- Do I need AWD?
SOMETIMES. When it comes down to it, deter-
mining whether an option is worth the money is a
personal decision. But be war y of marketers’
appropriation of the word “sport.” Scrutinize any-
thing with “GT,” “touring,” or “appearance” in the
name, too. Adaptive dampers are often worth it
because they improve comfort while maintaining performance. We’d happily spend
$1790 on the 718 Boxster’s Porsche Active Suspension Management option.
Often, in order to get certain desirable features, you need to upgrade to a higher trim
level. For instance, the VW GTI’s adaptive dampers are part of the $860 SE Experience
package, which is only available on SE models. So if you want that adaptive suspension—
and you should—you’ll need to shell out a whopping $5060 over a base GTI to get it.
Optional headlights and summer tires are usually an inexpensive way to get more
performance and safety. And as much as we like the low dust and long life of carbon-
ceramic brake rotors, their cost is hard to justify. They are expensive and their resistance
to fade is realized at speeds you encounter only on a racetrack.FRONT-WHEEL
DRIVEREAR-WHEEL
DRIVEWHERE
DID YOU GET
STUCK?THEN WHY
ARE YOU EVEN
READING
THIS?HOW MUCH
TORQUE DOES
THE ENGINE
MAKE?HOW MUCH
TORQUE DOES
THE ENGINE
MAKE?WHERE IS
THE ENGINE
LOCATED?BEHIND THE
DRIVER,
WHERE IT
BELONGSAHEAD OF
THE
DRIVER400
LB-FT
OR
MOREI LIVE IN
SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA,
WHERE IT
RAINS EVERY
OTHER MONTHI LIVE
ON A DIRT
ROADIT ROUTINELY
SNOWS
MORE THAN
THREE INCHES
HEREMICHÈLE
MOUTON
IS MY
SPIRIT GUIDEROADS?
WHERE WE’RE
GOING, WE
DON’T NEED
ROADSNOWHAT’S THE
ALTERNATIVE TO
ALL-WHEEL
DRIVE FOR THE
VEHICLES YOU’RE
CONSIDERING?I’M SEEKING
VALIDATIONLESS
THAN
400
LB-FTIHS Markit predicts that when the final
numbers are tallied, all- and four-wheel-
drive vehicles will account for 47 percent
of new vehicles purchased in 2019. But
for most Americans, all-wheel drive is as
beneficial as a second set of legs.
On top of the added expense at
the time of purchase and atthe pump, all-wheel drive can fool you into
a false sense of security. It helps you
accelerate on slick roads, but it won’t
shorten stopping distances and—unless
you’re a rally hero—offers little advantage
in emergency handling maneuvers.
Not convinced? Then try our
handy decision guide.14. Is optional
performance
equipment
worth the cost?THE
VEHICLES I’M
INTERESTED IN ARE
OFFERED ONLY
WITH ALL-WHEEL
DRIVEI GOT
STUCK IN
THE SNOW
LAST
WINTERA SNOWBANK,
A DITCH, ANY
OTHER PLACE
A VEHICLE
DOESN’T
BELONGA ROAD,
A DRIVEWAY,
A TIM
HORTON’S
DRIVE-
THROUGHWHY DO
YOU NEED
ALL-WHEEL
DRIVE?250
LB-FT
OR
MORELESS
THAN
250
LB-FT17AI
RB
AG
IL
LU
ST
RA
TI
ON
B
Y^
PE
TE
S
UC
HE
SK
I
SKIP ALL-WHEEL
DRIVE, BUT CONSIDER
SPECIALIZED TIRES,
OR AT LEAST SLOWING
DOWN WHEN THE
ROADS ARE POOR- What
happens
when an
airbag
deploys?
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration reckons
that between 1987 and 2017, front
airbags alone saved 50,
lives—a crowd that would pack
Madison Square Garden two and a
half times over. That safety record
relies on a chain reaction that’s
complex and incredibly quick.
Here’s what your airbags are up to
in the split second after a crash:
Accelerometers and door-
pressure sensors continually feed
deceleration, pressure, and vibra-
tion data to the car’s sensing and
diagnostic module (SDM). When
the data indicates a severe impact,
the SDM sends a signal to the
airbag inflater, inside of which sits
an initiator surrounded by a solid
chemical mix. The initiator heats
those chemicals—the exact mix
varies by manufacturer—resulting
in enough gas to fill a 2.5-cubic-
foot airbag within 0.03 second of
impact. (Some side-curtain
airbags are inflated by a cylinder
of compressed air.)
Think it’ll be cozy to tuck into
that big nylon pillow? Think again.
Airbags deploy fast enough to
catch limp bodies and are very
hard when fully inflated. To ensure
a soft landing, airbags immedi-
ately vent some of the gas into the
cabin so that they’re deflating by
the time a driver’s head hits.
Really, it’s the best thing that
could ever blow up in your face.ME
TOODO YOU
USE WINTER
TIRES?YESALL-WHEEL
DRIVE MAKES
SENSE
FOR YOU