separation. This setup uses a mechanical viscous center differential to alter the power transfer when the computer recognizes a loss of traction.

VTD AWD: Introduced in 2001, the VTD (variable torque distribution) transfers powers front to back electronically. The power split is normally a 45/55 front/rear and the rear wheel bias is designed for a more sedans and larger Subaru vehicles opposed to the front bias of the Active AWD system. Usually 45/55 front to back split but that varies according to wheel slippage. This system was introduced and also used for the Subaru Impreza WRX automatic. The VDC also utilizes traction control by being able to utilize brake, throttle and engine management to control and maintain stability. It also has the ability to manage the vehicles engine output to reduce slippage by reducing the power of the spark to cylinders to cut back power and help re-gain control.

 This shows you the amount of engineering that goes into each vehicle just to keep you from losing traction. I had the gotten to test a Subaru Legacy GT through the Colorado Mountains and with a nice amount of packed snow that turned to a nice sheet of semi smooth ice. I was astonished be the vehicle as I had driven my 4WD Nissan Xterra to the testing facility and needed a fresh pair of britches as I slid all over the roads. With the Subaru AWD the vehicle could handle a higher rate of speed than I was comfortable with, and that says a lot because I drive like a freaking maniac.

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