Why you should buy an AWD SUV over a 4WD: Off-roaders like Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series are too much vehicle for most owners | Opinion

A lot of people buy a four-wheel drive (4WD) and then never drive it on anything more challenging than a patch of wet grass at soccer on a Saturday, or up their in-laws’ slippery driveway.

Many people fall for the idea of going off-road and having their own adventure, but find that either expectations rarely match reality, or they are not that jazzed about the outdoors in the end.

The vast number of almost-new 4WDs and camper-trailers up for sale so soon after purchase is proof of that.

So, you want a daily driver, family taxi and weekend adventure mobile all rolled into one? Well, your best bet is an all-wheel drive (AWD) SUV, rather than a 4WD.

Here’s why everyone should own an AWD.

An AWD is safer to drive on-road than a 2WD or 4WD

An AWD is fundamentally safer to drive on-road than a 2WD or even 4WD in less-than-ideal conditions (wet weather etc) on sealed surfaces or even dirt or gravel tracks.

All-wheel-drive cars don’t use a transfer case; they use a drive system with a mechanism – a limited-slip differential or an electronically controlled clutch – that directs torque to whichever wheel needs it most to achieve safe, optimum traction, while still allowing for a rotational difference between front and rear axles.

Some AWD systems work better than others, but the principle goal remains the same: get torque to and traction at the right spots in order to keep the vehicle’s driver and passengers safe.

Also in their favour is the fact that AWDs sit lower on the road than their 4WD rivals and have dimensions – length, width and height – that positively impact the vehicle’s potential for stability in ordinary driving conditions.

AWDs – think Subaru Crosstrek (formerly XV) and its ilk – have, you guessed it, all-wheel-drive systems as well as drive modes (eg, Normal, Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud) that adjust engine torque, throttle response and traction control, among other things, to suit the road surface and conditions in which the vehicle finds itself.

An AWD will always perform better than a 2WD or even 4WD at speed on a wet, slippery road or track.

You can go off-road in an AWD

Of course, you can … within reason. After all, an AWD is not a hardcore rock-crawling off-road beast – it’s simply not engineered for that sort of thing. That’s the realm of vehicles with low- and high-range 4WD, larger and grippier tyres, locking diffs, and more ground clearance and more wheel travel than AWDs.

An AWD does not have enough ground clearance, wheel articulation, gearing, torque, grip or even underbody protection to tackle legit off-roading.

So, what is an AWD capable of? It depends on the vehicle’s all-wheel-drive system and its ground clearance, off-road angles and tyres.

Light off-roading – well-maintained gravel roads and dirt tracks in dry conditions – is absolutely fine because that’s well within an AWD’s capabilities and it results in very little wear and tear on the vehicle, minimal risk of damage to the vehicle or, more importantly, the occupants, and little to no stress for the driver and passengers.

As mentioned earlier, AWDs are capable of staying planted on wet and slippery surfaces, bitumen, dirt or gravel.

Avoid driving an AWD on sand, other than very firm-packed sand, and even then I wouldn’t spend much time at all on that surface. Sand driving puts heavy stress on a vehicle, and AWDs don’t have a lot of ground clearance, so they’re prone to bellying out on tall crests in between deeper wheel ruts on a beach.

An AWD’s off-road capabilities can be improved with a set of decent all-terrain tyres but those still won’t turn it into a rock-crawling beast.

My advice? Avoid anything beyond a well-maintained dirt track in dry weather and certainly do not take on any ‘4WD/high ground clearance only' tracks, sand driving or rock crawling. Anything more rigorous than what I’ve mentioned in the paragraph above and you risk damage to the vehicle’s underbody, at a minimum, and mechanical damage and personal injury, at worst. You’ve been warned.

So, in summary, AWDs have plenty of potential for grand adventures, but there’s absolutely no substitute for real 4WD and diff locks when it comes to off-roading.

What I reckon

An AWD is a good all-round vehicle with ample potential as a daily driver, family taxi and weekend adventure machine and it will accomplish all of those duties, comfortably, capably and safely.

These vehicles are designed for use on sealed surfaces roads with some dirt or light-duty off-road use thrown into the mix, and can reliably handle the demands of wet-weather driving.

Buy what you need, not what you want. You might want a 4WD but chances are you don’t really need one.

An AWD makes a lot of sense, particularly if you're being realistic about how you'll use the vehicle. It’s cheaper, more fuel efficient and better around town than a 4WD and it’s more adventure-friendly and a better all-rounder than a 2WD.