Today's topic is VW's ESP, or Electronic Stabilization Program. ESP is a very intricate system of electronics that helps to correct the behavior of the car on the road in emergency situations. This system is your best friend when you have to swerve to avoid an accident. It can independently control each break to slow, or even stop, each wheel to change your direction of travel. In the case of the Tiguan and the Touareg (ESP4), the system also has a rollover protection system built in. If the car tilts too far to one side, it will lock up the brakes on that side, pitching the car back down to the floor. An interesting fact is that the government mandated that everybody use this technology by 2012. Well, we've been using it since 2009... in EVERY car.
To put the system in Layman's terms, the system can see the difference between where YOU want to go, and where the CAR wants to go. If these two directions are not the same, ESP steps in and helps to correct the problem before something bad happens. It's almost like it knows......
In this first video, you can see the Tiguan's ESP4 keeping the car from rolling over. You can see that with the system turned off, the car continues to spin out of control. With the system turned off, the wheels lock and the engine power is reduced to maintain control and prevent a rollover.
In this second video, you can see the general ESP system in action. Watch how controlled the maneuvers are with ESP turned on.
Join us in the Beetle Blog for the next safety tip.
