Look around our roads, and it’s easy to see the widespread popularity of utes and four-wheel drive SUVs in Australia – but it’s arguably taken a while for tyre companies to adapt to consumer demand.
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For a long time, the done thing for many people – if they did any kind of off-roading – was to fit the most aggressive mud-terrain rubber to their vehicle, even if it was to the detriment of on-road handling and safety.
Then about a decade ago, a new type of all-terrain tyre hit the market, offering the aggressive look of a mud-terrain, but with greater performance when being driven on the blacktop. These became known as hybrid rough-terrain (R/T) tyres, and they’ve become hugely popular among off-road enthusiasts.
Now, Continental has entered the chat, with its new CrossContact A/T2 – an all-terrain tyre developed primarily for the Australian market, at the insistence of the company’s Australian arm. And it’s bridging the gap between traditional all-terrains of the past, which had more of an on-road slant, and R/Ts which lean towards off-roading.
The German tyre giant says the CrossContact A/T2 has been developed for a true 50:50 balance between on- and off-road use, rather than the 70:30 split of its CrossContact AX6, which it refers to as a mild-terrain tyre.
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As a 50:50 tyre, the CrossContact A/T2s could be an ideal option for those touring Australia, with equal time spent on sealed and unsealed highways, while still offering the capability should the tracks or weather deteriorate.
Even with 13 per cent more off-road traction than the AX6, Continental says the A/T2 has 10 per cent greater longevity than the AX6, and all while reaching 95 per cent of the AX6’s fuel-efficiency.
It also has thicker off-shoulder sidewalls than the AX6, to the tune of 33.3 per cent, as well as 14.9 per cent more tread depth on the outer edges, and a six per cent increase in the centre. While Continental concedes the noise from the A/T2 is slightly higher than the AX6, the company says the A/T2 is still quieter than most other all-terrains on the market.
Then there’s the construction. All but two of the smaller sizes of the CrossContact A/T2 tyres sold in Australia use an ‘LT’ construction, which stands for ‘light truck’.
“This product, the CrossContact A/T2, falls under the large SUV and 4×4 category,” explained Zach Pfeil, technical customer interface manager for Continental.
“The construction of the tyre is designed to our ‘LT’ standard, and ‘LT’ standard doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be for huge, heavy commercial trucks that are towing things,” he told CarExpert.
“This application for heavy-duty [tyre construction] is also applying to consumer, everyday driving – whether that’s on the road, whether that’s on gravel, on your driveway, or even if you’re exploring off-road in your day-to-day car.”
Tyres with the ‘LT’ designation mean they are manufactured to be stronger, more rigid, and more robust. And yet, the company says there is a key focus on ensuring the CrossContact delivers a high level of wet and dry performance on the road, together with ride comfort on par with a typical passenger car tyre.
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In a presentation with Continental engineers, the curtain was pulled back to reveal much of the confidential early-stage development process behind the A/T2s. Tread design down to a macro level, with consideration of traction, noise, gravel stones, longevity, comfort, braking, and water dispersion, were just some of the things focused on during the R&D phase.
But while the theory is impressive, and there is reason and purpose behind its footprint, we’re not entirely convinced the look of the tread pattern and the shoulder blocks are aggressive enough to pull some Aussies away from R/Ts. Then again, as Continental produces premium tyres, the more subtle approach may play well with more mature buyers looking to circumnavigate this big brown land.
Regardless of its looks, what’s more important is how it drives.
CarExpert was invited as part of an exclusive contingent of Australian media outlets to sample the all-new CrossContact A/T2 at Continental’s 2000-hectare proving ground in southern Texas.
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This expansive facility has almost every type of course available, allowing Continental to test dozens of brand-new tyres every year in repeatable, exacting examinations, as well as by its team of objective test drivers. The company obviously does this for its own upcoming products, but also to provide data for car manufacturers looking to match the ideal tyre to new models.
If there’s a new car fitted with a Continental tyre from the factory, there’s a good chance it came about because of this place.
We were given unprecedented access to the company’s test facilities, personnel, and development vehicles – which included a Toyota Tacoma, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, and a V8-powered Ford F-150 Raptor – to evaluate the CrossContact A/T2s and find out whether the tyres back the company’s claims.
That meant testing the A/T2s on a sealed handling course, a wet handling course, a sandpit, a dirt track, a typical gravel track, a Baja-like playground with a variety of surfaces, a rock-crawling section, and a different gravel track with large aggregate atop sand – very much like what you’d find in the Flinders Ranges and other areas of outback Australia.
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However, Continental was so confident in the A/T2’s performance, the company gave us the chance to directly test its new all-terrain against some of the most popular products in the segment: the BFGoodrich KO3 and the Yokohama Geolandar.
And while I have spent limited time with Toyo’s Open Country R/Ts, I have extensive experience with the Nitto Ridge Grappler R/T, having fitted a set to my personal Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series several years ago – driving on them in the Victorian High Country, down the Great Ocean Road, through the outback, and across the Simpson Desert.
So, given the tyre was created for us, is the Continental CrossContact A/T2 a viable go-to for ute and SUV-loving Aussies? Let’s dig in.
The test
The first step before evaluating the Continental CrossContact A/T2 was to get a benchmark, and that meant taking the BFGoodrich KO3 A/T and Yokohama Geolandar A/T out on the wet course in the Toyota Tacoma – a US-market dual-cab ute that’s roughly equivalent to our HiLux.
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While this wasn’t a comprehensive comparison between the three, Continental says one of the key features of the CrossContact is its wet performance, and it wanted to show us what that meant in the real world, away from the whiteboard and PowerPoint presentations.
It’s worth noting that Continental had provided a team of technicians just for us, allowing us to use the same Toyota Tacoma for this back-to-back test. All the tyres were brand-new, and, before you run to the comments, all tyres were run at the placarded pressures, based on whatever vehicle we were in at the time.
Having run an old set of BFGoodrich KO2s on my HiLux for years, I had some idea of what to expect. It’s fair to say the KO3 A/Ts are a huge improvement over the KO2 for this kind of thing but, on the wet course, still produced understeer that transitioned into oversteer on corner exit, without much encouragement from the driver. And though there’s minimal mid-corner grip, the BFGs are fairly predictable in terms of where the tyres are and where they break. Not outstanding wet performance, but not the worst I’ve experienced.
The Yokohama Geolandars were a noticeable step backwards. They produced gobs of understeer at relatively conservative speeds, with even less mid-corner grip to speak of, and a noticeable snap into oversteer. Generally less progressive overall, and with a lower level of feel and residual grip when trying to manage understeer. Moderate braking also seemed to activate ABS earlier than with the BFGs.
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Now, we finally get into the meat and potatoes. In the same vehicle, on the same track, with the same amount of water, the Continental CrossContact A/T2 in 265/70R17 immediately allowed us to enter corners at a higher rate of speed. Though we were still able to find understeer, this only happened with excessive speed and more aggressive inputs, and there was still some communication available when the front wheels were pushing wide. Initial grip at turn-in was much better too, as was mid-corner holding.
The level of traction was quite a few rungs higher than the others, but it was the linear character of the A/T2s that stood out. You have to drive like a proper ding-dong to entice any kind of sliding, but it was all still very predictable and communicative, allowing you to adjust your inputs to bring the vehicle back to within a safe margin.
So, a good start right out of the gates, and a feather in its cap. But the sceptic in me wondered if this was a one-trick pony with anything else to offer.
Next, we jumped into the 2014 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, with its 6.2-litre V8 under the bonnet, and headed to the soft sandpit with a coarse grain – reminiscent of what you’d have to drive across on a beach to get to the hard-packed sand.
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As the Raptor weighs in at 2580kg – or similar to a typical Aussie dual-cab ute loaded with camping gear – I wasn’t expecting us to attempt the sandpit in two-wheel drive, particularly given the Raptor doesn’t have a limited-slip differential at the rear. But that’s what we were told to do.
Carrying a bit of speed into the sandpit, the pickup immediately sank down and lost some momentum, but surprisingly kept pushing through. Close to the end, we deliberately came to a stop and bogged the rear wheels. Switching to 4H – not low range, and not locking the diff – a bit of gentle manipulation on the throttle allowed the pickup to pull itself out with minimal effort on the 295/70R17 tyres. Big tick.
We moved on to the gravel course, which is typical of an unsealed road you’d find in regional areas of Australia, with a hard surface underneath. Back in two-wheel drive, the first lap was driven like I had a kid in the back seat in desperate need of a bathroom – quick, but safe. The tyres offered a good level of traction and confidence, with braking being particularly strong.
One of the things we were shown during the earlier presentation was how the tread blocks were designed to eject gravel and stones, keeping the face of the tyre clean to ensure consistent traction on unsealed tracks.
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Pushing on subsequent laps, the A/T2s proved to be progressive when enticed into oversteer, with the rotation of the vehicle being easy to feel and manage, and not getting away from you when the rear stepped out.
The second gravel course had soft red sand as the base, and large loose aggregate as the top layer. As mentioned earlier, this immediately looked like the type of outback road you would encounter in the Flinders Ranges or further north. The difference here being that the fist-sized stones were prone to splitting, creating razor-sharp edges.
At typical road speeds, I was immediately impressed by the fact the Continentals didn’t have the Ford skating down the road – it was pin-straight, which wasn’t something I was expecting. While I became a fast fan of the Nitto Ridge Grapplers on our LandCruiser, the Toyota was quite busy on similar outback roads.
The low noise and ride comfort of the Continentals were also especially noticeable at these lower speeds and on this surface, with the sidewalls providing a good amount of damping, no doubt working in combination with the expensive Fox shock absorbers fitted to the Raptor.
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As with the previous track, the A/T2s performed well on tight, off-camber bends, only breaking traction when I wanted them to. Then there was one particular corner that didn’t have any gravel, being similar to dangerous bulldust found in Queensland or the NT – but, again, the vehicle didn’t skip a beat, and all the while telling me what was happening underneath.
The course also had a hill with a 15 per cent grade, which I came to a full stop on, and in 2H gradually applied some throttle to see how the tyres would react on the loose surface. Even with the empty tub, the rubber scrambled for a bit before biting in and pulling the heavy Ford up the hill.
Such was our access at the proving ground, we were the first media to ever be allowed to drive on the flat dirt course. This had long sweeping bends with tightening radii, a couple of esses, and a couple of straights. At this point, I had a good understanding of the characteristics of both the tyres and the Raptor, and had full confidence in the grip and communication from the Contis. So, I did what any reasonable person would do, and treated it like a rally sprint – for scientific reasons, you understand.
Here, too, the subjective data was coming back the same as the previous tests: a high level of progressive grip, good communication, and no weird or unwanted traits. My steering, throttle, and brake inputs were translating directly into what I was wanting to achieve, regardless of the environment.
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Before handing back the Raptor, we headed to the choose-your-own-adventure Baja course, with tracks splitting off every which way, constant surface changes, and an 80km/h jump – which I naturally took at the recommended speed. This absolutely isn’t the type of thing owners will use these tyres on, but Conti’s people offered us the chance to thrash its F-150 Raptor there, and who were we to argue?
I suspect they may have regretted that decision. Driving at speed through a soft, sandy chicane, and in an effort to avoid a rather large and obvious stone lying in one of the wheel tracks, I didn’t see another razor-sharp split rock hiding in the brush, and sliced open the inner sidewall just below the tread blocks that curve around the shoulder. Whoops.
It would be easy to scoff and dismiss the A/T2 on this basis, but I don’t know anyone who would head into the outback without a spare, because the fact is there isn’t a tyre on the market today that’s indestructible. I’ve also seen the physical cross-section of the CrossContact’s LT construction, and know they put a lot of effort into ensuring the robustness of the sidewall with additional ply, stiffer compounds, and more material in the shoulder. But, as with all things, there are limits.
Our last off-road test involved swapping into the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. As it happened, a few days earlier I’d been driving through Michigan in a Jeep Gladiator – the pickup version of the Wrangler – which was fitted with Falken Wildpeak A/Ts, which offered decent grip at highway speeds, albeit being a bit rumbly and stiff.
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Though these drives were limited and not a direct comparison, the 285/70R17 CrossContacts seemed to be much quieter and more compliant on the sealed access roads around the proving ground, as we transported to the man-made rock-crawling section.
In 4L, and at placard pressures, the tyres proved themselves beyond expectations for all-terrain rubber. Grippy, progressive, communicative. To be sure, this is what the Jeep has been designed to do, but as our recent Ute Megatest proved, there’s only so much a driveline can achieve – ultimately, it’s the rubber that is the difference between getting somewhere and not.
Having said that, every time I’ve been rock-crawling in the bush, it’s been on a steep incline, and this snaking test course was flat as the horizon. And while there was a relatively mild rocky hill that we ascended, this was the least realistic examination conducted during our time there.
While we didn’t have a chance to experience the 13.7km high-speed oval, we were taken on the 4.8km oval as passengers in the Tacoma, given that active testing was being conducted by other Continental teams while we were there. The Ride Road, as it’s called, is used for measuring noise and comfort levels over different types of surfaces, and is four lanes wide down the straight, with long sweeping bends at each end.
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At high speeds, Andrew Bayba, a senior test driver, swept the Toyota from one side of the straightaway to the other – like a P-plater making his way through traffic on the freeway – before driving over the strategic gaps and bars built into the road to test noise. While we tried to suppress our nausea, the A/T2s remained relatively quiet, comfortable, and composed.
Our last evaluation was arguably the most important. Slipping back behind the wheel of the Tacoma, we took the ute to the dry handling track, where we tested tyre grip on a variety of corners, along with braking performance, and traction during directional changes on a slalom.
The biggest takeaway was that, on the road, the Continental CrossContact A/T2s act more like a typical highway tyre. Braking was strong, allowing us to really push deep on the pedal and find its maximum stopping performance, managing that traction before the anti-lock system kicked in.
On the slalom, there was immediate bite on turn-in, with that consistency of grip allowing for smooth and predictable steering inputs and providing a high level of control through sudden and aggressive weight shifts. That applied to the higher-speed corners too, with a surprisingly strong amount of medium-to-high lateral grip mid-corner. Push the vehicle to a silly degree, and an increasing amount of side slip will creep in, evolving into manageable and forgiving understeer. Neat.
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There was also no sign of overheating or fatigue from the tyres, despite a good handful of laps at speeds no normal dual-cab would see on public roads. It’s worth mentioning that it was consistently 38-40°C during our time there, and the asphalt was baking hot.
CarExpert’s take on the Continental CrossContact A/T2
It’s been 15 years since the high-performance tyre market was shaken up with the arrival of the Michelin Pilot Super Sport, and a little over a decade since Toyo created the hybrid rough-terrain segment with its Open Country. The Continental CrossContact A/T2 feels like another such milestone, this time bringing the all-terrain segment into the 21st century.
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For decades, all-terrains generally meant having the worst of both worlds – poor on-road performance, and lacklustre off-road capability. And while we held a healthy level of scepticism going in, it’s clear the new CrossContact A/T2 has flipped that concept on its head, offering a true 50:50 all-terrain that doesn’t feel like it’s a compromise.
However, aside from snow and ice, which were in short supply in the Texas desert, the only environment we didn’t get to really test in was mud. There was a muddy watersplash that we drove through, but it was more a puddle with a hard bottom. Given the large blocks and deep voids of the tread pattern, we suspect the Contis would actually fare well in true mud – in the context of an all-terrain – but it wasn’t something we were able to confirm.
Despite the tyres showing a lot of promise, the rock-crawling section didn’t simulate the type of rock-crawling that I’ve personally encountered in the Aussie bush.
But in every other scenario, the Continental CrossContact A/T2 is highly impressive, and its arrival just proves how much this segment was lagging.
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Those who will probably get the most benefit are people who spend most of their time commuting on sealed roads in suburban or country areas, and either drive some gravel backroads as part of their lives, or head for the hills a few times a year for camping trips.
The CrossContact A/T2 would also be cheap insurance for families and grey nomads looking to do a lap of the country, given the long distances required on poor-quality highways and corrugated gravel roads, as well as providing peace of mind for those scenarios that can’t be predicted in the more remote parts of Australia.
When I was an interstate truck driver, not a month would go by without passing the scene of a recent caravan rollover. And though nothing can replace driver training, my experience with the Contis on the wet handling track had me thinking these could potentially reduce some of that carnage.
Then there are the tradies who are constantly dealing with half-built estates, and companies that manage fleets of mine-spec utes, with OH&S dictating that their employees are in the safest vehicles possible, while still being able to visit all manner of sites that their work demands.
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The objective metrics of the Continental CrossContact A/T2 – in terms of increased on-road performance, wet traction, braking, and off-road capability – are all laudable, but it was the subjective characteristics that really elevated the tyre. That superb communication and the linear nature of the grip ensure the driver is always in command and control, even when things get out of hand.
Of course, mud-terrain and rough-terrain tyres still have their place, but it seems there’s now a viable all-terrain available for those who don’t want to sacrifice on-road safety for off-road performance.
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