Conquer Winter with Volkswagen

Winter weather poses additional risks to drivers. Reduced visibility and traction can create dangerous conditions. If you live somewhere that experiences ice, snow, and freezing rain, the risks are even greater. It’s important to practice additional safety, keep up with your vehicle’s maintenance, and stay alert all year long, but even more so during the winter. However, Volkswagen models offer an entire suite of driver assistance features, collision-resistant vehicle construction, and technologies that increase traction in adverse conditions. The Heritage Volkswagen team is here to break down some of the best safety features from Volkswagen to protect you and your family when the roads get slippery this winter.

Premium Traction Technology

Slippery winter road conditions require extra care while driving, but Volkswagen models feature intelligent technology features to make it easier to navigate situations with reduced traction. Volkswagen’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive is available on the Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport, and Tiguan. This advanced system can send power to the wheels with the most traction. Standard features like 4-wheel ABS, electronic brake distribution, brake assist, and hill start assist all offer support without being invasive. The tire pressure monitoring system will alert you if one of your tires has low pressure, which can affect braking, handling, and traction. Traction control utilizes the sensors and systems already equipped in the vehicle to reduce understeer or oversteer, both of which can result in an accident. All of these features are so responsive that drivers don’t even notice how much they contribute to the smooth handling and drive of Volkswagen models.

Active Safety Features

For 2021, Volkswagen driver assistance features build on the latest innovations in safety tech that uses radar and cameras to detect, warn, and even sometimes prevent collisions.

• Front Assist* – This system can detect potential frontal collisions with vehicles or other obstacles and notify the driver to apply the brakes, or it can even autonomously apply full braking force during emergency situations.
• Lane Assist* – By monitoring the markings, curbs, and road edges using the forward-facing camera, Lane Departure Alert can notify you when you deviate from your lane. If needed, it can even make small steering adjustments on its own.
• Automatic Post-Collision Braking System* – With this system, further possible damage after a collision is minimized by helping the driver bring the car to a stop in instances where the collision itself didn’t stop the vehicle. 
• Adaptive Cruise Control* – This system uses the same camera and radar system in the Pre-Collision System to maintain a preset distance between you and the car in front of you by automatically adjusting speed.
• Blind-Spot Monitor* – Using radar sensors mounted on the rear of the vehicle, the Blind-Spot Monitor feature can detect cars in your blind spot. When a vehicle is detected by the system, it will illuminate an icon in the door mirror on the corresponding side to notify the driver. 

Passive Safety Features

In addition to the driver assistance features available on most Volkswagen models, these passive safety features are quietly working behind the scenes and keeping you and your passengers safe. These features also inspire driving confidence that can help you tackle a variety of road conditions.

• Electronic Stability Control – In instances of strong oversteer or understeer while cornering, the Electronic Stability Control system helps to regain and maintain predictability.
• Anti-Slip Control – This feature keeps your drive wheels planted in the event of excessive throttle input on surfaces like ice, mud, and wet roads.
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) – ABS keeps your wheels from locking up when brakes are applied heavily, making sure your vehicle comes to a stop when you need it to.
• Electronic Brake Force Distribution – Working in conjunction with your vehicle’s Anti-Lock Brake System, EBD controls brake power distribution between front and rear wheels, as well as left and right, to ensure traction, braking, and cornering are always optimal.
• Hydraulic Brake Assist – During emergency braking, Brake Assist may step in to help drivers stop in time by adding additional brake force.

Prevention and Protection

Volkswagen has always been dedicated to protecting its customers, and thanks to some amazing advancements in safety technology, your Volkswagen isn’t just built for value and reliability. It’s also built to protect you, your family, other motorists, and pedestrians in revolutionary ways. For more information about this automaker’s innovations in safety technology or to see these features in action for yourself, contact the team at Heritage Volkswagen today or visit our showroom at 4305 Jonesboro Road, Union City, GA 30291.

* Driver Assistance features are not substitutes for attentive driving. See Owner’s Manual for further details and important limitations.

Image Credit: Volkswagen