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If you’re in search of an SUV type vehicle, then a decision has to be made – Do you need two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive?

 

The short answer to this question is as simple as it gets – if you have the luxury to think about 2WD and AWD, realistically, you do not need an AWD system. At all. AWD is one of those things that when you need it, you just know you need it, and you know why you need it.

 

You would not be thinking of 2WD in the first place. Nevertheless, manufacturers seem to throw a lot of money into promoting AWD systems for their SUVs. This has become a feature that translated from something one may consider a driving aid to a mere entry on an options list you could mark. With the help of various reports from the UK and US I will list five things to think about before opting for AWD.

 

Do you need AWD?

 

It all comes down to a simple question of need. If you live in a mostly dry area with no or very soft winters and do not actually use your car for off-roading, honestly, an AWD system would be close to throwing money down the drain. It is that simple.

 

Consider this – if you used a 2WD car previously without any major problems with traction, and you do not intend to change your driving style, then a 2WD SUV will do the job exactly as your old 2WD car did.

 

But why am I saying this? Isn’t an all-wheel-drive system a preferable solution over a 2WD system regardless of your needs? No! It’s not.

 

Reason 1. AWD Is More Expensive Than 2WD

Have you ever read through the new car for sale or used car for sale listings or my lease deal listings? If you did, you might have noticed that cars with AWD are usually more expensive compared with 2WD machines.

 

According to various sources, the difference between 2WD and AWD versions of the same car ranges from £1,500 to £4,000. When talking about unibody SUVs, which are all the rage today, that difference is usually between £1500 and £2500. Either way, you will have to pay more for something you may never use.

 

AWD systems employed by manufacturers for use on SUVs, cars, or MPVs, aren’t the same as the 4WD systems used by proper off-road vehicles. Most of the time they are part-time systems with torque being sent to the normally-neutral axle only when a loss of traction is felt. Most systems are also front-wheel biased, leaving you with a FWD (Front Wheel Drive) vehicle most of the time.

 

Reason 2. AWD Does Not Have To Work All Of The Time

 

Usually, what you get for a couple of thousand pounds more is the so-called, on-demand AWD system which actually serves as a two-wheel-drive system 99.9 percent of the time.

 

According to some Australian and European researchers, 0.1 percent of the time is exactly how long AWD capability will be engaged. Think about it this way – if you cover 10,000 miles, the AWD system which powers all four wheels will be engaged for ten miles.

 

And, this is not because the on-demand AWD systems aren’t good, but because you actually do not have any use for them. Follow this analogy with your hypothetical previous 2WD car, and you can see that an additional AWD system may be just an unnecessary added cost for you. You drove that 2WD car everywhere, didn’t you?

 

Now, it is true that AWD systems do provide better traction in slippery conditions. Usually, they work something like this – when a computer senses slipping of the wheels that usually power the car, the AWD drive kicks in (via viscous coupling, transfer case, added differential, or some other means) and sends some torque to the other pair of wheels in hopes that they have more traction.

 

If they do, they push the car out, and the AWD disengages. That can last for a second, or for prolonged periods of time. After that, it is back to your usual 2WD business. This all sounds perfectly rational, but considering that a majority of cars on the roads are actually 2WD units, and they go about their business without any problems, I think that an AWD option may not be as necessary as some would like to believe.

 

Reason 3. AWD Doesn’t Improve Your Braking.

 

Right off the bat, AWD systems are created to use all potentially available traction when slippage of the wheels under power is detected. Thus, they transfer some (or all) of the power to the other set of wheels via the driveline components.

 

Newer systems, with smarter electronic control units and torque distribution hardware, can, in fact, affect handling in certain conditions. They do it by sending power to the wheels with more traction, but usually, with AWD systems available for some SUVs, these options are limited.

 

The most common question seems to be about braking. Under false assumptions, some consider AWD vehicles to be more in control under heavy braking. This is simply not the case, as the AWD system does not have anything to do with braking or slowing down.

 

As stated before, in normal conditions, cars with AWD systems are actually just 2WD vehicles that have the capability to engage the drive on the other axle if needed. Heavy braking, or any braking for that matter, does not have anything to do with it.

 

So while AWD may increase safety for cars travelling on slippery roads (mud, snow, ice, etc.), it’s basically a completely unnecessary addition if you rarely traverse slippery conditions.

 

Reason 4. Higher Fuel Consumption

 

Adding an AWD system to the vehicle unequivocally increases its weight. Depending on the system, the car has to gain a transfer case, axles for the second pair of wheels, a new differential, and a plenty of supporting gear. All of this adds weight (75kg+ on average,) which is a killer for fuel consumption.

 

According to a research, the fuel penalty for owning an AWD car instead of a 2WD car is between 1 and 2 mpg (and that is for on-demand electronically controlled AWD systems.) It’s not a lot, is it? Well, with one 15 gallon tank of fuel, you’d cover 30 miles less.

 

It all adds up.

 

Reason 5. Higher Maintenance Costs

 

Years ago when electric windows were an option my dad refused to have a car with electric windows on the basis that it was just another thing to go wrong.

 

Using the same theory, adding an AWD system adds yet another complexity to a car. A complexity that one has to maintain. Although modern systems do not need constant maintenance, any damage done to the AWD system is met with the most expensive repair bill.

 

Furthermore, AWD cars, due to their weight, and consequently more load on the brakes, do tend to wear the tyres down a bit faster than 2WD cars. Yet, it must be said that with the newest AWD systems (like 4Motion from Volkswagen, or Active Drive systems by Jeep) aren’t as hard on the components as some older systems.

 

Making the most out of a 2WD Car

 

So, instead of spending extra cash on an AWD system, you can do a thing or two to improve the 2WD system of an SUV. Installing high-end tyres definitely is the most important step when it comes to improving 2WD SUV traction.

 

Michelin actually tested a 2WD car on winter tyres and an AWD car on summer tyres travelling over slippery conditions, and it was obvious that the 2WD car with winter tyres achieved dramatically better results.

 

This only proves that 2WD will be more than enough in most cases. Apart from that, the traction control systems on newer vehicles are optimized to use as much traction the two wheels can provide. Braking one wheel thus transferring the power to the other has become a sort of a norm. Couple this with good tyres and you probably won’t need AWD anywhere that has relatively mild weather.

 

As always, choose your car according to your needs. Buying an AWD SUV in areas with light snow, occasional rain, and mostly straight roads does not have any justification. On the opposite side, if you suffer with heavy snow and ice, heavy rain and windy, hilly roads then AWD is probably preferable.

 

I hope this helps but these are just mine and a few journalist views. If you are seriously thinking of an SUV type vehicle but unsure about 2WD, FWD, AWD or 4WD seek the advice of the dealer and carry out your own research to make sure that the car truly fits your needs.

 

Oh and as one commentator said, SUV’s with whatever drive are not amphibious vehicles so don’t assume that you can drive through deep water without a thought! They are just as likely to break down or leak as any other car. By Graham Hill