If the conversation turns to the moose test, you’ll probably have in mind some of the dreaded manoeuvre’s most infamous failures. You’re probably thinking about the first Mercedes A-Class, the eighth-gen Toyota Hilux and the WK2 Jeep Grand Cherokee, all of which almost rolled over during the sharp turn cars must navigate to score a pass.
Those are all rather tall vehicles, but don’t go thinking it’s a walk in the park for something with a low centre of gravity. Spanish publication km77.com put the Toyota GR Supra through the trial (sometimes alternatively referred to as the ‘Elk Test’), and on the first 77kmh (48mph) attempt, it failed.
This was blamed on the driver’s unfamiliarity with the car’s variable ratio steering rack, which tightens the steering ratio the more the wheel is turned. Once used to how much lock was necessary to navigate the turn, the driver was able to get through while just missing the cones.
Any faster than 77kmh and the back end of the ‘A90’ Supra (which was set in ‘Normal’ mode for the runs) would step out slightly, clipping one of the outer cones on the first gate, and running over one on the second.
The BMW-based Toyota breezed through the slalom test, where its steering setup was an advantage, requiring only small inputs to make each turn.
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