My initial embarrassment subsides somewhat when I realise several others have done the same thing. Marc Ebert, who is the instructor for my group, explains that when the car is being driven the heat of the brakes melt the ice that has formed around the wheel. When the car is parked and the brakes cool, the water then freezes again around the brakes. You therefore need to give it a bit more right boot when you drive off to break the hold of the ice, even on a mild day like today – it’s ‘only’ -17ºC. My second attempt is much more successful and we hit the road in our Volkswagen convoy. Well, when I say ‘road’ it is an assumption that underneath all this ice and snow lies some sort of tarmac because I sure as hell can’t see it.
My previous experience of driving on snow has been limited to granny-paced essential commuting, however, the Golf feels completely planted and stable even as we hover around the 90kph mark. This is my first time driving a car equipped with snow tyres and I am impressed with the level of grip they are providing, but I also know that the Electronic Stability Control is working its magic behind the scenes. During the briefing we were informed to leave the Driver Assist Systems on while on the road and I can honestly say I have no intentions of turning anything off. Confidence is building in the Golf’s abilities but my lack of experience in similar conditions has me erring on the correct side of sensible.
Driving on the road is not what this Volkswagen Driving Experience is about however and we soon reach our destination. As we wind down a narrow, snow covered lane the trees suddenly part in front of us to reveal Arvidsjaursjön; the massive frozen lake that will be our play area over the next few days. A quick look at the sat-nav system shows that we are indeed driving on a large expanse of blue and my butt cheeks momentarily clasp watertight in the fear that the ice will not hold us.
With only a few hours of sunlight remaining we start our first exercise to get a feel of how driving on ice affects the car. It is a simple exercise consisting of acceleration to at least 50kph before hitting the full braking that the Golf can muster while simultaneously steering out of an area of danger, demarcated by cones, before coming to a complete halt. The first run is with ESP on, the second run with ESP limited and third with ESP completely turned off and there is a perceptible step up in rear liveliness.
