This bears on Buick92's decision re fwd or awd -
glennc, I agree that awd is probably a net negative for folks in warm weather areas. The extra weight, complexity and drag outweigh the advantages. In fact, for a long time I said I wouldn't own one.
It's a very different story in other locales, though. For instance, my driveway is very long and fairly steep, and there are days when fwd and rwd cars just won't get to the top. I got tired of parking at the bottom on occasion (and my wife even more so, as you can imagine...)
Also, in snowy/slushy/icy conditions, AWD offers significantly better directional control. Forced lane change in those condition are always exciting and I feel better with my wife driving her Subaru (which, IMO, has a great AWD system), and driving an AWD myself.
So, to bring it back on topic, I'll urge Buick92 to factor location into the decision.
glennc, I agree that awd is probably a net negative for folks in warm weather areas. The extra weight, complexity and drag outweigh the advantages. In fact, for a long time I said I wouldn't own one.
It's a very different story in other locales, though. For instance, my driveway is very long and fairly steep, and there are days when fwd and rwd cars just won't get to the top. I got tired of parking at the bottom on occasion (and my wife even more so, as you can imagine...)
Also, in snowy/slushy/icy conditions, AWD offers significantly better directional control. Forced lane change in those condition are always exciting and I feel better with my wife driving her Subaru (which, IMO, has a great AWD system), and driving an AWD myself.
So, to bring it back on topic, I'll urge Buick92 to factor location into the decision.
