Disappointed with AWD

[joeyz400]

My last 2 Mercedes leases were 4matic (E350 & ML350) and handled the snow way better. We got 6" of snow on Tuesday and I got stuck twice trying to get out of parking spots that weren't plowed. I never had that problem in the same situations with my Benz and the E350 had a sport package with summer tires. I tried it with the trac control on and off and even in snow mode. I don't know weather to blame the system or the tires. My 2 Benzs had Continential tires.

 

[jonjon72]

That's odd. I've been in a couple of heavy snowfalls and zero issues getting out of lots that have not been shovelled, snow packed roads and on the highway. Even my best friend who has an AWD Explorer and Volvo was quite impressed with my car in the snow/ice.

I'm currently on Blizzak LM 32's. What tires are you running?

 

[quanva]

my experience has been quite the opposite..drove from Va-PA in a snow storm.. car did very well..tested the AWD in the mountains of pa in a 2 inch a hr snow storm, stopped midway on a hill, snow covered road..then started..Granted my last vehicle was an 2008 vw touareg and the 4x-motion system was almost unstoppable..I find this system when paired with the nanny controls really good

 

[Manong]

And yet I have the RWD and it handled all the unplowed snow in my area using the snow mode of course.

 

[Nikgen]

My last 2 Mercedes leases were 4matic (E350 & ML350) and handled the snow way better. We got 6" of snow on Tuesday and I got stuck twice trying to get out of parking spots that weren't plowed. I never had that problem in the same situations with my Benz and the E350 had a sport package with summer tires. I tried it with the trac control on and off and even in snow mode. I don't know weather to blame the system or the tires. My 2 Benzs had Continential tires.

And I drove out my unplowed driveway (in reverse) and through many blocks of unplowed 6" snow on Saturday and through the same on Tuesday but with 8" of snow with absolutely no issue (and this is on the stock Hankooks) - maybe something wrong with your car? When you say you got stuck, are you saying you were just spinning front and back wheels?

 

[Midnightsun]

My last 2 Mercedes leases were 4matic (E350 & ML350) and handled the snow way better. We got 6" of snow on Tuesday and I got stuck twice trying to get out of parking spots that weren't plowed. I never had that problem in the same situations with my Benz and the E350 had a sport package with summer tires. I tried it with the trac control on and off and even in snow mode. I don't know weather to blame the system or the tires. My 2 Benzs had Continential tires.

You cannot compare unless you put the Benz in the exact same spot as you were in when the Genesis got stuck. If there is ice under and snow on top and no winters then you will have a problem with any vehicle. That being said I find the Genesis to have a great AWD system and this is not my first which I get to test almost daily in severe conditions. In fact it is snowing right now and there will be a good 6 inches tomorrow morning on top of the hard packed snow and many thick ice patches on the smaller roads.

I do have 4 dedicated ice/snow tires on which is a must IMHO. Don't forget, sure it is cool to accelerate off from a dead start but when stopping with summer tires the 2wd has the same stopping distance. The only way to make stopping much better and I mean greatly improved, is by putting on dedicated top rated winters. If ice is a big long term factor then studding should be considered.

This video from tire rack should make you see the dramatic difference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGfvyPtYR0Y

 

[Breadmen]

Hey folks, the AWD system on this car is a great system from one of the leading powertrain manufacturers in the world. It comes from a Canadian company called Magna International and the H-Trac unit itself is made in their Magna Powertrain factory in Austria! Variations of this system and other powertain components from Magna are used in Chrysler, Jeep, Mercedes Benz, BMW (X-Drive!) Ford, GM and many other respected European manufacturers. Here is their press release from June 2014 announcing their partnership with Hyundai for developing H-Trac for the new Genesis:

http://www.magna.com/media/press-re...sis-achieve-new-levels-of-driving-performance

It's no surprise Hyundai went to one of the best powertrain manufacturers in the world, like other top brands I mentioned, to get a world class AWD system for "getting it right" on their second generation redesign of the Genesis.

I for one have had no trouble with driving my AWD Genesis Ultimate in the snow (or any weather) here in central NJ

 

[ep010835]

Y'all are killing me with all this talk of snow. I don't know how you do it. God Bless all of you.

 

[Gunkk]

It was sunny and 70 today, not a cloud in the sky. Had a lovely drive with windows down and tunes cranked!

Ahh yes... the good ol' days of bangin' around in my 4x4 4Runner in Massachusetts and update NY in 10 inch deep snow... And my old home town of Hudson, MA got 36" in the storm this week. They can keep it

But if I was still there I'd be wanting an ultimate 5.0 AWD. Or since they're not yet available in the states, I'd buy a $35k cobra for the good days and a $20k beater 4x4 for the rest.

 

[joeyz400]

They were both spots that cars were in and out of. Not fresh snow, a mix of fresh, packed and slush. Yes, I had wheels spinning in forward and reverse and it took some maneuvering to get out. I lived in NY my whole life so I know how to drive in snow. I am running the stock Hancooks.

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[saad5990]

My last 2 Mercedes leases were 4matic (E350 & ML350) and handled the snow way better. We got 6" of snow on Tuesday and I got stuck twice trying to get out of parking spots that weren't plowed. I never had that problem in the same situations with my Benz and the E350 had a sport package with summer tires. I tried it with the trac control on and off and even in snow mode. I don't know weather to blame the system or the tires. My 2 Benzs had Continential tires.

You sure you got the AWD. Or maybe they just badged the Htrac logo at the back lol . you never know dealership these days

 

[15GenesisAWD]

Is AWD from Hyundai Santa Fe different from the one in Genesis?
Anyhow, here is one comparison they did in Korea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwWi9-XttU

There are a lot of AWD comparison videos out there but from my personal experience, BMW XDrive has always been the best. MB 4 Matic is not bad either. I think Audi quattro is overrated, especially with its nose heavy weight distribution like front drive cars, 50/50 would be ideal (like BMWs and Genesis) for slippery condition for AWD. I don't think Genesis can distribute the power from left to right like BMW? It does so from front to back, that we know.

 

[scottdk]

Is AWD from Hyundai Santa Fe different from the one in Genesis?
Anyhow, here is one comparison they did in Korea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwWi9-XttU

There are a lot of AWD comparison videos out there but from my personal experience, BMW XDrive has always been the best. MB 4 Matic is not bad either. I think Audi quattro is overrated, especially with its nose heavy weight distribution like front drive cars, 50/50 would be ideal (like BMWs and Genesis) for slippery condition for AWD. I don't think Genesis can distribute the power from left to right like BMW? It does so from front to back, that we know.

The Sante Fe and Genesis AWD systems are not related. The Sante Fe has a FWD biased AWD system, which deploys 90% of the power to the front wheels and 10% to the rear. Under slippery conditions the system can put up to 50% power to the rear.

 

[Mark_888]

I don't know whether (not weather) it is the OEM tires, but I find it amazing that some with AWD still have to put on snow tires, and can't get by with all-season tires. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about snow tires or AWD.

 

[joeyz400]

You sure you got the AWD. Or maybe they just badged the Htrac logo at the back lol . you never know dealership these days

Yes it's definitely all wheel drive because I saw snow shooting out of the front tires. But as someone mentioned, I don't think it is good with left to right bias.

 

[Midnightsun]

I don't know whether (not weather) it is the OEM tires, but I find it amazing that some with AWD still have to put on snow tires, and can't get by with all-season tires. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about snow tires or AWD.

That is because you have not seen the difference and do not understand all season is not really what it says it is and is a rather big compromise especially when it gets very cold and the rubber turns so hard it's almost like plastic, winter tire compound does not do this. In fact the difference is so dramatic they outlawed them here in Quebec and you MUST have dedicated winters on from Dec to April.

It's almost like walking outside in the snow in dress shoes and leather soles compared to winter boots. Again, a 2wd car with winters will stop and handle much better by far than any awd with all seasons. Dedicated winter tires do more for a cars ability in snow than AWD ever could except on traction from a dead stop.

 

[commodore]

Midnightsun hit the nail on the head. AWD has been marketed for so long implying "you'll never have to worry about getting stuck in snow ever again" that I still smile every time that broad claim is made. In reality AWD gets used far more by keeping [often untrained drivers pretending to be track stars] on the road - in fair weather conditions. Crippling snow storms for most drivers are not a daily occurrences .
Military vehicles, state snow plows, private snow plows and ATV's can and do get stuck in snow more than you might think and not always in huge drifts.
If you can afford to drive a high end AWD, front wheel or a rear wheel drive car spring for four real winter tires. If you live in the snow belt and can't afford real winter tires - start saving because real winter tires are almost as good as AWD. Remember that tires labeled 'mud & snow' are not winter tires .

 

[Midnightsun]

Winters tires must have the mountain/snowflake pictogram on them otherwise they are not truly designed as a winter tire. This pretty much sums it up. http://www.auto123.com/en/auto-parts/winter-tires/

 

[scottdk]

I don't know whether (not weather) it is the OEM tires, but I find it amazing that some with AWD still have to put on snow tires, and can't get by with all-season tires. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about snow tires or AWD.

This is because AWD only helps to get moving and doesn't help with traction when turning or braking. It does only 1 out of 3 elements of performing and safety, although not many accidents happen when accelerating from stop My Outback with AWD and winter tires is crazy good. Prior to putting on the winter tires when it was icy out I slid right through a stop sign about 15 feet past and I started braking WAY before I normally would due to the conditions and was only traveling 25 MPH. I put the winter tires on and did the same "test" and stopped 30 feet behind the stop sign. Winter tires are not just for snow - they parallel with cold temps, cold roads, and wet, slushy, and icy conditions.

 

[CanukV6]

Yes it's definitely all wheel drive because I saw snow shooting out of the front tires. But as someone mentioned, I don't think it is good with left to right bias.

Did you have the system in SNOW mode? Before I got my dedicated winter wheels & tires, I drove through some pretty bad snow & ice with the stock A/S Hankook tires and had absolutely no problems at all with traction - braking was another matter - when using the Snow mode setting. In my opinion the AWD System on this car is amazing and I have experience of 4-Matic and Quattro on previous vehicles. Short of 'beaching' the car on deep snow, I can't imagine getting stuck. Do yourself a favour though and invest in some winter tires. They make a HUGE difference.