Re: 328is v. Jeep CJ 4x4 in Snow

[ScharfR@aol.com]

This whole subject is the result of some Marketing-based testing that BMW
contracted for with a firm called Automotive Marketing Consultants, Inc. (no
affiliation).  You might have seen AMCI's work before, they do a lot of the
"testing validation" for various advertising claims made by a number of
manufacturers.

In this particular "test" the BMW was pitted against a Jeep Grand Cherokee, a
Lexus ES300 and a Volvo 850 Turbo. The Jeep had Quadra Trac, the Lexus was
plain vanilla front-drive and the Volvo has a brake-intervention type of
traction control.

In several different maneuvers, the cars were all driven with the throttles
set at 1/3 travel. This is the key for the apparently good BMW performance.
 Their traction control will invoke the engine management and brakes to
minimize wheel spin. That intervention enabled the BMW to get around in the
slippery stuff despite using too much throttle input for conditions (typical
BMW driver mode?).

The other cars didn't have any ability to regulate throttle position (locked
at 1/3, remember) and because of the nature of their drive systems and
traction control they were forced to do what no mortal would do in such a
situation - they couldn't lift off. As a result, the other cars couldn't do
as well as the BMW. In the real world where I live, people do tend to lift
off when they get in too deep, but these test conditions wouldn't allow for
that.

Bottom line? If you make the test unnatural enough, even a BMW can seem to be
able to creep around in the slippery stuff. But remember, the skill wasn't on
the part of the BMW driver.  His butt was saved by elecronics.

You don't suppose they just forgot to test an Audi in these conditions?