"Motorists are advised to stay off roadways as heavy snowfall, freezing rain and blowing winds over the next 12 to 24 hours are expected between the Muskokas and the Rainbow District of Northern Ontario."
We call that the snow-belt, and all day long, Toronto radio stations had been warning me to wait out the coming storm which would occupy the 400 kilometres between me and my destination. Said destination was home- up north through the 400 before snaking through highway 69 en route to the Big Nickel.
A perfect storm for a perfect wintertime express
Whiteouts, deep snow, surprise blizzards and highway closures are all commonplace here colder months. It makes for a nasty bit of driving if you catch it on a bad day, but it's also one of the best roads imaginable to check out a car's wintertime worthiness.
For this week's venture through driving hell, the weapon of choice was Acura's flagship RL sedan. With Super-Handling AWD (SH-AWD) on board and a selection of the most advanced safety features available today, it's a car that aims for the same comfort while cruising the strip as on a trip through a snowstorm.
Hard working hardware
RL comes with Acura's advanced SH-AWD system as standard. It's tuned to enhance performance on dry-pavement surfaces with its power-transferring tricks.
For this test, it wouldn't be touching any dry pavement- but while accelerating through snow at anything less than full throttle, you'd be hard pressed to tell a difference. Slippage is dismissed by the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system as it cuts power and applies brakes to maintain control. The system can be turned off completely, if you're into sideways stuff in the back roads when no one's looking.
But, if you happen to be on a treacherous stretch of highway with 6 inches of unplowed powder and zero visibility, the peace of mind generated by the co-operation between the SH-AWD and VSA systems is fantastic. Should you mess up and find yourself skidding, it can save your hide.
Snow Tires mandatory
You'll need a set of decent snow tires to make the best of it all. RL isn't a heavyweight, so even with a set of Pirelli ice and snow radials mounted, it still felt a touch light and skittish in some situations.
We call that the snow-belt, and all day long, Toronto radio stations had been warning me to wait out the coming storm which would occupy the 400 kilometres between me and my destination. Said destination was home- up north through the 400 before snaking through highway 69 en route to the Big Nickel.
 |
| RL comes with Acura's advanced SH-AWD system as standard. |
A perfect storm for a perfect wintertime express
Whiteouts, deep snow, surprise blizzards and highway closures are all commonplace here colder months. It makes for a nasty bit of driving if you catch it on a bad day, but it's also one of the best roads imaginable to check out a car's wintertime worthiness.
For this week's venture through driving hell, the weapon of choice was Acura's flagship RL sedan. With Super-Handling AWD (SH-AWD) on board and a selection of the most advanced safety features available today, it's a car that aims for the same comfort while cruising the strip as on a trip through a snowstorm.
Hard working hardware
RL comes with Acura's advanced SH-AWD system as standard. It's tuned to enhance performance on dry-pavement surfaces with its power-transferring tricks.
For this test, it wouldn't be touching any dry pavement- but while accelerating through snow at anything less than full throttle, you'd be hard pressed to tell a difference. Slippage is dismissed by the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system as it cuts power and applies brakes to maintain control. The system can be turned off completely, if you're into sideways stuff in the back roads when no one's looking.
But, if you happen to be on a treacherous stretch of highway with 6 inches of unplowed powder and zero visibility, the peace of mind generated by the co-operation between the SH-AWD and VSA systems is fantastic. Should you mess up and find yourself skidding, it can save your hide.
Snow Tires mandatory
You'll need a set of decent snow tires to make the best of it all. RL isn't a heavyweight, so even with a set of Pirelli ice and snow radials mounted, it still felt a touch light and skittish in some situations.
 |
| You'll need a set of decent snow tires to make the best of it all. |