I have a 4WD Sierra and AWD is not 4WD IMO. Absolute true 4WD has the diff's locked so all 4 wheels turn together. My Sierra does not do that but at least I can control the application of it whereas in most AWD's it's need initiated just like AutoTrac. So in snow or slippery conditions 4WD is better than AWD and AWD is better than FWD. But you need to ask yourself is it really necessary for how and where you drive most of the time and are you prepared to pay for it now and later on as well.e23nk1 said:I am kinda in the same boat...am looking to buy a 2010 or 2011 Terrain...live in western NY and am trying to justify the extra $2000 or so to go with AWD vs FWD...I have had 4WD for the past 15 years and I dont want to regret getting FWD...but getting the AWD kinda gets us out of our budget range.
Decision...decisions.
That is great, but was the problem going up or down the hill or both?k9kuz said:My house is at the bottom of a long steep hill. Winter of 2011, very bad here, scared the sh$$t out of me with my FWD Toyota. My wife had no problems with her AWD. Nuff said.
Up hill of course. Nothing helps going down except maybe different tires. This winter, quite mild, but I ran into some very slippery conditions on a interstate off-ramp (going uphill).... 4WD helped me dodge a dozen cars stuck in various directions on the ramp including a semi that had jack-knifed and blocked the entire ramp. But my Equinox took me through the ditch on both sides of the road and I made it without a scratch.... but my heart was pounding heavily.Terrain2011 said:That is great, but was the problem going up or down the hill or both?
X2??Terrain2011 said:That is great, but was the problem going up or down the hill or both?
I'm fairly certain he made his choice many, many months ago. LOL.teetertotter said:Maybe this will answer the Question for you to make your own decision:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/awd-vs-fwd.html
Channelized???? Really? :shrug:teetertotter said:Maybe this will answer the Question for you to make your own decision:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/awd-vs-fwd.html
Big +1 :thumb:spook said:My own experience is that most of the time driver ability is the major factor in getting there safely. I can't tell you how many times I have seen Jeeps, 4X4s, and AWD vehicles stuck. Some people think that multiple drive wheels will get you anywhere any time.