xnfsx, please exit this thread - your last few replies aren't contributing / are baiting.

Other folks, let's bring some new insights into this thread if you want it to continue to stay open (rather than continue to post the same perspectives over and over again). Don't post for the sake of posting. And please keep on topic, this isn't a Hyundai vs Lexus thread.

 

The only case that can be made for AWD vs RWD is if owners of AWD were willing to swap to winter tires in the winter and summer tires in the summer and toss the all-seasons aside. Even then only in places that consistently get large snowfalls every winter (northern US/Canada). A case could be made for here in Seattle (or similar cities) due to our hilly terrain even though we only get two to three significant snowfalls a year (of which even an 1" or 2 shuts down the whole city!)

Subaru has done an amazing job marketing their AWD to convince so many people how invaluable it is.

 

For seattle when our snowfalls are both rare and not very deep you can easily get by with all seasons as long as you don't drive like a fool. Now the driving disaster that seattle becomes with an inch or two of snow though is proof that many do drive like fools though. And for a place where people aren't very good at driving in snow people with awd generally scare me more because I know they will have a false sense of confidence and will go too fast.

 

Even thou I have an AWD.

The all season tires was not great. Back a few months when that unexpected snow storm came in, I had a chance to experience what the Michelin PS A/S perform in snow and ice. Since I was comming back to Issaquah (beings sent from work from manager for safety), go take SR-900 from I-90. The storm was bad enough that SR-900 was not treated because it was pretty much an ice slick. Bad enough that all the cars were going about 5 mph and stop and go.

If I pedal very soft and feathering, it was fine, but I were to press slightly harder it would lose traction almost instantly as traction control kicked in - this is from dead stop or at a coast speed. Just for kicks, I floored it but the safety automatically kicked in that the car was beeping and cutting the engine power preventing me to get the power down. That's how slippery and lack of traction the all seasons tires had.

I would get snow tires next time once I get another set of wheels for this car as it will be better.

Even for my mom's car, a 99 Toyota Camry (FWD), even thou she has all season tires, she has a set of winter tires in the garage and changes them depending on the season.