Winter

Ford has announced that it has completed its winter testing for the F-150 Lightning. This type of testing is a powertrain evaluation specifically meant to ensure that the all-electric powertrain of the Lightning can effectively deliver power on low traction surfaces.

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time in the beautiful, snow-capped mountains of central Colorado, where Rocky Mountain Redline assembled a variety of all-wheel drive vehicles to demonstrate their prowess in wintry conditions. Among the cars and crossovers was one of the first ever 2020 Dodge Charger GT AWDs to roll off the assembly line.

Salted roads and snow. They both suck, and for completely different reasons. One makes commuting a potentially life-threatening inconvenience, while the other is put in play in order to alleviate said slippery disposition, but poses a threat to your automobile and is a chore to remove.

I’d like to think that the uber-rich have to put away their McLaren P1 or Ferrari LaFerrari for the winter and transition to a beater. Of course, their winter beater can’t be anything like a WRX or Jeep though, they are the 1% after all.

I don’t think many Lamborghini owners would want to take their expensive cars out in anything but sunny and dry weather. You certainly wouldn’t find the majority of these people taking their Lambos out in the snow, much less driving that Lambo up a glacier at a ski resort.

Ford has announced that the new Focus RS has become the first car available in North America to come with a factory winter wheel and tire package. The tire and wheel package is a dealer fitted option that can be ordered for $1995.

Mattias Ekström is certainly no stranger to pushing the limits of his awesome Audi S1 rally car, having won the World Rallycross Championship in 2014. But one’s view of the world can change quickly and when Ekström takes the passenger seat and allows professional alpine skier Felix Neureuther take the wheel of his 600 horsepower rally racer, one can almost hear G.O.B. 

Each year, Porsche takes some of its beautiful cars to Vermont’s equally beautiful Sugarbush Resort to give attendees an opportunity to drive them in harsh, wintry conditions. Specifically, this year’s Porsche Winter Driving Experience put drivers behind the wheel of an all-wheel drive 911 Carrera 4S, under the guidance of professional driving instructors.

Audi sent an SQ5 quattro to the Alps along with filmmaker David Tindale and freeskier Roy Kittler to see what sort of action video they could create on the slopes. With the help of a drone camera from aufmschlau.ch