To 4 or not to 4?
Whenever someone asks me about a truck or a crossover vehicle, one of the overriding considerations seems to be the availability of all-wheel drive.
I mean, it’s better in winter, right? Let’s take a look at that. It’s true that all-wheel drive will get your vehicle moving better from a stop, and it will provide a small margin of improvement in driving through snow.
But for many crossovers, the limiting factor in snowbound mobility is not the number of drive wheels, it’s the clearance from the ground.
Essentially, if you can’t get to work with the same vehicle in 2WD, you probably shouldn’t be trying.
Seems odd to be talking about winter in the throes of summer, but this is when a lot of decisions on fall purchases start to form.
So, when does all-wheel drive make sense? I would definitely consider all-wheel drive if I lived in any city with a big, long hit of winter.
What’s big and long is up to you, but I live in Winnipeg, and absent the considerations below, I would stick to 2WD.
All-wheel drive is also a consideration if you’re using your crossover to tow a boat: getting in and out of some boat launches can be tricky.
All-wheel drive is also worthy of consideration if it’s an elegant, simple system that doesn’t add much in the way of weight, fuel economy penalty or maintenance considerations.
Subaru and high-end names such as Mercedes-Benz have such systems.
The beauty of a system such as the Mercedes 4Matic approach is that mechanical considerations are kept to a minimum: it’s always engaged, so complicated systems to engage and disengage are avoided. It uses braking, as dictated by the anti-lock brake computer, to effect limited-slip operation, so the differentials are simpler.
Simpler mechanicals mean easier maintenance — the fewer moving parts that can break means fewer moving parts will break. If maximum mobility in all weather conditions is your goal, you probably don’t want to consider a crossover.
In this case, I’d look at a four-wheel-drive truck or a Jeep such as the Wrangler or, if more luxury is in order, the Grand Cherokee. Outfitted properly, the Grand Cherokee will provide more ground clearance than average crossovers.
In the Ford camp, aside from an F-150, the Explorer would be a better choice in this instance than the Edge or Flex.
Explorer has better clearance and it has a system called terrain management, a simple system that tailors all aspects of driving to conditions ranging from sand and snow to mud and rocks to regular road surfaces, all selected with a knob on the centre console. It’s shared with Land Rover, where it was developed when Ford still owned Land Rover.
So if you’re not in any of the above camps, why not consider all-wheel drive?
Well, some systems are still pretty mechanical, which means added weight, reduced fuel economy and increased maintenance.
All for only modest improvements in your drivability.
All-wheel drive helps you get going, but it doesn’t help you stop and it doesn’t help you steer. That it helps you get going makes it seem the roads are better than they are, and often invokes a false sense of confidence that increases the risk of a crash.
Which is why you’ll often come across the 4x4 that flew by you earlier stuck deep in the ditch.
All-wheel drive is not a replacement for brain power.
All vehicles need winter tires in winter. Even 4x4 or all-wheel drive vehicles. And, if you put winter tires on a 2WD Honda CR-V, for instance, you’re far better off than the guy with an all-wheel-drive CR-V and all-season tires. He’ll still be spinning all four tires while you’re well on your way through the intersection.
I won’t lie and say the all-wheel-drive CR-V with winter tires isn’t the best option of the two for winter driving. It is. And if that’s important to you, all the power to you.
But if your driving needs are light, if the world won’t come crashing to a halt on that one day every couple of years you can’t get to work because of a really bad blizzard and you’re on the fence about all-wheel drive, take the two-wheel driver and use the money you save on winter tires.
It’s OK.
Really.
You're considering only snow, and neglecting ice or greasy roads
Submitted by Menachem Began on July 5, 2012 - 11:45pm.
When one focuses only on deep snow (e.g. mentioning "ground clearance"), one is inexplicably neglecting the other 95% of treacherous winter driving conditions. Not deep snow, but ice-covered or equally dangerous greasy winter roads. These conditions are obviously far more common and far more dangerous than deep snow. One might get stuck in deep snow (no big deal really), but slippery roads could put one upside down in the ditch in a heartbeat (very big deal). That's why even speaking of ground clearance is such a massive red herring for almost all drivers. There are rational exceptions, but not the percentage of high ground clearance vehicles demonstrating this misconception.
The huge advantage of an all wheel drive car (as opposed to a truck/SUV) is that normal middle class human beings might actually be able to afford a set of good quality studded winter tires for their all wheel drive car. Truck and SUV tires are typically so large and inherently expensive that virtually no one can afford to install good winter rubber. Thus the SUVs and trucks often run the same tires all year and are thus often the first into the medians and ditches on the first slippery day. Also, many of the older design trucks and SUVs still have rather primitive "4x4" systems. Some are reportedly so poor that they'll potentially destablize the vehicle as they clunk around. More modern design trucks and SUVs are much better and can be called advanced.
A well designed (advanced) all wheel drive system will almost instantaneously distribute the torque amongst four wheels instead of just two. The tire contact patches are under less force (for a given acceleration) and are able to provide higher traction while accelerating, maintaining speed, and slightly improve turning. The driver can choose to enjoy the higher margin of safety, or accelerate harder. Obviously the rules of physics still apply, and braking distances are essentially unchanged.
A modern all wheel drive car with good quality studded winter tires will outperform almost anything almost all the time. If it gets stuck in deep snow it's only because the wheels have been lifted off the ground by the acculated snow. Then one digs out and carries on. It's not ideal, but it's far better than hanging from your seltbelts upside down in a ditch because your "4x4" is running on poor tires.
Not just for snow
Submitted by ilikecarsandtruck on July 6, 2012 - 2:54pm.
You mentioned that 4 wheel drive offers the biggest advantage in terms of "getting you going" or getting up to speed. Keep in mind however, that you don't just accelerate when leaving a stoplight, rather the driver is constantly touching the accelerator during normal driving. An AWD system as found on most crossovers will engage automatically whenever it detects wheel slip. This can occur when accelerating at almost any speed, not just from 0-30km/h. There have been many instances on the highway when I am am driving at 100km/h and want to change lanes and increase my speed to 110km/h. As the divider between the lanes is rarely plowed, I find having an AWD system very important when changing lanes on any sort of snow covered highway.
Also consider that when crossovers are designed they are typically designed as an AWD vehicle. I previously owned a FWD Chevy Equinox and it was much worse in snow than a typical FWD car would be. Without AWD it was nearly useless with more than 2" of snow on the ground.
AWD is also very useful during the summer on many of our rural dirt roads. No need to worry about loosing control on loose gravel when driving an AWD vehicle. No need to worry about sending rocks flying when you accelerate on a dirt road with an AWD vehicle.
Finally, when snow does get "really bad" and we still have to go to work, most new crossovers offer a form of torque locking that will distribute and equal amount of traction to all 4 tires. This is great for getting around (slowly usually under 30km/h) icy roads, snow covered driveways and thick mud in the spring. It doesn't really matter what type of winter tires you have on your FWD car, it simply wont give you the control you (may) need when the weather gets rough.
As an AWD fan i could not go back. The full-time confidence you have during all weather conditions is just too useful. Heck, AWD systems even mitigate hydroplaning!