The Myths of All Wheel Drive

 

Mac Demere of Popular Mechanics had an article on March 22, 2013 in which he explained that the hype for all wheel drive is overdone and overblown. According to Demere,

• All wheel drive doesn’t help handling significantly!

• AWD does not increase cornering prowess

• AWD doesn’t help a car avoid a fallen tree

• AWD doesn’t help the driver dodge Bambi or other wildlife

• AWD creates a heavier vehicle

• AWD sucks gasoline

• A tester at Popular Mechanics said, "I'd rather have a Toyota Camry on four new snow tires than the best all-wheel-drive vehicle on all-season tires."

　
What All Wheel Drive does:

• AWD greatly assists acceleration on slick surfaces

• AWD helps keep a vehicle moving on snowy roads

• Some of the newest AWD systems drag the inner wheel a little bit, transfering power to the outside wheel and assisting with handling in a marginal way

• Further torque-vectoring systems are being planned, but these can be considered marginal handling improvements.

Conclusion:

In snow and on slick surfaces, handling is all about tires. Good snow tires will beat general purpose tires on such surfaces – two wheel drive or four wheel drive.

See:

http://autos.yahoo.com/news/the-myth-of-the-all-powerful-all-wheel-drive-210608212.html