ESP (Electronic Stability Program)

Although Enjoying MG tends to focus on classic MGs we also try to keep members informed about current motoring issues, remembering that many of us also drive a modern car and that some of us may have children about to buy their first car.

Recently I was invited along to a very special demonstration of ESP (Electronic Stability Program) or ESC (Electronic Stability Control) as it is also known. I confess that I had not heard of this system before but was intrigued recently when I saw a button on the dashboard of an Audi A3 marked ESP, however at the time I had no idea what it signified.

When buying a new car you study the options available and even when buying a used car you invariably check what desirable extras have been fitted. Car dealers will list in detail extras such as sunroof, metallic paint, climate control or leather trim but I’ve yet to see an ad proclaiming that the car on offer has ESP or ESC.

1. ESP switched off – entering the cones too fast

2. Sharp left turn at about 30 mph

3. Without ESP the vehicle tips violently

4. Control is lost and a slide is well underway

5. Now the car veers right across the road

6. Finally comes to rest across the opposite carrigeway

7. Mercedes with ESP enters the cones much too fast

8. ESP cuts in with a slight twitch before composure is regained and car returns to straight path

So much safety equipment on modern cars is passive and only deployed once the vehicle is involved in a crash situation, crumple zones, safety cages, multiple air bags, and pre-tensioned seat belts are all effective but deployed after impact, by contrast ESP is an active system. ESP like the Antilock Braking System (ABS) is something that hopefully a driver will seldom need but when an emergency situation occurs it will prove invaluable.

ESP is an active safety system devised by Bosch which in very simple terms means that you can swerve your car violently to avoid an obstacle or dangerous situation without skidding and loosing control. Just as ABS lets you brake heavily without locking-up the wheels, ESP lets you steer really sharply without provoking an uncontrollable skid. A microcomputer monitors the signals from sensors 25 times a second, and compares whether the driver’s wishes correspond to the actual direction the vehicle is moving, it analyses the movement in the steering, the yaw of the car, the effect on the suspension of each wheel and rapidly corrects the stability of the car by braking the appropriate wheel, and it does all this more quickly than a normal human could even begin to contemplate the situation.

The Bosch system was demonstrated to me on a test track at the Police Training Centre in Hendon. Approaching an area marked out with traffic cones in a Renault Clio at around 35mph the demonstrator driver had his left foot well away from the brake then suddenly he steered very sharply to the left to avoid the cones, a stunt that no experienced driver would expect to get away with. The demo Clio was fitted with ESP and this meant that although I braced myself for the almighty tail end slide that I felt was certain to occur, instead there was only a brief squeak from the nearside rear tyre and the system instantly corrected the violent manoeuvre and rapidly restored the car to a controllable state and we progressed in a more or less straight line.

The ESP system in the Clio was switchable and we set off once again but this time with the system turned off. Same speed, same violent pull to the left but without the intervention of ESP, on this occasion we skidded off line violently and did the full 360 spin to finish up broadside across the opposite side of the road. Had this happened on the public road in normal traffic conditions we would have been in immediate danger of being struck by oncoming vehicles.

ESP is a system that will not only save you from costly repair bills but can also prevent a serious accident and unlike the one-off passive systems it’s always there and available to be used as often as needed.

Demonstrator Clio fitted with ESP, the roof lights are there to show which of the wheels is being braked by the system

Hands off the steering wheel as front and rear parking sensors guide the way

Neatly parked all executed by computer

You could conclude that ESP is just an expensive add-on system that enables you to drive like an idiot and get away with it but that would be missing the point entirely. It’s true that an experienced driver who reads the road and always drives within sensible limits may never actually do anything to activate the system but unfortunately we can all be the victim of sudden unexpected danger, the heavy item falling from a lorry just in front, a vehicle doing a sudden lane change right into your path without warning, a tree falling across your path or a child darting out into the road. ESP would ensure that you could react quickly, and be able to safely take the necessary avoiding action without losing control of the vehicle.

If you find yourself in the market for a new or second hand car it is well worth asking the vendor if it’s fitted with ESC or ESP. If you are advising your offspring on the purchase of their first car, bearing in mind that the under 25s make up the vast majority of serious casualties on the road, it would be very worthwhile to choose a vehicle fitted with this type of active safety system. ESP is tailor made for the inexperienced new driver, exactly the sort of person who could find themselves making a violent steering correction and getting the car all crossed up in the process. Most of us have done this kind of thing at one time or another and been lucky enough to get away with a scare or just a bent car, but on crowded roads the consequences of loosing control are much more likely to be fatal.

There are some drivers and quite a few TV presenters who regard themselves as driving experts and they make a point of decrying any modern safety systems and always switch off the traction control and any other aids when testing a car to its limits. These tests take place on racetracks with very wide run off areas, most of us drive on public roads where there’s very little room for error. For everyday driving conditions ESP is essential aid and on those cars that have it fitted it will not be possible to switch it off.

ESP is an active safety option that may lay dormant for many years but on that one occasion when you really are in trouble it could well save your life and the lives of your passengers. If you are looking at a replacement car do ask if it has ESP or ESC and if you are buying a new car think very carefully about making sure it’s fitted. You can’t retro fit the system but you can find modern cars with it already fitted and by 2011 all new cars will have to be supplied with ESP as standard.

Automatic Parking

Another Bosch system on display which in my view was much more in the realm of a non-essential driving aid, was the automatic parking system. In this case you draw up beyond the space you wish to parallel park in and select auto parking from the dashboard control. A combination of sensors and computer control guides the steering and places the vehicle into the gap perfectly. However, only the steering is automatic as the driver retains control of the brake, clutch and throttle. One simply let’s the car do the steering, it was an impressive system to see in operation but most of us can park an MG without a computer to guide us. An impressive toy but not an essential extra like ESP.

Conclusion

If ESP was an option on the new MGTF, I would specify it without hesitation.

Richard Ladds