KTM X-Bow on snow in the driving report

D color-matched to the white background, it's there As if the snow crystals had hooks and eyes. Shift down, turn in and quickly hit the gas again: the rear swings out gently and evenly, and the countermovement on the steering wheel, conjured up from the arms, keeps it so precisely at the correct angle that the tears in the corner of the eye never stop. Creamy drifts in their purest form, while sitting in the fresh air - what could be nicer?

It goes forwards, sideways and backwards

Take snowy mornings at minus two degrees Celsius in the remote Tomatal in the Kärntner Land /Austria usually has somewhat different expressions than those used here on the winter training ground in a KTM X-Bow. It goes forwards, sideways and sometimes a little backwards. In this environment, the elegant 360-degree pirouette incorporated into the flowing movement is seen less as an expression of failure than as an indication of excessive driving pleasure it holds up. In a moody and casual arrangement by a duo that has long been professionally committed to the unstable driving condition: Kris Rosenberger, Austrian national champion and Andreas Aigner, production car world champion in the 2008 World Rally Championship. The two rally aces are on behalf of the The Austrian manufacturer KTM, who is highly respected in the motorcycle scene and is now also involved in the automotive sector, has been entrusted with teaching a crowd of indomitable driving dynamics junkies the temptations that a two-seater equipped with the systems of a formula car has to offer under classic winter conditions - i.e. on a packed snow cover .

Try the border area in the snow

Of course, in this environment, neither the question of the meaning and purpose nor of the physical integrity in view of the icy outdoor fun is understood as appropriate. The driving pleasure is simply maximum, according to the trainer. And the circuit, blessed with a few straights, but with many curve radii, also stimulates the internal water heater so brilliantly that no helmet visor remains uncovered. In other words: the participants who spend a day here at the KTMprovided X-Bow Trying it out in the snow gets extremely hot for a number of reasons.

Even if it may seem absurd to the less imaginative observer to encounter the white splendor with such an outrageously open car: the self-experiment shows that it is Potentially addictive is terrifying. Little mass (850 kilograms), a lot of power (240 turbo-hp), excellent grip and the extremely good physical constitution, apparently inherited from the profiled off-road species of the two-wheeler faction, form the KTM X-Bow to an automotive tool that is ideal for a leading role in the Series 'Driving fun in winter' comes extremely close.

Especially with the spike tires, which are suitable for increasing all storylines, the thought of turning in is enough to make an abrupt change of direction. The generously dimensioned wheelbase of the X-bow ensures that the steering, which works extremely directly, as in a formula car, never creates nervousness, but rather serves only extreme agility. With a total length of 3,738 millimeters, it is at least 2,430 millimeters. It surpasses that of a Porsche Cayman by at least 15 millimeters.

The prospect of tackling the 180-degree left-hand bend in front of a lying 180-degree left-hand bend with a rear swiveled out to the right in the best rally style (and thus braking), is visualized in a very striking way, as the front wheels show almost the maximum steering angle under the pilot's eyes. The tremendous directness of all processes and the reliability with regard to the dramaturgy of the processes immediately give rise to the boldest hopes for an imminent, successful rally career even with less experienced drivers.

His talents really come into their own

Regardless of the requirement for rally suitability, which is hardly noted in the specification sheet, the boldly designed and extremely solidly manufactured sports car also passes the suitability test off the beaten track. Anyone who claims that the KTM X-Bow can only be used on the race track in midsummer temperatures is wrong: Your talents will only really come into their own when it is below freezing.