NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If it seems like many new cars have all-wheel drive these days and while that may sound like a nice feature to have for the snow and ice, there are some important things to consider before you invest.
That's right more than half of all new cars come with all-wheel drive you can even get a new Toyota Prius with it, but here's the thing, not all all-wheel drive vehicles are the same. And you might not even need it.
Consumer Reports says you should know, not all vehicles with all-wheel drive are the same. For example, Subaru’s AWD system always directs at least some of the engine’s power to the rear, and it can direct a larger amount if needed.
That’s not the case for every all-wheel drive.
“There are cost-effective ways or different ways of doing this where maybe the car is primarily driven as front-wheel drive," said Consumer Reports' Alex Knizek. "The front wheels are getting most of the power all the time and then only in certain situations will it send power to the rear wheels.”
Yes, there are more all-wheel drive cars on the road nowadays. Thanks to technology, this transfer of power happens with a mechanical driveshaft running the length of the car.
But electric vehicles and some hybrids utilize individual motors at each axle with no physical connection between them.
“Where these systems just allow all-wheel drive to almost be implemented easier in a vehicle," explained Knizek. "With a hybrid vehicle like from Toyota, for example, they take an electric motor and they just put it at the rear and that's what's giving you all wheel drive, right? So they really don't have to change much from the regular car to enable all wheel drive.”
By the way – all passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. starting with the 2012 model year come equipped with electronic stability control, which, along with traction control, significantly improves road-holding capabilities, regardless of the drive wheels.
So, who really needs all-wheel drive?
“It's people who really live in snowy areas, who see a lot of slippery road conditions, things like that, or, you know they live at the bottom of a steep driveway that is often wet or snowy or covered in ice,” Knizek said.
And remember, all-wheel drive is not a replacement for good tires! Worn tires on an all-wheel drive car will still struggle to provide enough grip on slippery roads.
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