This film was made with some cones in mind.
The moose testing is known for throwing vehicles under the bus. It also induces tire blowouts and two-wheeled antics. The contestants are placed in the worst case scenario. They must steer around an object that suddenly appears. Km77’s new video shows how the new Audi A3 Sportback fared in the crucible wildlife avoidance.
The first test at 46 mph (75 km/h) was not a success. I had no idea how the car behaves so it wasn’t surprising. Although the initial turn-in was solid, the German car struggled with the second direction change. The A3’s Electronic Stability Controller was able to achieve a maximum speed of 44 MPH (72 KPH) without hitting any cones. However, it is important to remember that cones are not a measure of vehicle dynamics.
It would be remiss of us not to mention that understeering is something road vehicles are expected to do. While some drivers like a sharp front end on the track, it is much safer out on the roads. The latter is much more common in racing than people think.
The Audi was very agile in the slalom, with a slight role reverse. Although it is difficult to gauge the speed of this exercise, the results were far better than those for the moose test. While you could argue the front-axle was still erratic on turn-ins, the rear wheels never failed to rotate.
These situations can be affected greatly by the driver and tire, but the A3 Sportback appears to be a huge success. Although it is not surprising that this vehicle produces these results, we have seen even better performances.