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RWD Volkswagen ID.4 Is Seriously Hard To Control in the Snow on All-Season Tires

Driving in winter presents its challenges, especially when the road is covered with snow and ice. Add to that an RWD vehicle and you need serious driving skills to keep the car on the road. But what’s it like to drive an RWD electric vehicle in slippery conditions, especially when it comes with all-season tires? This Volkswagen ID.4 owner is in for a nasty surprise.
RWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snow 9 photos
Photo: Out of Spec Reviews via Youtube
RWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snowRWD Volkswagen ID.4 is seriously hard to control in the snow
Rear-wheel-vehicles have a bad rep when it comes to driving on snowy roads. This is mostly because people find it counterintuitive to control the car in the oversteering situation – that is when the rear end of the car is more playful than what the driver expects. But modern vehicles employ a myriad of electronics systems to stabilize the car in the most difficult situations.

Driving an electric vehicle should not be any different. This is something Branden from the Out of Spec Reviews YouTube channel finds out after it takes his Volkswagen ID.4 in the snow for the first time.

Although Volkswagen offers the ID.4 with all-wheel drive, Brandon’s car is the base rear-wheel-drive version. To make matters worse, the car rides on all-season tires that may not be the best choice for snow and ice-covered roads. We see Brandon starting to drive confidently on the snowy road at 30 mph (48 kph) but soon the car needs more input from the driver to stay on course.

The electronic stability control is in panic, as betrayed by the flickering amber light in the dashboard and we assume Brandon himself might have a light or two flickering inside after seeing his car had difficulties turning.

Kudos to Brandon for keeping his car on the road by gently steering to counteract the car’s movements, although he could not help much with the understeering that is also obvious in the video. Of course, we can only presume the winter tires would’ve changed the situation for the better, having a lot more grip in the snow and on the ice than the standard all-seasons. But there is no guarantee, as some people already discovered in the snow with more competent vehicles.

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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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