Troubleshooter: When all-wheel drive hurts more than it helps

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Even skyrocketing prices and dwindling new vehicle inventories hasn’t dampened our appetite for all-wheel (or four-wheel) drive-equipped daily drivers. There’s a full generation of drivers out there that can’t comprehend how their parents survived any type of Canadian winter with only two-wheel drive and (gasp!) sometimes only two snow tires. But supply chain disruptions have put a premium price on traditional all-wheel drive SUVs and light trucks (along with much more), so before you pay too much money for features you don’t need, take a look at what all-wheel drive brings on both sides of your driving-needs score-sheet.

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For most mass-consumed all-wheel drive vehicles, about the only plus you get in poor road conditions (when all four wheels are powered), is off-line acceleration. That’s it. No improved steering or braking. In fact, with the extra weight another drive axle system brings, braking distances for most types of road surfaces increase.

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Troubleshooter: When all-wheel drive hurts more than it helps Back to video

Fuel economy

When compared to models that use the front wheels as primary drivers, their all-wheel drive cousins bring measurably worse fuel economy. Carrying around the extra weight of a transfer case (or its equivalent), driveshaft, and rear drive axle comes with a gas-tank cost. With fuel approaching or exceeding $1.50/L in some parts, doing some comparison math before you buy to learn the vehicle lifetime price of using that extra fuel can be an eye-opener.

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Maintenance

If it moves, it usually has a maintenance schedule and for all-wheel drive this means axle gear oil and sometimes transfer case fluid changes. They’re not usually a major expense unless neglected for too long. And if it moves in our environment, it can fail. The extra parts and components bring risk of failures, and often with some hefty repair bills.

Cabin space

All-wheel drive systems may squeeze cabin space. With front-drive and all-wheel offered on the same model, this isn’t always the case as most makers will use a similar floor pan for both, but when comparing apples to oranges you will usually find lower flatter floors and more cargo space for the same exterior footprint when opting for front-wheel versus four-wheel.

Handling

Take handling into account. Yes, outstanding improvements in suspension design have diminished the image of high-sitting SUVs being tip-over hazards and now bring more stable road manners. But they still, on average, have different handling characteristics over lower-slung front-wheel drives.

A well-designed, properly equipped front-wheel drive shod with four good-quality snow tires will get you safely through just about anything you’ll see on winter roads, and do just as well as an all-wheel drive without the added expense.