The testing ground of the Lithuanian Car of the Year began in Druskininkai

The month of November reminds motorists of Christmas, because the tests for the election of the “Lithuanian Car of the Year 2022”, which began on the Vilnius Automechanika and Business School racetrack on slippery surfaces, moved to a completely different end of Lithuania – the new sports center “Druskininkai” and the surroundings of Dzūkija. Here the members of the commission, together with professionals, have already managed to measure various parameters of the car.

The “Car of the Year” competition, which has been organized in Lithuania for 25 years, has been organizing a week-long test camp near Druskininkai for many years. However, for the first time, the decision was made not to occupy the city center, but to settle in the brand new LSC “Druskininkai” on the outskirts of Druskininkai. The center, located among the forests, pleasantly surprised the Lithuanian journalists’ automobile club, which organizes the elections, because not only there are many places to line up the 31 cars participating in the competition, but also enough space for various tests, and if you find free time, there is also the possibility of exercising.

“It is easy to evaluate the advantages of this location: at LSC Druskininkai we found a place for off-road test equipment, for tests on braking efficiency and autonomous stopping, and for the first time we were also able to measure how quiet or noisy the cars of our selection are,” said Valdas Valiukevičius, president of the Lithuanian Journalists’ Auto Club.

Verified off-road capabilities

One of the most interesting tests, the results of which are eagerly awaited not only by members of the “Car of the Year 2022” commission, but also by representatives of automakers, is the off-road test. A few years ago, he used the huge and bulky Peak Point platform created by Audrius Sutkaus, a traveler and off-road and off-road expert.

This year A. Sutkus created a much more compact and universal solution, which allowed us to measure the capabilities of four-wheel drive SUVs on the test field. True, the author of this platform did not hide that the production work was completed right before the test field, so there were times when it seemed that the idea might not be implemented.

The available equipment allows you to measure the stiffness of the car body when it is on an uneven surface. This is especially relevant in cases where, for example, you have to open the trunk and it does not open, or close the door and it bounces back, because the car is parked on an uneven surface and its body is distorted. In addition, it is easy to simulate conditions that reveal how the all-wheel drive system works: what it does if one or more wheels of the car slip, and whether it is able to get the car and its driver out of a difficult situation. After all, it is easy to measure the ground clearance of a car.

Looking for the quietest and best brakes

For many years, experts from “Vilnius TECH” (Vilnius Gediminas University of Technology) have been coming to the “Lithuanian Car of the Year” testing ground, bringing a lot of equipment to measure the brake efficiency of new cars.

The news is that the braking systems of new cars are usually efficient and drivers cannot say enough about them, but it is not necessarily the luxury cars or those with the largest brakes that have the best brakes. How quickly and efficiently contestants earn the “Car of the Year” title is measured by accelerating to a uniform speed and braking with maximum force whenever it is reached. The fact that the election cars were “covered” with new Continental winter tires also helped to unify the test conditions. However, scientists from Vilnius TECH are not revealing the results for now – they will be named on November 27, the final evening of the “Car of the Year 2022” elections.

The possibilities of autonomous emergency braking systems are also measured: a light wall with a photo of a car on it becomes an obstacle here. The task is simple: when driving at a relatively low speed, simulating city driving, the driver does not intervene and the car itself must stop in front of the obstacle. The testers do not hide the fact that not all models are successful and which ones will be the best will be seen at the end of the elections.

Another test was carried out after there had been a long debate among jury members about which car had better sound insulation and which was quieter. Panorus to measure the noise level heard in the passenger compartment while driving at 90 km/h. speed and 50 km/h. speed, special equipment appeared in the test field that made it possible to objectively evaluate which model has the best sound insulation of the cabin.

Jurgis Papalaitis, a member of the electoral commission, noted after the tests that one may get the impression that electric cars without an internal combustion engine are the quietest, but measurements show that this is not necessarily true. However, the differences that emerged between the models are not radically different, and who gets the title of the quietest will become clear at the end of the “Lithuanian Car of the Year” elections.

This year, the winners of the following nominations will be nominated in the “Car of the Year 2022” elections:

“Car of the Year 2022”

“Electric Car of the Year 2022”

“The nation’s car”

“Citizen SUV of the Year”

“For drawing”

“The sportiest”

“Steering Wheel of the Year” (awarded to the most famous motor sports master in Lithuania)

“Family car”

“Innovation of the Year”

“The safest brake”

“Business class car”

“Multimedia of the Year”

The announcement of the top seven is scheduled for November 17, while the final of the elections, during which the winners of “Lithuanian Car of the Year 2022”, “National Car 2022”, “SUV of the Year” and other nominations will be announced, will be held on November 27.