Lack of ASR and EDL on TDI

I think the ASR was an option back when my TDI came out in 1999.5 - it's listed in my owners manual, and my car has the light on the dash, but I don't have it.

The ESP system reduced drive power when it's activated and senses wheel slip... this is what ASR does.

My 05 Passat TDI has ESP. It has 2 functions. When pulling away from a stop (or other acceleration) if it senses wheel slip on the drive wheels it applies the brake and (sometimes) cuts the throttle. I saw the ESP light flash plenty when pulling away from a stop on snowy or icey roads. I think that's all ASR ever was.

The second is the anti-skid. It's damned near impossible to put the car into a skid. If you crank the wheel in a parking lot you can feel the "inside" rear wheel braking and pulling it back straight. It will also cut the throttle if needed. I was not able to get the Passat to spin out, or even close, on a slippery parking lot (empty).

My assumption is that ESP is just the earlier ASR functions plus the anti-skid stuff which is new.

As an aside, I just got the snow tires taken off today. (Michelin X-Ice are fantastic in combination with ESP.) Tomorrow we're supposed to get snow...

Hi Rob,

interesting. info. The EDL is "electronic differential lock". It's supposed to brake the wheel that's spinning to give you consistent drive wheel RPMs when the two wheels are on surfaces with differing friction. I was really looking forward to it. c'est la vie!

Al - thanks for the practical info on the ESP and the snow tires. I'll have to get a set next winter!

That seems to be one of the functions of ESP. My Passat does just what you describe.

That was my impression as well but if you look at the brochure, at least for the Jetta TDI, they show EDL and ASR as unavailable for that model. Only the gas engines supposedly support those specific features.

I checked the Passat and all models come with EDL, ASR and TDI is an available option. So I guess I'm SOL on the Jetta. Darn.