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Are cars with AWD worth it compared to FWD.

I am potentially looking at buying a new car in next coming months. I’m looking at the Nissan rogue because my current car is Nissan and I’ve been pleased with it for the past 12 years and I would like the extra room an suv has. The only thing I don’t like is that the majority of suvs are AWD. Nissan does make the rogue in FWD but I was only able to find 1 in my nearby dealerships. So it seems that if I want an suv I’m stuck with AWD or I have to stick with a sedan. For context, my first and current car is a 2012 Nissan versa.

Tldr: do the benefits of AWD and having an suv outweigh the downside of having to replace every tire if you get a flat in one with AWD. Or should I just try and stick with FWD?

EDIT: thank you for all the responses. It is very clear now that I do not need AWD and will stick with FWD. And apparently, I need to look into different cars makers. I have had good luck with my Nissan but according to comments Nissan isn’t a good company anymore.

EDIT 2: I didn’t realize that there are 2 different types of AWD. There’s full and reactive. Technically, the car I have now is AWD because it does divert power to the back wheels if it detects them slipping. My apologies for not fully understanding the terminology before making the post. My original post was directed towards full AWD, when there is power to all wheels all the time. Thanks for the help !

foggy ,

If you live where it snows

HOLY SHIT ABSOLUTELY.

If not, meh.

lemmefixdat4u ,

Mud too. My buddy lives up a hill at the end of a dirt road. My FWD made it there with no problem until it rained for a week. Since then I take my 4x4 when I visit in wet weather.

noxy ,
@noxy@yiffit.net avatar

Having seasonally appropriate tires and FWD (or RWD) is usually better than all-season tires on AWD. Plus AWD adds weight and complexity, and only benefits when accelerating, braking gets no benefit from AWD.

Also, resist the SUVification, stick with a hatchback or look at wagons instead! Which likely means leaving Nissan, and that would be for the better, they are such a tiny shadow of their former greatness.

Volvo, VW, and Audi make good wagons. Hyundai and Kia make good everything. Toyota is boring as shit but honestly take a serious look at the Prius.

WeebLife OP ,

I’m not really a fan of hatchbacks. But it looks like I’ll need to rethink the car I’m going to get. My budget is also tight so I don’t think I can afford vw, Volvo, or audi

noxy ,
@noxy@yiffit.net avatar

Mazda seems good too! Mazda 3 looks really good

0ops ,

I’ve always said that in icy conditions driving skills > tires > AWD. All three and you’re cooking

Sludgeyy ,

Best driver in the world couldn’t drive on icy conditions with summer tires

0ops ,

No but they’d know that it would be stupid to try in the first place. Maybe this is a better way to phrase it: good judgement > tires > AWD.

0ops ,

I agree with most of the responses here, but one thing that I think is worth noting is that not all AWD systems are built the same. The really, really good ones come from Subaru, Audi, and some Volvo’s. With good tires and a competent driver, these are usually really good in slick conditions. A lot of AWD systems though are more of a “mild AWD” where the car primarily FWD but can get some assistance from the rear. Those systems might give you efficiency gains compared to some other AWD systems, but performance wise they might not be dramatically better than FWD. So that’s worth considering I think.

Frankly if you have to ask if you need AWD, then you don’t NEED it. But it’s nice to have and pretty fun if you’re a psycho like me who actually likes winter driving

WeebLife OP ,

Thanks for this comment. I didn’t realize there were different types of AWD. My car does have the reactive AWD where it will give power to the rear wheels if they are slipping. My og post was referring to full AWD that’s on all the time.

orcrist ,

Most people don’t need AWD. Most people who think they need it are wrong, and they could easily live without it. I say this having lived in several snowy places, including rural mountains, owning cars with and without AWD.

Regardless of AWD, if you buy an SUV, don’t think that you can ignore the weather. It’s very common for SUV drivers to believe that their car is suitable for the snowstorm, drive at high speeds, and get stuck in the ditch. Please don’t be that guy.

BruceTwarzen ,

I had all kinds of cars in my life, probably the best car i ever owned to drive in the snow was a Peugeot 106 gti. Skinny winter tires and the weight or lack of it was absolutely king in the snow. I went on ski trips where all kinds of cars were stuck and i never had any problem at all. The “best” car on paper i ever had for the snow was a jeep grand Cherokee. That thing was more scary than good in the snow. I see a lot of people crash their AWD cars, because they don’t know the difference between AWD and 4x4.

MrSpArkle ,

I’m just here to chime in and tell you Nissans are trash now, and are a shadow of what they were.

Also none of their AWD systems are any good outside the GTR and their trucks. Their CVT transmissions are fragile and the computer will protect it at all costs. They’ll disengage drive wheels and pull power if any threshold is reached(temp, load, etc)

If AWD is a priority, the only logical choice is an EV. No ICE passenger vehicle AWD system can compare to having a motor per axle, or a motor per wheel. Unfortunately Nissan evs are a joke too.

My short summary is that if you’re serious about wanting awd and want an ice car, get a Subaru. If you’re serious about awd and want an rv, plenty of dual and some tri/quad motor options out there.

If you stick with fwd ice just buy anything but a Nissan or Mitsubishi.

WeebLife OP ,

That’s sad to hear about Nissan. Like I said in my post, my first and current car is a versa and I’ve hardly had any serious issues with it. So I was assuming that their quality was still good. I do want ice and after reading these comments I have concluded that AWD is not worth it and I really don’t need it. Unfortunately Subaru’s are out of my price point. I’ll check Mazda out I guess

fitjazz ,

Mazda is a solid brand. All of their crossovers and SUVs are AWD so really your only option if you are in the US will be the 3. The 3 is a great car either as a sedan or hatchback and I would have one if I did not need more cargo room because of my job. The sedan has a huge trunk and is plenty roomie in the cabin. For the price Mazdas are more comfortable and fun to drive than anything else out there (IMHO).

WeebLife OP ,

Thats reassuring, I will def test drive a couple of the mazdas.

MrSpArkle ,

Nissan fans like you and I are the hardest hit by their fall.

Always buy certified used. The Subaru CPO program with gold warranty is a great deal and you can save thousands.

If you don’t buy Subaru, still buy used if the CPO warranty is good and cheap.

What is your budget?

WeebLife OP ,

I checked out Subaru and the impreza looks appealing. But all models are showing AWD… Even their legacys have AWD. And it looks like Subaru is using CVT transmissions too. I was hoping to get away from that because I don’t care for it in my versa. Are different manufacturers implementation of CVT different? Or are all CVTs the same?

QuarterSwede ,
@QuarterSwede@lemmy.world avatar

All CVTs work the same way and have the same weakness (steel belt tends to break causing catastrophic damage).

punkfungus ,

Not quite true on the second part. It’s primarily Jatco CVTs that are reliability nightmares, and are what is used by Nissan. Subaru make their own CVTs which are widely regarded to be much more reliable.

Pretty much the entire poor reputation of CVTs derives from those shitty Jatcos but the tech itself wasn’t the problem, it was the execution.

MrSpArkle ,

Subaru CVTs drive like shit but not near as unreliable as Nissan units. Different manufacturers. I don’t know what chickens they sacrificed but it works.

FarFarAway ,

Not exactly what you asked, but the only problem I’ve found with Subaru (crosstrek / legacy) is lack of pick up. It’s worth it to shell out for even a slightly upgraded engine. (crosstrek wilderness) If thats important to you and you read a review that says it’s a problem, absolutely believe it. It hasn’t bordered on dangerous, but it is very noticeable at times.

Other than that 100,000+ miles later and some regular upkeep and there has been absolutely no issues. Shifts fine, although sometimes the rpms hit higher than I’m used to.

I do believe the WRX is manual if that’s more your style, and there are Crosstreks (which is essentially an Impreza with more clearance. Even people at the dealership have accidentally called it that) and Foresters that are strictly automatic, or so they say.

Oh, and the windshield wipers are lame. It’s like the windshield is too big for the wipers, and the wipers move to slow. If it starts pouring outside, be prepared to be driving 90% blind. Rainx barely helps.

Codilingus ,

Fellow gearhead backing up that current Nissan is trash. Their current strategy is cheap as possible, and finance anyone.

dditty ,

deleted_by_author

    •
    MrSpArkle ,

    Excellent would be a stretch. They will be a variation on a Haldex system, and you’d have to look up which variation your particular model has.

    I’ve yet to see a haldex type system(the type typical on FWD platforms) consistently outperform Subaru.

    algorithmae ,

    I test drive a regular Audi A4 and Infiniti Q50 a few times and became hooked on owning an AWD. It doesn’t snow where I live but the handling was everything I ever wanted. Currently searching for an AWD version of the car I want next and there’s like none down here, it’s super frustrating

    WeebLife OP ,

    I will def test drive several cars with AWD and FWD.

    mlaga97 ,

    Possibly not relevant to your use case, but one point that I haven’t seen mentioned yet is that for many SUVs that are available in both FWD and AWD, the tow rating will be significantly higher for the AWD version (like 5000lbs vs 3500lbs for FWD in the case of the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot)

    WeebLife OP ,

    Towing capacity isn’t something I’m worried about, the only thing I would be putting on the car would be a bike rack and some bikes

    snausagesinablanket ,
    @snausagesinablanket@lemmy.world avatar

    Test drive that and similar sizes from Toyota , Mazda, and Honda before you make the purchase. There is a reason the Rogue engine is called a sewing machine motor. Listen to it as you do your best to get to the speed limit from a stand still. Try this with all the other vehicles and make your own conclusions. This is a long term investment so do it right, including trade in value. Almost everything is AWD now and it can come in handy.

    litchralee , (edited )

    I’ll be upfront: IMO, hatchbacks > SUVs. That said, a number of manufacturers make “uplifted” versions of their sedans/hatchbacks, such as the Mazda CX-3 which is the bigger version of the Mazda 3 sedan/hatchback. The same applies for the Mazda CX-5 which is a bigger Mazda 5 (not in production anymore).

    But directly answering the question, AWD is typically an extra weight penalty (200-300 lbs, 90-130 kg) with attendant fuel economy impact (usually around 1 MPG lower), a bit more maintenance due to having to keep the wheels equally worn, and in rare cases, gets you into trouble where a 2WD car wouldn’t.

    To elaborate on that last point, in snowy weather, an AWD car can get moving better than a 2WD car, but the number of braked wheels is unchanged. So some people end up getting stuck further along on an impassable road or down in a ditch in their AWD car, in places where tow trucks have to wait for the weather to calm down. Meanwhile, the 2WD car would have already detoured when first encountering the unplowed snow. An experienced driver can make better use of AWD, but can doom a novice driver in the same situation.

    If you don’t have snow, then you’re not really getting much of the benefits of AWD but have all the downsides and it costs more. AWD doesn’t shine in the rain either, since moving faster is rarely desirable in wet conditions.

    If you do have snow, snow tires on a FWD is generally superior to all-season tires on a AWD or 4WD. This is because snow tires improve braking as well as acceleration in packed or slippery snow, for all cars. But you can always add snow tires to an AWD or 4WD.

    So for light winters or places where it snows so badly that driving at all is ill-advised, a FWD with snow tires may be perfectly suitable. Since you’ve been happy with your Nissan Versa, I assume you don’t have the steep, slippery driveway which would tip the equation in favor of AWD/4WD.

    TL;DR: it depends, but go AWD only if you need it.

    skizzles ,

    There are Mazda 5’s for sale near where I live in the US. Where do you live in the US that they aren’t available?

    litchralee ,

    I should have clarified that the Mazda 5 is no longer in production. I’ve seen them from time to time here in California.

    skizzles ,

    Ahh ok, that makes more sense. To be fair though, I rarely saw any Subarus when I lived down south, but once I moved out west they are pretty much all over. So it’s not beyond the realm of having different distributions of cars in different areas.

    HobbitFoot ,

    The new Nissan Kicks is supposed to have it and it was in and models of the Nissan Juke.

    ArbitraryValue ,

    hatchbacks

    Yeah but then you’re driving a station wagon.

    litchralee ,

    True, and I don’t see a problem. :)

    Station wagons and utes (a la Hyundai Santa Cruz) should be a thing in the USA.

    ArbitraryValue ,

    Well isn’t the Cybertruck technically a ute? So you’ve got that option…

    noxy ,
    @noxy@yiffit.net avatar

    Sure, if a poptart is technically a burrito or if a bowl of cereal with milk is technically a soup

    ArbitraryValue , (edited )

    No, not like that. According to Wikipedia:

    Traditionally, the term referred to vehicles built on passenger car chassis and with the cargo tray integrated with the passenger body (coupé utility vehicles). However, present-day usage of the term “ute” in Australia and New Zealand has expanded to include any vehicle with an open cargo area at the rear, which would be called a pickup truck in other countries.

    If you search for “cybertruck ute” you’ll find many publications from Australia and New Zealand calling it that, but I’m talking about the narrower first definition. It’s hard to say whether or not the Cybertruck chassis is a “passenger car” chassis because it is unique, but the cargo tray of the Cybertruck is in fact integrated with the passenger body. (Pickup trucks according to the American definition have a gap in the body between the cabin and the truck bed, and the Cybertruck does not.) You can argue that the Cybertruck is a pickup truck in the American sense since it claims to have a carrying capacity of 2,500 pounds (definitely more than utes generally do, if you trust that number) but it does look like a ute.

    The Cybertruck owner’s manual reveals you can carry up to 1,310 pounds in the bed, 441 in the frunk, and 220 in the under-bed storage compartment. The remaining 529 pounds must go in the cab.

    noxy ,
    @noxy@yiffit.net avatar

    ahhh I didn’t know the term was broader than el camino style coupes

    noxy ,
    @noxy@yiffit.net avatar

    The station wagon is the pinnacle of passenger car design!

    card797 ,

    Fuck yeah you are. Volvo XC70 rules.

    ArbitraryValue ,

    Do they issue you two or three annoying kids to drive around when you buy one of those, or do you have to bring your own?

    (My attitude about cars is, to paraphrase Gaston, “The most impractical car in town. That makes it the best!”)

    4z01235 ,

    Pretty sure the CX-3 is actually a Mazda 2, and the Mazda CX-5 is on the same platform as the 3, just enlarged a bit.

    litchralee ,

    Now that I think about it, you might be right. The Mazda 5 is a minivan, and a lifted version of that would be some sort of vehicle, whereas the CX-5 is a crossover SUV with five doors.

    But surely the CX-5 can’t be the Mazda 2 or an uplifted version of it, since the 2 is (was?) a three door vehicle, no?

    Irremarkable ,
    @Irremarkable@fedia.io avatar

    I'd also like to make a point that it seems a lot of people with AWD in my area miss.

    If the road is solid ice, not snow, AWD isn't going to help you much at all.

    litchralee ,

    I live in a sunny climate (California), so I’m genuinely curious: would the solution to icy roads be winter tires? And does winter tire == snow tire?

    I understand studded tires are also an option, but I think their use in this state is heavily curtailed or outright prohibited because of the damage they inflict on the road surface.

    I don’t think I’d ever want to tackle ice in an automobile, although I’m told studded bicycle tires are very competent in winter and don’t have as many performance penalties as their car equivalent. I’d probably try that at least once in this lifetime.

    GBU_28 ,

    Awd can only help with turning and accelerating! Braking is just you, abs, and the lord

    wildbus8979 ,

    What kind of climate do you live in? AWD is most useful when trying to climb slippery hills or help with acceleration from zero on slippery surfaces.

    As for replacing a tire, now a days more tire shops can grind down a fresh tire to match the old ones. It’s wasteful for sure, but not as bad as replacing all fours.

    BombOmOm ,
    @BombOmOm@lemmy.world avatar

    Yeah, AWD has a small MPG penalty and one-time purchase cost. If you live in a cold climate or drive off-road it is incredibly important to make sure you don’t get stuck. If you live in a warm climate and keep it on the road, probably would opt for FWD. I suppose RWD is also an option, but then it is much, much easier to get stuck, to the point I would never consider it unless this is a side car you don’t care about.

    I also have had very, very few issues with tires. I don’t tend to drive on upright nails or hit curbs at high speed, so at least for me the advantage of only needing to replace two at a time vs four (or get a new one ground down to match) is almost a non-thought.

    WeebLife OP ,

    I live in colorado. But I’ve driven in snow and ice with fwd for years now and I’m used to it.

    Oh I didn’t know about that. That is pretty wasteful but I guess better than buying all new tires.

    wildbus8979 ,

    Colorado is probably the second biggest market for Subaru after the North East and Quebec, that certainly should tell you something ;)

    QuarterSwede ,
    @QuarterSwede@lemmy.world avatar

    Subarus cost more in Colorado than anywhere else. It’s often far more cost effective to drive to fly to Kansas and buy them there. I would put money on Colorado having the highest Subaru sales.

    wildbus8979 ,

    Kansas isn’t even on the top 10, and even if they were equal to a Colorado they wouldn’t be first.

    https://sh.itjust.works/pictrs/image/7e2be5cb-8f0e-448e-a76e-59f29a80cc89.png

    Quebec marketshare sits at around 5.2%, placing it forth.

    TBF I’m surprised Massachusetts is so low, I’d like to see a brake down with Boston/Camberville

    QuarterSwede ,
    @QuarterSwede@lemmy.world avatar

    My point is Subarus aren’t in demand in Kansas so a lot of Coloradans go there to buy it for a lot less. Your data supports that.

    wildbus8979 ,

    No the data doesn’t, otherwise Kansas would be on that list too, but it isn’t. While what you say might be true, it doesn’t seem to have a significant impact on the ranking.

    r_thndr ,

    No need to “grind down” a tire. The differentials will balance out the difference in torque.

    dditty ,

    On an AWD car I thought having mismatched tires like that can damage your suspension though?

    mechoman444 ,

    Depends on where you live.

    I live in Atlanta GA and rarely leave the city so I don’t need AWD.

    My buddy lives in bumblefuck Alabama. He can’t live without it.

    spankinspinach ,

    IMO, AWD is overhyped. I’ve driven in snowy, hilly terrain in Canada for 16+ years, and the number of times I’ve been truly, call for help stuck is 2. Always FWD and manual.

    AWD is more expensive to purchase and maintain, burns more gas and tires, and doesn’t convey that many benefits. The ppl who really need AWD are generally the ones who actually need 4x4, and if you actually need 4x4 it’s for a good reason. Knowing how to drive your car well is more valuable.

    Case in point: I once drove up a rocky mountain ski hill on an icy day. There was a rise where everyone was getting stuck, including AWD and FWD drivers. Ppl were helping each other by pushing the cars to get them up/started. I was there for 40 mins, not a single AWD car outdid a FWD car. Trucks with low gear 4x4 made it, with effort.

    TLDR: IMO, AWD is more marketing hype than value that benefits the dealership more than the buyer. Save yourself the coin and get good winter tires instead. Stick with the Versa.

    Love,

    A fellow Versa driver

    Omgpwnies ,

    Fully agree on FWD vs AWD, but on a side note, I have a RWD pickup and while I’ve never gotten myself stuck to the point of needing assistance, there’s at least a few times every year that I think ‘this would have been way easier with 4x4’ to the point that my next truck will be 4x4.

    WeebLife OP ,

    I grew up in a mountain town and have only ever had FWD cars, so I’m totally comfortable driving in snow and ice. I think I’ve only gotten stuck once. Thanks for the feedback, I’ll continue my search!

    someguy3 ,

    AWD is overrated imo. Really don’t need, my next will be FWD.

    I haven’t looked but I’m sure you could find a SUV or crossover with fwd.

    But I agree with the other commenter, don’t buy a SUV. Cars or hatchbacks are really all you need.

    IchNichtenLichten ,
    @IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world avatar

    AWD is useful but if you’re driving a lot in cold snowy conditions having a set of dedicated winter tires is better.

    WeebLife OP ,

    Thank you for the input. This and the other comments have confirmed my thoughts that i don’t need AWD.

    cymbal_king ,

    There is a noticeable difference in EVs with AWD vs FWD, because the drive wheels all have independent motors. More motors= more power. As other commenters said, the main other consideration is if you have snow.

    We’ve really enjoyed our Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossover SUV. It has a ton of leg room (I’m 6’2" and can fully stretch out my legs), 300 miles of range, and more acceleration than any car I’ve ever owned. The cost of charging at home is about 70% less than we were paying for gas, plus there’s almost no maintenance needed (e.g. there’s no oil to change). With super chargers on road trips Hyundai and Kia EVs can charge from 10%-80% in about 15 mins for slightly less than the cost of gas.

    Suck_on_my_Presence ,

    I’ve been casually looking at the ioniqs - is anything in the interior intrusive? I have a problem with EVs having massive screens or way way too many buttons.

    meekah ,
    @meekah@lemmy.world avatar

    Can’t really give you a reply, but I suggest you to just go to a dealership and take whatever ioniq you are most interested in for a test drive. I sometimes to that just for fun, even though I’m not even actually interested in buying one lol. tbf, I get that sometimes dealerships are quite far to go to, but having an hour or two with a car to drive around really gives you a good idea of how you like it.

    cymbal_king ,

    The Ioniqs have much smaller screens than the EV industry average, and many more physical buttons than industry average. The only time I really touch the touch screen is related to the Android Auto GPS/Google Maps, or very rarely I’m fiddling with a setting in my driveway.

    meekah ,
    @meekah@lemmy.world avatar

    also regenerative charging causes brake pads to wear much more slowly. to the point that sometimes the rotors start to rust badly because the actual brakes get used so little.

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