AWD vs FWD

If you’ve spent a lot of time searching through our selection of used cars, you’ve probably seen a lot of vehicles with all-wheel-drive (AWD) and front-wheel-drive (FWD). There are a lot of reasons to go with either driveline, but which is the better choice for Indianapolis, Plainfield, and Bloomington drivers?

To answer that question, Andy Mohr Automotive would like to provide this exploration into how these two drivelines size up against each other.

What Is FWD?

For many vehicles, FWD is the standard driveline. That’s because this driveline is simple and lightweight, ensuring that it doesn’t use up too much fuel. You’ll even enjoy some extra traction when moving through slippery conditions, as the weight of the engine is on the wheels receiving torque.

Overall, there’s a reason FWD is the old standby for so many vehicles. They don’t use as many parts as you would find with an AWD system, which makes them a bit easier to maintain as well.

What Is AWD? 

If you plan on taking your vehicle through some particularly rough conditions, you may want to have AWD. With an AWD driveline, torque is applied to all four of your wheels, so you enjoy greatly improved traction. For drivers who need to travel through the snow, AWD is the driveline of choice, as it allows them to handle better than a car with FWD.

With that said, AWD does have some downsides when compared to FWD. The biggest downside is that AWD requires more parts and therefore weighs the car down more than with FWD. This means you’ll have a reduced fuel economy with AWD, which is something to consider.

Fortunately, newer AWD systems are designed to adjust torque output to go towards just two wheels when slippage isn’t detected. This helps to improve your fuel economy a bit with AWD, so you don’t use AWD when you don’t need it.

What Types of Vehicles Offer AWD? 

While most vehicles feature a standard FWD driveline, there are plenty of vehicles that offer AWD options. In general, the types of vehicles that you’ll find using AWD will be SUVs. There are some sedans out there that offer AWD, but, in general, they’re uncommon compared to the prevalence in SUVs.

Here are some notable vehicles that offer AWD drivelines that you can find on our lot today:

• Chevy Equinox
• Ford Escape
• Nissan Rogue
• GMC Acadia
• Toyota RAV4

That’s not even the entirety of all the AWD models we have available. If you want to see more AWD vehicles, just take a look through our online inventory today!

AWD vs FWD: Verdict

At the end of the day, which driveline you choose is up to a matter of preference. If you need more traction in the snow, AWD is the choice for you. However, if you want more fuel economy, you may want to check out FWD vehicles.

If you’re ready to try one of our AWD vehicles in the Indianapolis, Plainfield, and Bloomington areas, schedule a test drive with Andy Mohr Automotive today.