Fwd or awd in the snow what's the difference?
 

I am looking at buying a dodge journey and live in New England where we get snow what are the pros and cons of fwd or awd I can decide besides price thank you

FWD, drives the front wheels only. AWD, drives all 4 wheels as conditions dictate. We have FWD and it does fine in winter but we hardly get any snow. I know the Canadians love the AWD. If you have a lot of snow, AWD would be better IMO, mileage may suffer some.

I have the fwd model and live in the canadian snow belt. I have a good set of winter tires and dont have an issue. While the awd model would work better, to me it wasnt worth the extra cost in both initial purchase and potential repairs down the road. If you want optimal driving stability, opt for the awd.

AWD is definitely a plus for not getting stuck in the snow but there is the extra cost for the system, servicing and if there are any future issues $$$$. For a lot less money you can get the front wheel drive with top notch winter tires and still be winter driving worthy. Although, my wife does still miss the CR-V's AWD which made it easier for her to drive in winter storms.

I live in the "back country" of South Central, PA. We get snow...in fact it is snowing now... Being out in the hinter lands, we don't get plowed until it stops (usually) and we don't get plowed often. I come from a 4WD mindset, Ram 2500 CTD and my old vehicle (traded in on the DJ) a Hemi Jeep Commander. I've had FWD vehicles (who hasn't nowadays) and while with some diligence, they do fine in snow, most of the time, they still only drive with one front wheel unless equipped with some form of traction control. Out where I am, if you get stuck, you stay stuck until someone comes along with 4WD or a tractor to haul you out and then you've still got to fight the rest of the way with your fingers crossed. I was leery of giving up the full-time 4WD of the Commander, almost opted for another Jeep, but I ordered a 2013 R/T in AWD back in October of 2012. Good choice for me; I'm going by the FWDs that are along the side of the road, both last winter and this. Most of the folks around here have at least one 4WD vehicle, but, there are some that can't afford one, even used (they go for much higher $$$ used because of our snow and demand) and they don't always have the luxury of waiting for the plow truck. They venture out and they get stuck. I will venture out, with confidence in my Journey in conditions that would keep me parked with any of my past FWD vehicles.

Yes, there are some costs involved with having that AWD capability (fuel mpg isn't one of them; the DJ runs in FWD mode until and unless AWD is needed and, granted, out here there isn't a lot of "town" driving, I've got a lifetime average of 21.8 mpg) and if it breaks it does cost money to repair, however, the AWD unit is made by BorgWarner and has proven to be fairly bullet proof. Can something go wrong with it? You bet, and there are some that have had issues, but, as far as bang for the buck as an option and peace of mind when the road conditions deteriorate, give me AWD anytime. If you want to know if it might be valuable to have in your area, take a casual look at the number of Subaru vehicles around your area; if you have a fair number of them, you can figure there is a reason for it (Subaru means AWD, I don't think they've ever made anything but AWD). As was the future of FWD when it first came out, it being much better for handling than RWD, so goes AWD. AWD is much better than either FWD or RWD alone and more and more automakers are producing more vehicles in the AWD variant. Dodge even dropped the 4WD in the Durango for an AWD system; it is one way to get mileage up and still provide a reasonably "go anywhere" platform for those vehicles and for those that are die hard 4WD folks, there is the Jeep or one of the RAM vehicles in their stable.

I live in an area where we get anow maybe 2-3 times a year, so I did get an awd. But I'd never buy a car that had the option of a bigger engine or awd.

blah blah blah I didnt read any of the comments.

I would go for the AWD as you continuously have power to all four wheels, though it may be something like a 60% front 40% rear or something like that. In my opinion, the intital cost for AWD is not a valid point if you're comparing FWD with "Winter Tires". Considering that you'll have to continuously be buying soft winter tires for your vehicle, thus minimizing any difference in cost. As far as MPG reduction, real world the only difference will be about 2MPG.

Blah, blah, blah....did you say something??:icon_teeth:

Not to you.

OK. Thanks.