FWD CX-5 on Sloped Gravel Drive?

[starburst]

Hello. I am getting to the point where I need to retire my old Honda CR-V. The CX-5 looks like a great choice. However I am not in a financial position to shell out $25-30k, and am considering a used 2013 CX-5 with FWD. So, a question for those of you with FWD. I live out in the country and park uphill on a gravel driveway, with about a 20 degree slope. Often times I have to slow down to get around another car before starting up the hill. AWD comes in handy for this. In your experience, would I be ok with a FWD? I have seen a lot of people slipping and sliding trying to get up there.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

 

[paris1]

My first question would be what kinds of vehicles are "slipping and sliding" on your grade? Are they FWD or RWD. The weight distribution on a FWD CX-5 is going to be pretty similar to any other FWD vehicle (approx. 60/40), so if it's predominently FWD vehicles that are having a tough go of it, I would suspect you might be better off with AWD.

 

[starburst]

Thanks for the response. The cars that slide are mostly RWD, including pickup trucks and sedans. I will probably need the AWD but was hoping to hear from someone with a FWD CX-5.

 

[paris1]

Thanks for the response. The cars that slide are mostly RWD, including pickup trucks and sedans. I will probably need the AWD but was hoping to hear from someone with a FWD CX-5.

Sounds like you're jumping to conclusions here. A FWD vehicle will generally handle drive wheel traction problems better than a RWD because it has more weight over those wheels. I can't answer your specific question with any certainty, but I have always been surprised how well the FWD cars I have owned handle snow and icy road conditions, so I wouldn't be surprised if a FWD CX-5 could handle the situation you describe better than the RWD vehicles you have observed. Any chance of test driving one up your road? It would be a shame to invest in AWD hardware if you don't really need it.

 

[InTheBoilerRoom]

While I cannot speak to the performance of the FWD CX-5, I can provide my experience with the FWD Mazda3 that I traded in for my AWD CX-5.

I live in Western Washington with quite a bit of hilly terrain. I frequently had traction issues going uphill with my Mazda3 in slick conditions such as gravel or snow. It even had trouble on wet pavement on a steep enough slope when trying to get moving from a stand still. It was my one complaint with the Mazda3. The traction problems occurred with the OEM tires (which were terrible) and the Goodyear Eagles I used later (which I chose because they had been rated well for wet traction, but I question that, since I still had issues). It was enough of a nuisance that I never even considered getting a FWD CX-5.

The AWD CX-5 has handled those similar conditions wonderfully. I expect that the FWD CX-5 will handle those conditions somewhat better than the Mazda3. It is heavier, after all. But, I'd still imagine challenges with grades as steep as 20%.

I know this isn't as helpful as feedback directly from someone with the FWD CX-5, but I figured I'd throw my experience out there for you to consider.

 

[ddibiase]

I'm curious as to how the gravel stays on there with a 20 degree slope! Is someone grooming it?

But seriously, generally, going uphill, a RWD car would have an advantage as the weight shifts TO the driving wheels, while in a FWD car the weight shifts OFF the driving wheels. On gravel, I don't know, though, I guess it would really depend on the vehicle for such a specific chore. Perhaps when you do a test drive, you can take it to the driveway and determine whether the CX-5 would fit your needs.

Can you find a year-old CX-5 for the low $20's? Or whatever your price range is?

Dan D

 

[starburst]

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely try to test drive it somewhere similar and I'm pretty sure I can find a year old AWD in my price range.