I can't be sure but reckon snow mode got me unstuck on Friday in the real world. Mrs had been unable to park in our usual spot which is muddy but on this occasion was frozen and the rest of the approach was covered in somewhat polished ice from others passing. It is a mixture of sandstone cobble and hardcore on the approach which has to be up a moderate slope in reverse and the rear left wheels is on mud while the rear right isn't - it's parking Tetris in a rural lane don't ask! So I went to retrieve the car from the turning circle as we needed to connect to the charger overnight for a long trip. anyway I found out how useless the car is on the ice in eco mode which is what we always used in 8 months to date! Only when I was stuck diagonally across the lane facing trees down the slope which I could get no traction away from did I stop and think. First I got a shovel full of grit and put it behind each rear wheel and created a line backwards for about a couple of metres, then I got back in and remembered there is a snow mode! Engaged this and parked as if I was on pure warm tarmac. It felt like the wheels were alternately spinning and gripping - never giving up which was what was happening before. So my impression is it makes a great difference for that getting going and slow uphill in reverse. only about a third of my route was gritted so I don't think my gritting effort was the whole story, though I do reckon no-one should be allowed to drive in snow without a shovel, grit and the clothes and will to use them.
