New Golf Plus is fitted with our latest Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP), which detects critical situations at an early stage, and takes action to help bring the vehicle safely back under control.
Electronic Stabilisation Programme - or ESP - has the ability to predict what your car is about to do.
What it does
ESP uses sensors to monitor the progress of your wheels. The moment they start to slip, ESP takes over by:
The result:
Skidding is stopped before it begins.
How it works
ESP links to the new Golf Plus's electronic systems such as the anti-lock brakes (ABS) and engine braking control (EBC). It has sensors on the wheels and steering wheel, plus a yaw movement sensor.
Braking action
It works out - from the speed at which you press the brake pedal - whether this is a normal or emergency braking situation. If an emergency stop is needed, braking pressure is automatically increased with the anti-lock brakes activated, ensuring the level of braking is correct for the situation.
The ESP plays a further role, utilising electronic differential lock and traction control to help correct oversteer, understeer and loss of stability of the vehicle. The result is optimum traction when rounding bends.
So ESP monitors your car at all times. As soon as something unusual happens - eg, if a wheel loses grip or the car starts to slip, it helps regain control by applying the brakes to each or all of the wheels, and cutting engine power.
In this way it is possible that a skid is corrected even before the driver is aware that one has started.
Trailer stabilisation
The latest generation of ESP fitted to the new Golf Plus also offers trailer stabilisation.
If the ESP control module detects a trailer is starting to yaw, the system automatically reduces or cuts engine power and applies the brakes to the right wheels dynamically in phase with the yawing to oppose the snaking motion and stabilise the vehicle/trailer combination. When stability is achieved the brakes and engine power return to normal control. During the automatic braking process the brake lights are turned on, even though the driver may not be touching the brake pedal.