Drive Cycle : US Urban/Highway
Duration : 2 weeks
Type : Compact SUV
Specification :
Engine : V6 Gasoline
Drive System : AWD ( All Wheel Drive)
Its Toyota again, I have a strong obsession towards Toyota ,When ever I want to trust a vehicle in unfamiliar driving condition I would only go for Toyota, The quality people
This time it was winter and Michigan winter is defiantly bad, the roads were buried by snow. I was thinking of taking some good SUV or rather compact SUV for this driving condition. After seeing many cars specifically stuck at the corners I didn’t want to drive a sedan. I went to rent my car, taking pride of my mechanical engineering background and interest in automobiles i requested for a 4 Wheel drive.
I insisted that I need a 4 WD in snow so that I don’t have to face the problem of traction in snow, I didn’t think much of driving in pavements as all the roads were buried in snow. The attended says he doest have a 4WD drive but he has a RAV4 with AWD(All wheel Drive). Now what, I got confused with the terms of AWD and 4WD. I had to accept my ignorance, So I asked him to explain what the difference between them is, and which one is better in Snow,
For most part after hearing I felt both 4WD and AWD are good to drive in snow, but AWD has little more advantage. I wasn’t bothered about fuel efficiency, I was just bothered how to drive safe in bad weather.
Here goes the explanation what I received for 4 WD and AWD
Four-Wheel Drive
1. There are actually two types of four- wheel drive: True four-wheel and full time four-wheel. In the first, all the wheels are turning at the same time because the transfer case redirects power to all four wheels. In other words, the front end and the rear end are driving at the same time. In traditional two-wheel drive the rear end would basically be turning and "pushing" the front end. In front wheel drive the front end would be turning,"pulling" the rear end.
With true four-wheel drive, the operator decides when they need the extra traction of all four wheels and manually (either by inside switch or outside wheel lugs) turns on the four- wheel-drive. When all four wheels are engaged the vehicle should not be driven on dry pavement. It is designed for snow or mud now. There are two settings for four- wheel drive: Low and high. High is for driving at speeds above 30 to 45 miles per hour on a highway. Low is for driving at slower speeds that need more traction, such as deep snow or mud on a back road--or sometimes your own driveway.
Some vehicles have what is called full time four- wheel drive. These vehicles have an additional set of gears in the transfer case, which allows it to be driven on hard surfaces such as a dry road.
All Wheel Drive (AWD)
2. All wheel drive is controlled by the vehicle's internal system. When the vehicle senses loss of traction it will switch from two-wheel drive into AWD, so it is considered a full time system. The other difference between all wheel and four- wheel- drive, is AWD wheels turn independently from one another. This makes it better on a hard surface or dry pavement. The power is split evenly between the front and rear axle. An AWD vehicle has the ability to increase traction no matter what condition the road is in. Some AWD vehicles allow the driver to choose a high or low mode.
Comparing AWD and Four-Wheel Drive
3. Driving a four- wheel -drive vehicle or an AWD in the snow definitely gives an advantage as far as traction is concerned. While AWD is convenient, especially for those who drive in more urban settings, there are pitfalls. In four- wheel drive the amount of torque sent to the different axles has a set ratio, but in an AWD vehicle the system will send the torque to the wheel with the most traction. Sometimes it may send all the power to one axle only. In addition, AWD is definitely less fuel efficient as it is engaged all the time, as compared to four- wheel drive which is engaged only as needed. Cost is also an issue with AWD, as repairing the system is more complicated
Oh coming back to the Rav 4, its again one the best cars I like from the Toyota’s stable, It’s a very designed compact SUV, unlike other SUV of its size like Hyundai Santa fe, Saturn Vue, Ford Edge the acceleration and control of the vehicle is good. Infact acceleration, braking and control in RAV4 is much better compared to all the above vehicles.
I would defiantly like to have this car during a long drive, you can enjoy the weekend drive with the cruise control on. If you are looking for a compact SUV this would just go head of the competitor Honda CRV
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