KSJT

Hello and Happy New Year folks

Dallas, Texas future resident, with planned trips to Taos, NM (Santa Fe) few times a year for ski trips, which model ?

AWD or FWD ? How much does AWD improve handling, from a "real world" stand point ? ALL driving will be on paved streets, in largely dry weather, barring the occasional Texas thunderstorm and infrequent ice/snow in North Texas.

It seems more FWD's are on the used market, which tells me most folks don't elect the AWD option.

Yes I can afford AWD, but the question is not "can" but "should" I opt for it.

Thank You !

corradoMR2

Happy New Year!

I think you nailed it when you said your driving is on paved, largely dry weather. One would just pick FWD and call it a day.

I've always had similar beliefs until the Venza came along.

FWIW, with a Venza V6 FWD I once had, traction was poor from a standing or rolling start on just a damp street, let alone a soaking wet (or snowy) one. Of course a Venza is not the same as an RX, but they do share the same powertrain and some suspension/braking components (as with the HIghlander). Tires didn't help as I found the wide 245/50/20 Michelin Latitude Tour HPs lost wet grip quickly. Torque steer was also a problem under heavier acceleration. Although this was only about 10% of the time, I regretted not getting AWD's sure-footed launch for just $1800 more, even in these seldom times. This and the poor fit/finish was enough of a let down to trade in the vehicle.

So in your case, if the cost is not an issue (including ~ 1 mpg overall drop), personally I would still get the AWD and enjoy the extra traction you'll appreciate in wet weather and your occasional ski trip. Of course, what AWD doesn't do is make you more secure in any stopping situation (it's all on the tires there).

Good luck.

kitlz

Welcome KSJT. Corrado pretty much summed up the benefit of going with AWD. Many people forget it can help in the rain. I've spun the tires on a FWD ES loaner when the roads were damp taking off from a light but never in an AWD RX. Flooding is a whole different animal. No car is safe to drive in those kind of conditions. I know that can happen in Texas from thunderstorms and hurricanes. For the occasional trips in the snow, the AWD RX should perform well. Maybe you can pick up corrado's RX F-Sport when he turns it in tomorrow and get the added benefit of VDIM

KSJT

Thanks for the info folks. Maybe I am OCD but I am leaning AWD "just because"

Thanks !

UCSB

A friend of mine and I purchased identically equipped RX450h's at about the same time. They were even the same color. His was AWD and mine was FWD. After a couple of years of use we decided that the only meaningful difference between the cars for our N. CA driving was the AWD had to drag around the extra weight of the AWD system. Not a scientific analysis, but AWD did seem pretty useless for normal use in a mild climate. His car did get about 2MPG less than mine. I have never had any traction problems with my FWD RX. The FWD does have a snow mode you can enable when in snow ... I haven't used it because If I am going into snow I take my Subaru Outback.

vlad_a

If you're not sure, just take both for a test drive and floor it from a standstill. Your dilemma will be resolved, no matter what pavement or road condition.
If you plan to drive like a grandma, then FWD is the way to go in dry/wet climate.

KSJT

very cool, thank you !

DoggieDays

Get the AWD. I constantly spun the wheels when it rained in my old FWD RX. Now that I have an F Sport, I love it and the traction is great, both in rain and snow.

raylor4

I like the AWD on our Highlander, just because. Wife drives our '11 RX FWD like grandma, so it works for her. Bottom line, I recommend AWD. You can't have too many bells and whistles.
Please let us know your decision, post a photo or two and let us know your driving experience and ski slope adventures.
Ray A.

recycled

I have had my 2011 RX350 since September. This part of the world AWD is great in ice and snow.
I never tried fwd but there are 2 reasons for you to go with AWD. Better traction in slippery conditions and I would think that it is easier to sell an suv with AWD.

Not much difference in mpg. If you have the extra $$$ I would recommend the AWD. Certainly no regrets in my part of the world. If you go skiing it is nice have in the snow.

Cheers, Guy

nx200tmb

FWD, cheaper, less maintenance, generally what most people will need. You're in TX, maybe going to NM... no way you're going to need AWD. If really worried, carry snow chains and a bag of sand with you which will get you out of icy spots in a jiffy.

I bought a SUV with 4 wheel drive, same line of thinking - I'll go snowboarding, yada yada yada. 10 years later, I only used the 4 wheel drive one time... and wasn't even sure I needed it. My buddy with the FWD minivan actually went on the same journey and was fine.

You can afford AWD, but why buy what you don't need?

rogerh00

The front tires tend to spin on pavement on my RX unless I am careful not to lead foot it. Since it rains every day here in Florida during the summer my next RX will be AWD if nothing but just for peace of mind on those rainy drives.

nx200tmb

I find that hard to believe. I drive a 2013 RX 350 FWD regularly... it is incredibly hard to spin a FWD drive heavy SUV.

What would benefit you more would be ESC which would reduce wheel spin with loss of traction.

AWD would not the solution to rainy days in FL... and a waste of money to boot. The wrong solution to the problem.

hovbuild

Good points but I have owned 4x4's for 50 years and like nx said you don't use it much.I hunted and plowed some snow, of course I used it quite a bit for this stuff. BUT the one time it saves the day and higher resale value is worth the extra dough. These AWD aren't very good for off road adventures but for slippery conditions the "traction" control build into these work very well for on road . The other day I think I saw that 80% of the country was snow covered for a day or so.

rogerh00

Sorry you don't believe me, but when the pavement is wet it is easy to spin the front wheels on my '13 RX350 with Michelin tires. The throttle response on my RX is very sensitive. Just the slightest pressure on the accelerator will make my RX take off and on wet pavement it produces the wheel spin.

go back and read posts #2 and #3 of this thread.