Is All-Wheel Drive Adequate?

[skeeter]

Having owned two AWD vehicles I can tell you that AWD generally uses more fuel than a 4WD vehicle with an electronically or manually shifted transfer case that allows true lock-out of the front axle(s). Please notice I said "generally" as there are now some much-improved AWD-equipped vehicles that have far better systems in them that only engage power to the front end when it's truly needed. No, I don't know which ones they are but just that they are available, at a price of course.

Also please realize that "true" 4WD is only possible with locking front and rear differentials. There are many stories of drivers of what they thought were 4WD vehicles that got stuck because both the front and rear wheels were on patches of slick ice or in deep mud on the same side of both axles and their non-locking differentials at both ends of the vehicle put the power to the wheels with least grip and there they sat. We used to openly laugh at the bozo's working at Jeep dealers who didn't order locking rear diffs on their stock units and told potential customers they were 4WD.

I'm not aware if Ram has their V-6 diesel pick-up built with 4WD or not but their first batch of that truck completely sold out in 48 hours....mostly to fleet sales I think. It's tough to beat a diesel's torque production for towing but their extra cost to buy and the cost of fuel for them is another story.

Also thoroughly agree with what J-Doc wrote about Nissan....beware !