We take the Volvo XC90 out for a spin in -40C Arctic weather on a frozen Swedish lake with GKN Driveline
British car tech experts GKN Driveline test drive their machinery on the world’s best cold-weather testing facility - a frozen lake in Arjeplog, Sweden
SO many people view driving through 2D glasses. To them, a car is simply for transport — an expensive necessity taking up room on the drive.
But your car is a hero. Even an affordable runaround is a superstar designed to keep you alive should the very worst happen.
It doesn’t even expect a pat on the back.
Thankfully, most of us never see just what our car is capable of in that lethal zone, that tipping point of physics where grip gives way to disaster.
But there are places you can go to do it safely. Well, safe-ish.
In the summer, Arjeplog in Sweden is home to around 2,000 people. It is a one-horse town that trims the shores of Hornavan, Sweden’s deepest lake.
But come winter, when temperatures drop to -40C and the lake freezes ten metres deep, Arjeplog becomes the world’s best cold-weather testing facility, temporarily home to more than 6,000 engineers and testers.
Just about every manufacturer and automotive engineering company flocks there to punish their products on circuits carved into the frozen lake.
No grip. No warmth. On the edge.
British firm GKN Driveline homes its test centre there. You may not have heard of GKN, but you probably rely on its tech every time you drive your car.
It was founded in 1759 as a steel company, riding the wave of the Industrial Revolution. Then it made a fortune producing munitions, tanks and Spitfires. GKN helped us emerge victorious from two world wars.
Today, 50 per cent of the cars on the planet have GKN products underneath the skin.
GKN essentially invented the first front-wheel-drive car, the Mini in 1959, and the firm still specialises in all things drivetrain.
It is especially good at developing the systems that keep you alive if you ever get into one of those lethal situations, using something called torque vectoring.
Put simply, GKN’s Twinster torque vectoring system controls the amount of power to the front and rear axles, and between the rear wheels.
A computer making calculations every 300 milliseconds determines exactly where to put the torque, which means grip is kept to a maximum, far more so than in a traditional four-wheel-drive system.
If one wheel is slipping, power is reduced and shifted to other wheels until traction digs in again. This is clever stuff — but not as expensive as you might think.
It is used on such workaday cars as the Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport and the new Volvo XC90.
It is GKN’s torque vectoring that lets the legendary Ford Focus RS come with a Drift mode, for Ken Block-style gymkhana.
The demonstration was simple — first drive with the system turned off, then drive with it on. Turning even at low speeds on the polished ice sent the car into a deep, sideways drift.
The manufacturer’s regular traction-control system floundered in its attempt to right the car.
The thought of being on a busy road in that situation makes you shudder. But with the Twinster system activated it was a different story completely.
GKN
Key facts:
Global HC: Redditch, Worcs
UK employees : 6,500
Global employees: 58,000
Founded: 1759 in Dowlais, Wales
As the car lost traction in the turn, the system sent power to the outside rear wheel, immediately pulling the nose to point forwards and killing off the lethal understeer.
On Britain’s sludgy, icy roads, I want this system in my car.
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Sadly, this company that has dedicated itself to making the world of motoring a safer place is itself under attack.
A conglomerate called Melrose is attempting a £7billion hostile takeover.
The fear is that Melrose might strip GKN for assets, in the process letting centuries of British engineering and graft go up in smoke.
Let’s hope it doesn’t happen.