AWD questions

[hms09]

I am a new Genesis owner(2015 Base Model) and am confused about the AWD system. When is the car in AWD? Does it depend on which drive mode I have selected?

 

[ksoze]

Full time AWD.

http://brand.hyundai.com/en/challenge/for-technology/htrac.do

 

[CanukV6]

I am a new Genesis owner(2015 Base Model) and am confused about the AWD system. When is the car in AWD? Does it depend on which drive mode I have selected?

As noted by ksoze, if you have HTRAC then your car is always in AWD, but the mode selection does change how the system is set.
In Normal Mode (default) the torque is split 20% Front 80% Rear if I recall correctly (I don't have the manual handy).
In ECO Mode the torque split is 40%F & 60%R and the transmission will hold a higher gear for longer.
In SPORT Mode the system is essentially set as RWD with maybe 5-10% split to the front wheels.
In SNOW Mode (Hold the mode button down for a few seconds) the torque is split 50:50 and the throttle is very slow (too slow in my opinion) to react.
The above are all nominal settings and in ALL Modes, the torque split will vary front to back and side to side according to the grip at each wheel.
Hope this helps.

 

[Nikgen]

This explains it as it is still can have variable splits in all modes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sigvxCBDlwI

More info here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0BlACpRTFk

and some here (though more of a commercial):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpJv81Zx1yc

 

[MoabGen]

and some here (though more of a commercial):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpJv81Zx1yc

0:36 second mark - it doesn't appear they are riding the Hankooks in the snow, I could be wrong.

 

[Midnightsun]

0:36 second mark - it doesn't appear they are riding the Hankooks in the snow, I could be wrong.

LOL that would be a crap commercial if they were on all seasons as the car would be all over the place. Never use all seasons in the snow unless you want a major compromise. I would say a rwd car has better characteristics with dedicated snows than an AWD with all seasons. The difference is really that great.

 

[MoabGen]

LOL that would be a crap commercial if they were on all seasons as the car would be all over the place. Never use all seasons in the snow unless you want a major compromise. I would say a rwd car has better characteristics with dedicated snows than an AWD with all seasons. The difference is really that great.

Completely agree. Just a bit misleading to the average car buyer that watches the video. One can easily be led to believe that's how the car performs on oem tires. But that's also good marketing if you're trying to sell cars. There are videos on YouTube comparing RWD cars with snow tires vs AWD cars with all season tires, and it really is amazing how much of a difference the tires alone can make. One of my clients bought a 5.0 and was complaining how bad it drove in the snow last winter. I wish I asked if he was using the hankooks.