2013 Outback vs 2013 Venza on ice test by AMCI.

[crabjoe]

What do you think?

[Tom28]

Originally Posted by crabjoe

What do you think?

Pretty cool. Can they put it up against something with Quattro for grins and giggles?

[there4igraham]

Did anybody else notice how much the Venza's tailpipe flops around?

Good on Toyota for figuring out AWD. Now if they can just make something better than the Venza.

[dboz]

I figure the small differences are probably the tires.

[statueim]

Originally Posted by crabjoe

What do you think?

Looks like a test of stock tire traction on ice rather than a true comparison of AWD systems.

[bajanut]

or at least get the MPG closer. Simularly speced Vinza vs outback with AWD, outback wins hands down.

[Se7enLC]

I'm confused...

They started by referencing the ramp video, and decided to do real world tests....on flat ground?

Apparently hills don't exist in the real world.

Also, it's kind of suspect:

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But they've only posted videos of the Toyota Venza. I'm going to guess this ends up in a Toyota Venza commercial, soon!

Also, Also: Is speed really what you want to compare when looking at ice traction? I'd think "makes it" vs "doesn't make it" would be a big one, and "maintains control" vs 'loses control". Both vehicles did fine in the flat ice test. The difference in speed seems irrelevant.

[subiesailor]

Tire traction test on flat surface nothing ground breaking about it. Venza has higher quality tires it should have the edge here regardless of awd system

[Novablue]

Toyota has been trying really hard to make it seem as though the OB and the Venza are the same car only the Venza looks better...

I agree about the tires making all the difference, infact they acknowledge that in the test. Put the same tires on these cars and you can better measure the AWD system, but that is not what this test was about. It's about how does the "package" performs, meaning the tires that are on the car and the AWD system.

Inspite of what many say here the stock tires on the OB suck, especially on ice. I would be surprised if the Toyota tires are much better though.

As many on this site have said over and over on these threads: Most drivers will never reach the limits of the AWD system in these cars.

Personally, it looks like Toyota funded this study. What I don't understand is why is Toyota trying to steal market share from Subaru when they own 20% of the company?

[mikelipke]

Originally Posted by Novablue

What I don't understand is why is Toyota trying to steal market share from Subaru when they own 20% of the company?

Same reason Ford competes with Mercury, Buick with Chev, and Hyundai with Kia. Brand identity and image is a fierce business.