Are Winter Tires More Important than AWD in the Snow?

There’s a common misconception that an all-wheel drive car is all one needs to be safe when driving in winter. While AWD is important and gives more peace of mind to the driver, it is completely useless if the car rides on inappropriate tires.

To demonstrate that, AutoExpress magazine took two Ford Kuga SUVs, a front-wheel drive and an all-wheel drive model, both fitted with the same 2.0-liter diesel engine and manual gearbox, and put them to an interesting test. First, they wanted to see which car goes further up the snow-covered slope using summer tires.

Needless to say, both the FWD and the AWD Kuga proved useless in those conditions. The most telling comparison was between the FWD Kuga on winter tires and the AWD car on summer tires. To put it simply, the front-wheel drive car humiliated the 4WD model.

However, when the all-wheel drive Kuga made the switch to winter tires, the situation improved dramatically in its favor. We know this type of test has been done before, but it's still worth watching.

By Dan Mihalascu

VIDEO

Ford Updates Kuga with New 2.0-liter Diesel Engines and Individual Trim

Following hot on the heels from the introduction of the refreshed for the 2011MY Mondeo, Ford's European arm is now broadening the appeal of its Kuga SUV with the presentation of two new diesel engines coupled with a new 'Individual' trim.

The automaker's compact SUV model gains a new 2.0-liter turbo diesel Duratorq TDCi engine that's available in two states of tune, a 140HP version that replaces the 136HP variant and a new 163-horsepower edition. All-wheel drive models can be specified with Ford's PowerShift six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Ford Vertrek Concept Live from Detroit

Unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the Vertrek Concept previews Ford’s next global compact SUV, set to replace both the European Kuga and North American Escape models. While it’s not so different compared to the Kuga, the concept car is certainly more modern than the current Ford Escape.

Ford Vertrek Concept Previews Next Escape and Kuga SUVs

These are the first official photos of Ford's Detroit Show-bound Vertrek concept study, which previews a common replacement for the European market Kuga crossover and the North American Escape SUV.
The compact-sized model is based on the underpinnings of the Focus hatch and is powered by Ford's 1.6-liter turbocharged EcoBoost petrol engine featuring start and stop technology for improved fuel efficiency.

Ford to Unveil New Concept Model for Kuga and Escape Successors at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show

Ford is gearing up for next year’s Detroit Motor Show with an almost production-ready concept version previewing a common replacement for the European market Kuga crossover and the North American Escape SUV. According to an inside source talking to Automotive News Europe, the new compact-sized crossover model will go into production in the second half of 2012 as a 2013 model.