[yanks1]

I'll certainly vouch for that. I've had an Audi A4 and Subaru Outback with AWD and all-seasons, and RWD BMW 325i and FWD Mazda3 with winter tires. The two with winter tires easily best the other two in snow, with the RWD BMW being the best since you aren't steering and accelerating with the same wheels.

agree 100%!!! my BMW 20002 325ci & then newer 2006 E46 330ci with winter tires (M sport Dunlop tires) were hands down better than any front wheel drive car I've owned with front wheel drive. And I'll say it again, extra $1,300 for AWD is a bargain and MPG penalty is only 1 mile diff. on Highway

 

[Old fart]

Interesting pros and cons. I live in Wisconsin in the city. We get plenty of snow. I've never had an AWD vehicle and have never got stuck. We have a 10 Prius and had an 05 Odyssey. We got about 3 inches of snow yesterday. Not a problem at all for my FWD CR-V. Again, I don't drive in rural areas much. FWD CR-Vs are definitely rare to find at dealers around me. Obviously it's in their interest to sell more AWD.

 

[yanks1]

I think some folks are missing the point of AWD, snow is only one aspect & I admit doesn't impact many people who live in the South. To me the vehicle handles better in all road situations including dry

 

[billyrule]

With AWD you can go on the beach farther than most cars can travel to get a great location to surf and beach comb. Only live once!

 

[cuban11182]

I'm a firm believer that I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. That being said the wife has a new AWD Touring model.

 

[CFP8]

I have two stories to tell

Story #1: I was at the Audi dealer in Nashua, NH, talking to a young salesman, I was asking for the 2WD A4, he looked at me confusingly and said "are you sure? you know we are living in the snowy area, right? can't drive anything unless 4WD, just can't". I was like "were your grandpa living here in the northeast since? either there was no snow whatsoever in the last 50 years or he had had AWD car back then which was good for him"

Story #2: I've seen many many many AWD SUV owners zipping fast and very fast on snow, slush, sleek, icy road on I-93, passing everyone on the interstate, ended up in accidents and still mumbling "what the h. just happened, I have a 4-wheel-drive, it supposes to be great".


It all comes down to the driver common-sense and their driving skills.
That's it

The CR-V is my very first AWD, I'll see how it cuts through snow or climbs up my driveway during winter.
Hope I can find something good to say about it.

 

[hans471+]

I think some folks are missing the point of AWD, snow is only one aspect & I admit doesn't impact many people who live in the South. To me the vehicle handles better in all road situations including dry

I will not buy one without AWD. Why? Its not about snow, although it does help. Its about everyday driving. Its about taking off from a stop sign on a rainy day and there is traffic coming. You don't want wheel spin and the loss of control that comes with it. I really notice that when I drive our FWD Fit. With all the low speed torque the CVT gives you easily spin the front wheels without the AWD system.

The AWD system engages all four wheels on every take off. It turns off around 15 MPH or so if I recall. Then it will come on as needed based on wheel speed if it sees slippage. I worked over 40 years in the automotive industry in technical program development and education. I drove hundreds of different style vehicles with every type of drive, traction control system, and AWD system. For me AWD is the only way to go and the computer controlled system Honda uses is just great for me. It is different and it is worth every penny it costs for me. Besides, I get my money back out of it when I sell or trade it. Why on earth would I get the FWD car?

I ran into a lady one day who had driven AWD models for a few years. Someone had told her not to waste her money on AWD where we live due to low snow here (usually). She bought a new FWD car and ended up trading it off after a year to get back in a AWD model. Ask her about AWD and see what she has to say.

Its your money, spend it as you will. But for me and many others AWD is the way to go. Once you buy the car its too late to upgrade. Now, if you are some old fart that drives around at 25 MPH, creeps away from stops, never drives in the rain or snow then maybe FWD is good enough for you. When you go to sell or trade that car notice that buyers are also looking for AWD models and will pay more to get them. There must be a reason.

 

[miko]

Well jeez. Finally some real data. A lady didn't like FWD. Who cares? All BS. You buy what you like. I buy what I like. Period.

 

[freshlysqueezed]

I can't decide if I want AWD or not. I don't really know enough about the benefits or drawbacks.
I would be coming from a rear wheel drive g35, which is terrible in ice. That is what led me to want an AWD vehicle next. But now I just don't know if I want it.... or just trying to waste money.
Is there any performance boost with AWD?

Location is Atlanta GA.

I am really pleased with AWD for wet weather traction in our new CR-V. I hated the FWD and the intervening traction control when starting from a stop with my previous car. I had to apply the throttle so gingerly in any wet weather. Now, I don't give it a second thought, just go without any slippage and without any electronic nannies cutting the power or applying the brakes to stop wheel slip.

 

[nmchugh6]

For all crv model years can you engage/disengage the AWD so that you are using it only when you need it and therefore save mpg thoughout most of the year when not needed here in nj? I read a comment on another site that said if you damage and must replace one awd tire you must replace them all. Is that true?

 

[nmchugh6]

For all crv model years can you engage/disengage the AWD so that you are using it only when you need it and therefore save mpg thoughout most of the year when not needed here in nj? Also, I read a comment on another site that said if you damage and must replace one awd tire you must replace all four tires. Is that true?

 

[Traylaw]

Nmchugh6 - Not really, you should replace a tire with the same model as the others. If there is significant mileage on the tires then there can be enough diameter difference to cause the tire pressure monitor to trip and won't reset. However the vehicle will operate normally. Humanity has been driving on their tires just fine without TPMS for over a hundred years.

 

[motoguy128]

You may also be able the "game" it a little by running the 3 older tires with 1psi more pressure. Not enough to affect handling but may get the effective radius closer to the same. Putting the newer tires on the driver side front should even out wear a little.

I think TPMS, AWD and traction control/stability, should re-calibrate itself for wheel diameter when you do a TPMS reset.

 

[Cliff's CRV]

Go FWD. Better gas mileage, less potential repairs, less waste of power being sent to rear wheels and I doubt you'll be slipping much in that climate. The ride will also be smoother too in a fwd.

I agree with all reasons plus one more. With the 2WD, if you get a non-repairable flat you don't need to replace all for tires just because on have 20,000 miles on them. I live in Virginia Beach, never go off road. 2 WD is all I need.

 

[MedievalGuy]

My last CR-V (2008) was 2WD, and it was disastrous on winter roads. There were a couple of times I slid into a curb going (very carefully) around a corner. I went to snow tires year-round and that helped somewhat, but it was never great on slick roads. I made sure to go 4WD with the new one (and the intervening Nissan Rogue).

Of course, Minneapolis isn't Virginia Beach...

 

[drsmile]

I have an AWD CR-V... but people should realize that in reality most car-based SUVs don't have true AWD (Subaru is the exception, maybe the new Mazda too?). The Honda system, just like the Nissan system, is a reactive system that is usually in FWD mode (which saves gas), with some minor exceptions like going very slow (under 15mph). It is only after wheel slip is detected that the center diff multi plate clutch transfers power to the rear wheels. This can take a significant amount of time because it requires hydraulic pressure from a motor driven pump. Yes Honda has added some "intelligent" features to the system including sensors to detect if the SUV is on an incline or predict if there will be wheel spin, but real AWD works instantly when unpredictable things happen. In the CRV both the front and rear differentials are essentially open and only limit slip by applying brakes to the slipping wheel. None of this is meant for off-roading. The really bad news is that even previously reliable AWD systems (like Audi) have gone the cheaper route of front and rear open differentials with braking technology. It's safe until 2 wheels spin, at which point your car is dead stuck in the middle of the intersection because the anti-slip system (VSA on the CRV) will cut engine power.

The two other (perhaps better?) options include locking differentials, which is what most true SUVs/trucks have, and limited slip differentials, which is what performance AWD car have (Evo or STI for example). The latter have the most expensive and predictable systems, including center computer controlled differentials and front and rear LSDs. Torque vectoring is another addition but it is less predictable because the computer calculates the wheel torque for you.

As for stopping on icy snow, having a manual transmission car is far better than AWD because it allows you to controllably brake through downshifting. I'm not sure how well shifting to 1 or 2 works in a CVT in the snow, has anyone tried it?

 

[BirchBarlow]

I have an AWD CR-V... but people should realize that in reality most car-based SUVs don't have true AWD (Subaru is the exception, maybe the new Mazda too?). The Honda system, just like the Nissan system, is a reactive system that is usually in FWD mode (which saves gas), with some minor exceptions like going very slow (under 15mph). It is only after wheel slip is detected that the center diff multi plate clutch transfers power to the rear wheels.

That's actually not true of the 2017 CR-V. Your CR-V has a full-time adaptive AWD system that always splits the torque to some extent under acceleration, even on dry pavement. If you don't believe me, next time you drive the car, before you take off press the info button on your steering wheel until you get to the the torque distribution screen on the dash. This will show you how the AWD system works, and as I said before, any time you accelerate from a stop you'll see the torque distribution is almost evenly split between the front and the rear axles (I think the CR-V splits the torque about 60/40 or so) until the car is in motion at which point it redistributes torque from the rear to the front. Obviously such a system pales in comparison to the 4x4 drive system of a truck, but it's much more robust than the the drive systems in prior generation CUVs that only engaged the rear wheels when slippage was detected.

 

[Interested]

If you have snow, curves, and more importantly hills: AWD.

The CR-Vs don't have manually-selectable gears, so you don't have the option of starting from a stop in 2. The danger of that is, once you're stopped in a precarious location, you're in danger of being stuck there.

Examples of selectable gears:

1. My Jeep Wrangler goes just fine with just RWD and selectable gears. I can start it in 2 and throw it in manual-3 at 20mph and can go up steep curvy hills in snow with no slipping. You can't do that with a CR-V in FWD or AWD.

2. '93 Ford Probe GT (Fazda) - FWD with optional second gear (even for starts); a lifesaver.

3. '12 Terrain and '08 Impreza. Fully selectable gears. I drove the Suby with traction control off and shimmied the wheel for turns. I could go 30-50 in snow just like a rally driver would.

So get AWD. If you're on the beach, in the desert, or in the Plains, obviously not such an issue.

And I'll post this once again as I have on every other automotive forum I've ever been a part of: DO NOT DRIVE IN FREEZING RAIN - UNLESS YOU HAVE CHAINS, IT WILL MOST ASSUREDLY NOT WORK OUT FOR YOU.

 

[thisaznboi88]

Buy the AWD. You never know when you will need it. Better to have it and not use it then to wish you had it and now you are stuck on the side of the road in the dead of winter

 

[beachpassport]

Living in coastal Virginia, we don't have much of a need for AWD -- but the snow overnight made me a little wistful about not having it. Although, with a foot on the ground and some major drifting, I'd probably be stranded inside anyway.