What makes Mitsubishi S-AWC different?

Mitsubishi Motors’ legacy with four-wheel drive goes back to 1936, when it became the first Japanese company to produce a vehicle with a full-time four-wheel drive system. Commissioned for the Japanese military, the PX33 open-top sedan was to be used by battle commanders on the warfront and was powered by Japan’s first direct-injection diesel engine.

The prototype PX-33PX33 ultimately didn’t end up going into production; the government turned its attention to other ventures, but it established Mitsubishi Motors’ enduring legacy with four-wheel drive systems.

Today, four-wheel drive (4WD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) systems are ubiquitous and found on the majority of new cars and SUVs sold in Canada and the U.S, and there are many different types. While you might hear “four-wheel” and “all-wheel” used interchangeably, there are differences.

All-wheel drive, in most cases, refers to a part-time or passive system that activates without driver input when wheel slip is detected at either the front or rear axle. It can then route torque to the axle that isn’t slipping. Four-wheel drive is a more "mechanical" system. When you engage four-wheel drive, it physically locks the front and rear driveshafts together. This sends torque to both ends of the vehicle equally, regardless of traction.

Mitsubishi Motors’ system is called Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) and takes this a step further with the ability to route drive torque to each wheel individually. It’s a form of torque vectoring that can be found on expensive sports cars and racing cars. It’s also standard equipment on the Eclipse Cross, Outlander and Outlander PHEV.

Today, for the average Canadian driver, that means predictable traction and control on all types of road surfaces and all-weather conditions.

Because all four wheels can be individually controlled, S-AWC can respond instantaneously during changing weather conditions, in many cases, before the driver even notices. And Canadian winters are notorious for whiteout conditions, freezing rain, and rapidly dropping temperatures, all of which highlight the capabilities of the S-AWC system.

In most parts of Canada, winters are long and cold, meaning that driving can be challenging for the majority of the year. While good winter tires are a necessity, the superior traction and control provided by S-AWC provides an invisible safety blanket Canadian drivers can benefit from.

Snow squalls, a reality for Canadians living near the Great Lakes, bring whiteout conditions and significant snowfall accumulation in a short time, making driving particularly hazardous, but S-AWC, with predictive all-wheel control, provides maximum traction at all times by compensating for the loss of traction. It does this by ensuring the wheel(s) with the most grip gets the drive torque.

This is especially important when making lane changes on slushy highways that can typically cause a loss of stability and make a driver feel a loss of control, but S-AWC can easily help mitigate this feeling.

Even on gravel roads or icy sections, S-AWC helps maintain control and reduces the amount of steering correction a driver would typically have to make.

Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) uses data from a variety of sensors around the car that include the ABS, steering, and suspension and can predict the condition and surface traction of the road to correctly distribute torque to the wheels with the most grip.

The system is continuously monitoring road conditions and driver inputs and doesn’t require anything from the driver. And because the S-AWC is more advanced than many passive all-wheel drive systems that can only divert torque to the axle and not individual wheels, there’s a greater feeling of stability and control at all times.

For Canadian drivers, this means confidence behind the wheel during any weather conditions, but also stable and predictable cornering capability on dry pavement. A benefit of Mitsubishi Motors’ extensive experience in rally racing.

A benefit of the S-AWC system is the ability to drive on off-road trails or unpaved sections of road with confidence, and the extra traction provided by four driven wheels always provides an extra sense of security, but that also directly translates to everyday driving situations.

Driving to work or the grocery store, things we do every day, can be made easier, safer and less stressful if the commute is comfortable and stable, and that’s exactly what the S-AWC system provides.

On longer road trips, S-AWC reduces steering corrections and provides a rock-solid ride, and it can even compensate for wind gusts or crosswinds, further increasing driver confidence through any conditions.

There’s also a performance benefit of increased cornering grip and stability that draws directly from Mitsubishi Motors’ rally heritage. Sawase-san, known as the “Godfather of S-AWC,” said one of the development goals was to “corner faster,” and that’s exactly what the system accomplishes.

These modes adjust various drive parameters like steering response, accelerator gain and the AWD system to suit the road conditions. Snow mode, for example, reduces accelerator gain for smoother take offs and reduces the intervention of the traction and ASC systems, providing an advantage on slippery roads. Mud mode increases accelerator gain but further reduces ASC and traction control, which is ideal for slogging through deep mud and snow.

No matter the conditions or terrain, S-AWC provides a confident driving experience that gives them a feeling of control.

S-AWC is more than just marketing; it’s a system that builds on Mitsubishi Motors’ extensive experience in rally racing and the ingenuity it displayed in advancing all-wheel drive technology.

While initially designed to help racing cars corner faster, S-AWC soon made it into production vehicles, starting with the Lancer Evolution X in 2007, the first vehicle to wear the S-AWC badge. Now it stands for ultimate control in all conditions because that’s exactly what the system provides.

For Canadian drivers, faced with up to 6 months of cold winter weather, the confidence-inspiring four-wheel control provided by S-AWC is one of the best reasons to consider a new Mitsubishi vehicle.