AWD, 4WD Or 2WD?

We have a Honda Odyssey that we love for camping and hauling the kids around. We can fit a lot in the back with the seats folded down. We lived in the mid-west with snow and never had a 4WD or AWD and did just fine. For as often as you may be using it in the snow, is it worth it for the gas mileage to have the 4WD or AWD?

4WD - do you plan on going off-road and not just down a dirt road? and can only be used PART of the time while in 4WD mode and should only be used in an OFF ROAD (adverse, not NORMAL) area...no roads..mud, snow, sand, etc. and there are different levels of 4WD - low and high depending upon what you are going through.

FULLTIME 4WD - also called permanent 4WD, can be used full time on all surfaces including pavement; this created to provide the vehicle with more traction and to make 4WD more useful for everyday life. (basically not necessary - but for some people).

2WD Rear - The motor/engine turns the transmission which turns the drive shaft that turns the rear end that turns the axles that the wheels are attached to..This is a rear wheel drive.

2WD FRONT - On a front wheel drive you have what is referred to as a trans axle .It is bolted directly to the motor & the axle is incorporated in it.. The transmission & the axle are all one unit. This is how a 2WD works.

Does this help?

Cheryl O gave you a real good explaination. My suggestion is to get 2WD.

The more metal you move around, the more money it costs you to move that metal. 4WD, fulltime 4WD and AWD costs more than 2WD to buy and to move. 2WD has the fewest moving parts and there fore the fewest parts to break or wear out and the fewest parts to move.

You will get 20+% better fuel economy in 2WD. And unless you plan on going where the roads don't go to go camping, you won't need anything more than 2WD. 2WD vehicles weigh several hundred pounds less than the 4WD, fulltime 4WD and AWD vehicles.

I have driven on roads with sheet ice and snow on them with 2WD while 4WD and AWD vehicles were in the ditch/gutter. Why? A real good driver in a 2WD can do as well or better in bad road conditions than an average driver can in 4WD, fulltime 4WD or AWD vehicles.

Good luck to you and yours.

My CRV has real time all wheel drive. In other words only when it needs it does it go into four wheel drive. I have only done it a couple times and lord it makes a fuss about it. :)

It averages 23 MPG and that is with my lead foot.

I have AWD and although it gets awful gas mileage, I assure you that it makes a HUGE difference in the rain and snow, vs. a 2WD vehicle. It is true that on ice, it doesn't matter a whole lot what kind of vehicle you drive- you will slide. AWD just means that your 4WD is on all the time. With 4WD, it kicks in when you need it. I prefer AWD if you can put up with the gas mileage. I have had 4WD, AWD, and 2WD front and out of the three I like AWD the best. I never want 2WD again-but, we get a lot of snow in Ohio.

For most people getting a front-wheel drive SUV with optional 4WD is sufficient and will do what you describe. Ford Escape even has an Escape Hybrid with a 4WD option.

If however you are like me and don't want to have to worry about when/where to use 4WD vs not then consider AWD. I've owned a Subaru Outback and now a Ford Five Hundred AWD (now the Taurus sedan) and LOVE AWD. I also get @18mph city 22 hwy.

Edit: The Subaru Forester is a cute little SUV, is AWD, and gets good gas mileage.

Front wheel drive--better for snow & ice that rear wheel drive, AWD (all wheel drive) and 4 wheel drive -- good or off-roading.

http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/your-ride-4wd-...

This is a pretty good explanantion.

I have an Explorer with the larger V6 & 4wd. We require 4wd to make it out across the riverbank. We also live in a small town & use it every winter. (it's 15 miles to the closest WalMart!) I avg 20-22mpg on the hwy & about 19 in the city. I consider this great for 4wd! By contrast, my DH's full-size pickup has the larger V8/4wd....& he averages about 15mpg. Thank goodness we use his truck only here in town! Rarely does his truck hit the hwy!

Back to my Explorer, it seats 5 + my 2 80lb dogs & their wire crate. It hauls our boat & our smaller trailer very well....without much effect on the mpg. I'd choose another one in a heartbeat!

By contrast, my Mom has an AWD crossover SUV. She pulls the same mpg as I do, but does not have a towing package & cannot hit the riverbank. My sis has a crew cab 4wd pickup which does it all.....but at a high cost - she avgs 15mpg at best. It is her primary vehicle & she's dying with the cost of gas! She needs this truck to be able to haul her big trailer full of 4wheelers....

Hope this helps...

Well, in AZ, I can't imagine you get snow... not that you would camp in the snow with kids... but will you be off roading? Can't go wrong with 4WD in rough terrain... read the owners manual.

My Jeep has 2WD high and low, 4WD high and low, and they're all used for different terrain. It's not good driving on regular streets in 4WD (bad for the engine and it steers 'jerky')... but 2WD could get you stuck in sand or snow... also, driving in sand, you need to know what PSI to deflate your tires to.

Read the manual ;)