Why are there so many AWD cars now?

[edyvw]

Point systems implemented by sanctioned racing groups, AWD adds points, weight, complexity, and money. Half the experience of tracking is finding a car easy and cheap enough to work in in the class you want to compete in; AWD gets crazy expensive to maintain and work on when tracking. When used in a higher or unrestricted time attack class like NASA TT1/2/U, they tend to place pretty high, if not podium. Weight is one of the worst things when trying to slim down an AWD car; you can't just take the transfer case, driveshaft, rear diff, etc etc out when putting the car on a diet and any decent aftermarket modifications to these tend to be expensive. When used in a higher or unrestricted time attack class like NASA TT1/2/U, they tend to place pretty high, if not podium. Anybody remember the Sierra Sierra Evo 8 back from 2010? That thing was a record breaker at nearly every event it ran at.

On the track AWD systems help with getting on the power earlier when coming out of the turn. Racing in the rain? Forget about it, no 2WD car is going to come out of a corner faster than an AWD, all things considered the same. Racing in the rain is rare though and doesn't happen enough to cause a concern.

So yes, AWD does help in turns and high speed stability. No your AWD system on your crossovers/SUVs will only help marginally and if a driver is dumb enough to think their CUV is going to go around a corner like Sienna because it has AWD then they deserve the consequences. No engineer is going to take or design an AWD for a Pilot/Atlas/Sienna/CX5 for the track no matter how much they market the "sportiness" of it.

IME every AWD system will cause the front to plow in a corner, no matter how good it is, even if it's just a small amount. There are way to mitigate the corner plow though which is why there's different torque biased systems and torque vectoring systems. Every manufacture does it different and the results can and will wildly vary.



Power and traction wins in a straight line, not drive type. Up to a certain power at least, then stuff starts breaking.

AWD has advantages coming out of corner. But hp for hp, 2WD will win the rest. There is too much drag, weight in AWD.

 

[TiGeo]

I certainly hope most people aren't driving their AWD vehicle that hard on the street on a regular basis... yikes!
Do you do track days? Autocross? Not that I'm some expert driver, but I can't say I've ever felt AWD or 4wd help reduce mid corner power on understeer, unless you have totally overwhelmed the available grip and start going into a 4 wheel drift...(the individual rear wheel torque vectoring systems aside) Sure on corner exit, like rwd, you can put down a bit more power than fwd, but that is track level driving, not road driving.
And sure you can accelerate more quickly in the wet with AWD but I don't see many people doing a 1 wheel peel at every stoplight in the rain, so most people can control their right foot a bit....

There's nothing wrong with preferring AWD, enjoy it, but for most vehicles and most people, in most situations, its doing nothing for them but providing some placebo effects and lets them accelerate normally in snow.

For my regular winter driving, I don't really care about AWD, and I've found I just prefer which one of our cars has the newer winter tires on. AWD is helping for the first 50' from a stop and then its doing nothing IMO.

Joking below aside - yes, you aren't wrong on a lot of your points.

 

[TiGeo]

AWD has advantages coming out of corner. But hp for hp, 2WD will win the rest. There is too much drag, weight in AWD.

It's why Miatas and BMW 330s and many other 2wd cars rule the track.

 

[Pew]

AWD has advantages coming out of corner. But hp for hp, 2WD will win the rest. There is too much drag, weight in AWD.

Agreed. One of the downsides of AWD. The new AWD systems for 'normal' cars is good enough for the street though; keeping them partially energized to minimize efficiency loss but helping in a pinch.

It's why Miatas and BMW 330s and many other 2wd cars rule the track.

Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer

I actually learned how to drive manual in my cousin's Mazdaspeed ND2; which sadly burned to the ground over a decade ago.

 

[dumkid]

awd launches in a performance car is amazing. awd in mom car (equinox and similar) is mostly worthless unless snow exists. 4x4 is old fashioned, mechanical, heavy, and has very little that can wear out or break (other than u joints)

 

[odie]

Would consider this for A.W.D..

 

[ChadHargis]

I certainly hope most people aren't driving their AWD vehicle that hard on the street on a regular basis... yikes!

I drive very fast on the street. Here in Tennessee, we have wonderful back roads that are rural, no cops, and very little (if any) traffic. You can absolutely haul the mail out there and have a great deal of fun. Been riding motorcycles and driving cars on these roads for years. I know them like the back of my hand.

I've driven these roads in everything from an RX-7, Miata, VW Corrado, to pickup trucks and SUVs. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt...AWD is a huge difference maker. If you've ever had the rear end of your car come out on you (when you aren't trying to) or have your front end plow regardless of how much you're turning the wheel....you can't appreciate how neutral something like my WRX is.
That's not to say that I can't drive a RWD car equally as fast. I can...and in some cases...faster...as I can steer with the rear end on the power. RWD cars are a ball of fun, but I generally do not like FWD cars much.

When I was looking for a sporty car, I narrowed it down to the Elantra N or the GTI (because I wanted a manual). Both of those cars had wheel hop on take off. The Elantra N actually felt the least FWD of the two. But then I drove the WRX...and it just digs and goes. No drama. Pulling out into a busy street in the rain....no blinking traction control light....just hooks up and goes. That 4 or 5 days a year we get snow...I can get up my driveway and up the hill in front of my house.

If you just drive to get where you are going....no...you don't need AWD. But if you are an enthusiast and you love driving....RWD is fun...but your choices are limited if you want to spend $35k or less on a new performance oriented manual transmission 4 door family car. There are no choices for RWD and only one choice for AWD...the rest are FWD.

Sooooo...I bought the WRX. I'd have bought it if it was RWD too...but probably not if it were FWD.

 

[UG_Passat]

AWD has advantages coming out of corner. But hp for hp, 2WD will win the rest. There is too much drag, weight in AWD.

Audi says differently. Their Quattro entries were so dominant in BTCC, the BTCC banned AWD in 1998 and still remains in effect. Other touring car organizations also enforce the AWD ban.,

 

[97prizm]

They're able to do it by developing it on more expensive lineups and then handing the technology down the line as the technology gets more mature; they start to add or remove things that they notice their customers won't notice is gone. Certain things like a complicated and expensive limited-slip diff may not be needed or missed by, say, a typical CRV driver when they can just have individual brakes controlled by the computer to act like a pseudo-LSD.

Just like ABS was a 2-3k dollar option on Luxury cars in the early 90's. I can remember when multi-way power seats started showing up, I couldn't believe it. Awd systems have improved greatly over the last decade, sure I think all manufacturers should do like the Mercedes G-Wagon Front, center and rear locking diffs.

 

[buster]

I've driven these roads in everything from an RX-7, Miata, VW Corrado, to pickup trucks and SUVs. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt...AWD is a huge difference maker. If you've ever had the rear end of your car come out on you (when you aren't trying to) or have your front end plow regardless of how much you're turning the wheel....you can't appreciate how neutral something like my WRX is.

Agree. It's funny how people will argue about the point of AWD. That is the point LOL. They hug the road so well, especially Subarus with their low center of gravity.

 

[edyvw]

Audi says differently. Their Quattro entries were so dominant in BTCC, the BTCC banned AWD in 1998 and still remains in effect. Other touring car organizations also enforce the AWD ban.,

I would say there is more to it, considering that in general Audi engines like to go straight while driver wants to turn. That is in real life, not BTCC.

 

[Zee09]

Up north it might be worth it even if you don't need it for resale alone. If you don't keep your cars forever.

 

[Pew]

Audi says differently. Their Quattro entries were so dominant in BTCC, the BTCC banned AWD in 1998 and still remains in effect. Other touring car organizations also enforce the AWD ban.,

You can only BoP a drivetrain so much until there's no point of having it over a RWD car because the points eventually take away the entire benefit of AWD. That's the issue AWD has in any lower class, as it has to run more stock-ish than say, a Miata running in the same class but can rework it's entire suspension setup due to the points. The higher and less restrictive the class, the more benefits that AWD gets.

 

[UG_Passat]

You can only BoP a drivetrain so much until there's no point of having it over a RWD car because the points eventually take away the entire benefit of AWD. That's the issue AWD has in any lower class, as it has to run more stock-ish than say, a Miata running in the same class but can rework it's entire suspension setup due to the points. The higher and less restrictive the class, the more benefits that AWD gets.

So basically, AWD is so superior, it has to be handicapped in order to let others be competitive against it.

I would say there is more to it, considering that in general Audi engines like to go straight while driver wants to turn. That is in real life, not BTCC.

You were previously talking track. BTCC are track events. Even with understeer from a nose-heavy chassis, Quattro's dominance in BTCC led to AWD being banned because of its dominance. But once proved wrong about AWD sucking on the track, you change your tune to "real life"

Plus good drivers know how to exploit the capabilities of their car, while minimizing its weakness(es).

 

[edyvw]

So basically, AWD is so superior, it has to be handicapped in order to let others be competitive against it.


You were previously talking track. BTCC are track events. Even with understeer from a nose-heavy chassis, Quattro's dominance in BTCC led to AWD being banned because of its dominance. But once proved wrong about AWD sucking on the track, you change your tune to "real life"

Plus good drivers know how to exploit the capabilities of their car, while minimizing its weakness(es).

Yes, I was talking about track. However, NO ONE here participated or participated with their regular, track-ready or only track vehicles on BTCC.
No one drives a BTCC vehicle to school, grocery store, work, or daycare. But they do track-ready vehicles, you know, one you go and buy in a dealership and you make it track-ready or not. F1 actually turns much better in curves than BTCC AWD vehicles.
My 6-year-old would not make that comparison.

 

[Sonny88]

My Dodge Challenger is AWD, awesome in rain and snow.

 

[Pew]

So basically, AWD is so superior, it has to be handicapped in order to let others be competitive against it.

It seems so as far as homologated cars go. Might be because the chassis is more like a normal car and restricted as such versus GT or Formula cars.

 

[medunko]

Huh, awd or not this the question? But from my humble 30 years of driving I ‘ll say new winter tires or not? I’m changing oil as a bitoger but also I love driving the new expensive tires for my Corolla and Yaris (summer and winter tires) changing brake fluid 3-4 years. And that’s the way that is ok for me. Just the clearence is not good with abovmentioned cars. For skiing, mountain cornering on the road - there is 2 rules : nice tires and brakes.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

FWD or RWD or even AWD won't get you through this!

 

[Hermann]

Agreed. It's a marketing scam to seller higher profit margin vehicles. The public has been convinced AWD is required and life saving in many scenarios.

It doesn't help that the car reviewers whine like babies if a car isn't AWD. Consumer Report's on YouTube is the worst.