Any advantage of getting AWD over FWD in a city like Atlanta?

In my area none of the dealers had FWD all were AWD.. So when I was negotiating I told hem I wanted FWD only (knowing that there were none in the area). So after explaining to them that I did not want to pay for the 1,300 additional for something I did not want plus the added fuel cost over the course of 5 years..

FWD; MPG vs. AWD MPG. Is about - 90 less miles per month of driving due to the AWD... so 90 miles x 12 =1080 less miles per year I was loosing in fuel.. with gas at $2.99 per gallon of and over 5 years the AWD was costing me about $3,300.00 + just because the dealer did not have an FWD... plus the extra $1,300...

After the salesman and his managers heads were spinning. They talked for a minute and said they would give me the AWD for no cost....

Stick to what you want. Or deal for discount for haveing to take an AWD vehicle. Don't forget your Costco discount too.
 
Brilliant!
For the record, I have AWD. But I live in Ohio! I got tired of playing "back up into the neighbors driveway to get a running start" when my steep driveway was covered in snow. Actually fun sometimes, but the time I needed to get my wife to the hospital and we got stuck in the driveway....yea. That's never happening again.

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7eregrine said:
Brilliant!
For the record, I have AWD. But I live in Ohio! I got tired of playing "back up into the neighbors driveway to get a running start" when my steep driveway was covered in snow. Actually fun sometimes, but the time I needed to get my wife to the hospital and we got stuck in the driveway....yea. That's never happening again.

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Click to expand...
Yikes. Yep a situation like that would have the same effect on me too.

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ddtigger1 said:
In my area none of the dealers had FWD all were AWD.. So when I was negotiating I told hem I wanted FWD only (knowing that there were none in the area). So after explaining to them that I did not want to pay for the 1,300 additional for something I did not want plus the added fuel cost over the course of 5 years..

FWD; MPG vs. AWD MPG. Is about - 90 less miles per month of driving due to the AWD... so 90 miles x 12 =1080 less miles per year I was loosing in fuel.. with gas at $2.99 per gallon of and over 5 years the AWD was costing me about $3,300.00 + just because the dealer did not have an FWD... plus the extra $1,300...

After the salesman and his managers heads were spinning. They talked for a minute and said they would give me the AWD for no cost....

Stick to what you want. Or deal for discount for haveing to take an AWD vehicle. Don't forget your Costco discount too.
Click to expand...
I didn't pay for my AWD either. Good job, mayne...
 
I had a FWD CX5 for 4 years up in Pa, now have an AWD. I don't feel you'd benefit from AWD down there.
 
NelsonLewis said:
Beautiful! WAY better than what replaced it...
Click to expand...

That was replaced with a JDM 1992 Toyota Soarer!
3409398429_f2813d6e55_z.jpg
 
Great thread. I purchased a 16.5 in AWD not because of where I live but where I may go. Tahoe in the winter, Death Valley, road trips to various destinations in the US. FWD is terrific and a vast improvement over RWD for traction. And I could be fine with FWD. It works great. BUT, my decision was based on having more capability if/when I need it.

So far in 6000 miles I haven't noticed the AWD being applied except for once on a gravel road. A little front tire slipping and then the car "firmed up" and became much more solid like you feel with 4WD. Happened in an instant. I wonder if there are other times when it is on and I don't notice (like windy roads in the rain).

It's a good AWD system but adds more cost up-front and over the long run. I suspect if you get FWD you will be perfectly happy. If you get AWD, you may spend time wondering if it made a difference - unless you end up where it will.
 
finch204 said:
Get what you want so you don't regret it later as stated by someone else above.

I have the FWD, I wish I would have gotten the AWD even if I'm in Texas. Reasons for wanting AWD:
- Performance. The car will use all four tires when it needs to. This means corner exits are much better, standing starts are much better and the car is better balanced when loaded up. Towing is better from a traction standpoint with AWD.
- Wet weather traction. Doing a quick right turn on an intersection on wet roads can be a safety issue on FWD. In my case, I was spinning the inside tires due to the wet roads and the car took some time to regain traction. Another example is doing a protected left turn where the incoming car is not stopping. (This happened to my sister and she flipped over her Corolla as a result.) You better be able to get on the power and quickly finish your left turn, or you get hit.
- Out of state road trips. Just because I live in Texas doesn't mean I'm only going to be driving in Texas. It would be great to have a car that can do a road trip into a snowy state. (You can argue that FWD with winter tires is better, however it doesn't make sense to use winter tires in Texas. All season tires with AWD is a good compromise here.)
- Better modding potential. This really ties into my first point about performance. If you somehow mod it to where it makes more power, or put wider wheels/tires on it, the AWD version will put your mods to good use.

There are certainly some advantages to going with FWD, like cheaper price and better MPGs. In my case, I get MPGs similar to owners driving AWD CX-5s, so really I only got the cheaper price benefit.
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Totally agree. We live in Dallas... flat as a pancake... and we just signed the deal on a GT AWD for all the reasons you mentioned. Putting power down to all 4 wheels makes a difference. We also get the occasional ice storm here (as you know) and our driveway is steep. It was a joke trying to get the G37 Convertible with RWD into the garage. Haven't tried FWD, but my A4 with Quattro, no problem.
 
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But it's not full time AWD. You aren't getting power to all 4 wheels most of the time.

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Of course, but I think a few folks here expect it to be a lot more active then it is.

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I'm AWD on everything now. I live in a heavy traffic area with a lots of rain and hills. It really does make a difference for merging in my area especially on wet/oily surfaces. In the winter I am on a mountain pass that requires chains at some point many times a week. The state doesn't require chains on AWD. My winter use alone is worth it to me.
 
dseag2 said:
Exactly. And if I wasted my money the car is still a bargain in comparison to the others we considered.
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Missed this post. LOL. Agree there. AWD was an extra $1,200 on my 16. It was 2 grand more on Jeep and Honda.

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7eregrine said:
Of course, but I think a few folks here expect it to be a lot more active then it is.

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Click to expand...

It's honestly very freaking active. I used to have a Grand Jeep Cherokee, with QD2, which is arguably the best AWD system in an SUV short of $100K. Fully locking LSD's front and rear, 100%-0% instant torque split, 4 ways to any one tire, or a combo thereof, 52%fwd/48%rwd when just cruising, etc.

My CX5 reacts IDENTICALLY to it on ice, in snow, on wet roads, and in gravel. Now, if I were to go wheeling, I think the greater torque biases and better ability to distribute it would really be telling, but for on-road or gravel use, I literally could not tell the two apart, and the CX5 AWD does a TON!

Here is my CX5 with AWD deactivated on a clean dry road:
Here it is with AWD activated:
 
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