Nitto Motivo 365 Initial Impressions: Year-Round Performance for an AWD Luxury Wagon

• June 18, 2024
• Story By
  Andy Carter

Tire selection can often feel like a series of compromises. When starting the process of choosing a tire for a vehicle, there's often a sliding scale of “more fun” on one end, and “more responsible” on the other. On the fun side, there are high-grip compounds, large tread blocks, and aggressive design featured tires. On the other side is wet weather handling, longevity, and noise control which are important to a vehicle that will be daily driven.

For a vehicle that needs to be on the road year-round, over thousands of miles, in any number of weather conditions, tires tend to abandon any sense of fun for the sake of dependability. Nitto has set out to change that with their latest release, the Motivo 365.

Motivo 365 All-Season Ultra High-Performance Tire

The Motivo 365 is an all-season ultra high performance tire that also wears the three peak mountain snowflake (3PMS) rating for light snow conditions. This new tire offers versatility and performance on coupes, sedans and CUV/SUVs, 365 days a year.

Zach Chahalis recently purchased this 2024 Audi A4 Allroad Premium Plus CUV as a daily driver. A long time car enthusiast, he loves to drive, and his Audi is his daily transportation.

OEM+ Fix for a Daily Driver

“Normally, I'm doing 100 miles a day across Atlanta, primarily on highways, but often in traffic. The Audi is also my 'around-town' car for errands. Occasional spirited driving on a back road isn’t rare, however. The Audi will get road-tripped several times a year, often to Florida or the Carolinas (1k mile+ trips)," Zach said.

The OEM tires for the Audi, however, were a letdown. “The steering often felt numb with no road feedback. I had little to no confidence in the wet weather performance,” Zach said. In the past, he had a TRD Pro 4Runner equipped with Nittos, so Zach was excited to try the new Motivo 365 tires.

Rain or Shine Performance

Since installing, Zach has put around 500 miles on the new tires in his first two weeks of ownership. “The Audi showed notable improvement in on-road manners. I have a better idea of where the wheels are pointing, specifically in spirited driving on curvy backroads, I felt more planted with increased grip, resulting in more confidence behind the wheel," he said.

Georgia's weather often means unpredictable rainstorms throughout the week. “In wet weather driving, the Motivo 365's had notably more traction compared to the prior tires on the car,” Zach said. “I feel more confident in inclement weather with my Nitto Motivo 365 tires, where the original equipment tires often felt on the edge of hydroplaning.”

In Style, All Year Long

Although it's Zach’s daily driver, he did make a few other upgrades to the Audi. He installed a set of APR Flow-Formed A01 wheels to match the other black accents on the car, and the Motivo 365 tires contribute to the clean, purposeful look of the car.

“This is my second experience with Nitto tires, Zach said. “I continue to be amazed by the performance, longevity, and style of the tires, making them my go-to tire for all of my vehicles.”

With such positive initial impressions, Zach has high hopes for the Audi and Motivo 365 tires. Backed by a 60,000 mile warranty, he has no doubts that the Audi A4 Allroad is set up not only for daily commuting, but years of adventures to the beaches of Florida, the mountains of North Carolina, and wherever else the road takes him.