What all-wheel drive crossovers are not at all suitable for winter

Our drivers love and respect all-wheel drive. It is believed that any crossover with all-wheel drive is comparable in terms of cross-country ability to a tank. So, it can be safely used on any roads, especially in winter. Nevertheless, the AvtoVzglyad portal undertakes to assert that not all modern SUVs can safely endure driving on snow. This means that they should not be treated as all-terrain vehicles.

In many modern crossovers, an all-wheel drive scheme is increasingly being used, which is based on an electromagnetic clutch or hydraulic clutch. Such solutions are cheaper than "honest" four-wheel drive. In addition, automakers believe that urban SUVs do not need a complex design, because the roads in the city are being cleaned.

The electromagnetic clutch has a clutch pack that closes when the control unit gives the appropriate command. In addition, the unit is able to dose the moment in the range from 0 to 100%. Depending on the design, the blocking works by means of electric traction or hydraulics.

The disadvantage of this design is the tendency to overheat. The fact is that such a solution, as conceived by the automaker, is necessary so that the rear wheels help the front wheels get out of a small snowdrift in the parking lot. And if you skid in the snow for even five minutes, then the unit overheats, as indicated by the corresponding indicator on the dashboard. As a result, you have to cool the clutch, and the driver has to get a shovel.

Designs based on hydraulics are more reliable and can work in engagement for a long time. But here we must remember that in such nodes it is necessary to change the oil. Failure to do so may result in vibration, overheating, or failure. This is especially true for used SUVs, because most owners regularly change the lubricant in the engine, but they forget about the clutch. Therefore, if you are going to buy a car with a mileage of 50 km, it is better to immediately change the oil in this unit.

Crossovers with a robotic gearbox with two clutches also perform not in the best way in winter. The fact is that the smart "robot" has its own protection against overheating. If the electronics detect an increase in the temperature of the working fluid, it will give a signal and the clutch discs will forcibly open. If at this time the driver storms a steep slope, the car will simply roll back. Here you need to have time to press the brake, otherwise the consequences will be unpredictable.

Finally, affordable all-wheel drive crossovers are considered by our people to be real all-terrain vehicles. And to make their cross-country ability even better, off-road tires are “shoeed”. But the machine is not designed for this. As a result, the load on the wheel drives increases many times, so much so that they can turn. And from the forest, such an unfortunate SUV will have to be pulled out with a tractor.