I personally have a 2006 AWD Outback on all seasons and a 2022 FWD Sonata on brand new Blizzacks and the Outback will still out accelerate the dedicated snow tires in snow and ice. The snow tires of course stop the Hyundai faster which is probably more important but no question AWD is better for traction even with bad tires. Of course you can also put snow tires on the Subaru and have the best of both worlds. Where the FWD Hyundai pays off is with 50 miles per gallon compared to maybe 1/2 that on the Subaru.
Living in the Canadian prairies, I definitely do not miss the days when I had front wheel drive cars in the winter. Since I started driving 4x4s, I've pretty much forgotten that winter driving was supposed to be a problem.
Why I love fwd with nice winters during the winter. I feel alive and all my worries go away. Awd feels like god mode, no rush. Whatever makes us happy I guess.
Always drove '80's and '90's FWD manual cars during the winter between Montreal and Gatineau, never had problems in heavy snow or freezing rain. My '07 Civic and '13 Fiesta on the other hand, are absolutely worthless on even a hint of rain. In my region, trucks and SUV's are just a threat to everybody on the road during the winter; they can't grip, they flip and tumble way too easily.
All seasons have come along way, particularly from the European manufacturers. However, so have snow tires. I’m running Blizzaks on our 2015 Sienna AWD, and it’s incredibly stable in the snow. Remember kids, AWD helps you go, but tires allow you to stop.
I've got a set of Toyo "Celsius" on FWD 2009 Sienna. Absolutely unbelievable what I could do & where I could go in the snow. Got a good laugh last winter at the local farmers market. We had a fairly good snowfall & they only plowed a portion of the lot. On a crowded morning numerous people wound up using an unplowed area. Some parts if it already had tracks & were partly packed down but still not easily travelled. I'm pretty good dealing with the snow & I don't do stupid stuff. I think about what I'm doing, but I drove in, parked, & drove out again with virtually no difficulty while watching about a dozen people pushing, shoveling & rocking a hopelessly stuck AWD Lincoln Navigator. You just gotta have tires that are made for the job! I could just dig in & go. Never even activated the traction control...
@@DejaView I had celcius on a few cars and loved them but just got Michelins cross climate.. an even better tire all around (a bit $$ but it is what it is)
my 255/45/19 all season W rated nitto’s were worth every penny , they were about 1200$ . got caught in a few snow storms in my 14’ taurus with front wheel drive. Did really well. Had to climb some steep gravel hills in the deep snow that i didn’t think it would make it up and it climbed right up never broke traction all the way to the top in second gear . never left me stranded at 180k miles now. pulled a chrysler 300 out of the snow once. my buddy buried his 15’ silverado in the drive way and it wouldn’t move in 4 wheel drive, we tried to use it to pull the taurus out . were in deep mud and snow and i took my traction control off on the taurus and gave her he** and it started moving, it rained mud that day. Got out just fine and he was barely able to get his 1980 350 small block out but it did cause it has 35’s and able to pull the newer truck out taurus didn’t budge it.
A light fuel pedal foot will help a lot when it comes to 2wd vehicles. But when it comes to putting the power down under full throttle, there's no comparison. Assuming equal power getting to the wheels, the 2wd is trying to put down twice as much power through each tire compared to the AWD. That means a lot of wheelspin for the 2wd, not much movement.
Truth is that RWD, FWD, and AWD will perform better with dedicated snow tires. Studded snow tires are really great. I totally enjoy your videos. On the lighter side with lots of laughs. 😃
Depends on the model. My fwd Suzuki once stuck in snow and the TC off did the opposite. Turning off TC will shut down your break assist, and the break based torque vectoring will also be disabled. From my personal experience TC is vital to FWD open diff, cause you will need the TC to distribute the torque.
Yes all you can do is let the air out on the Hybread and put it in Eco mode. The low profile tires just no good for snow, no way to turn off traction control on hybread
That is actually what I thought they were comparing. Recently drove my YJ 2x4 high in snow. Amazed how good 3 peak rated tires were. Especially compared to how poor traction is in my long bed 2x4 pickup, also triple peak. Both vehicles have General grabber at2.
Great fun! I just put Nokian all weather tires on my 2013 ES350 Lexus and drove about 800 km (500 mi) in -20 c (-4 f). Grip and stopping were great. Return trip it was around 0c (32 f) and grip and stop were acceptable. The amazing thing was I hit 6.7 l/100km ( 40 plus mpg) out, and 7.4 l/100km (high 30 mpg) on the way back. Some weight needs to be given to driver experience and skill. going out, I passed 2 different Wranglers in the ditch, on their doors!
The AWD on my 21 Camry is fantastic. I've been able to get out of my driveway with ease, even after the snow plows put more snow at the end of the driveway. AWD is always highly recommended
Camry Front Bumper Crunch, pieces all over. Do not drive over DPW Snow Plow that gets pushed into your driveway entrance. Could be heavy and ice mixed in. Do not damage your vehicle by taking an unnecessary chances. The Camry is not a snow plow.
'82 Nissan Stanza (12 years) '94 Camry (27 years). Many trips DC to Central PA and a few DC to Buffalo in snow. Cars were quite capable. '14 RAV4 AWD and '19 Lexus RX 300 AWD - handle snow a bit better.
Would now like to see a real SUV (i.e. Toyota 4Runner, Chevy Tahoe, etc.) go against an AWD compact SUV (i.e. Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, etc.) in powder like that. My current Ford Escape cannot compete with my old truck based and selectable 4wd SUVs like the 1997 GMC Jimmy, 2000 Jeep Cherokee and 2003 Jeep Liberty. Big difference in the snow. PS Do not ever buy a Ford Escape or maybe any Ford for that matter.
I was shocked to the core to discover that all wheel drive was better than front wheel drive in the snow. It was totally unexpected that twice the drive potential would mean twice the traction potential. That's crazy!!! 😜
I used to have a 2014.5 Camry SE V6 with Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires. In 2015, Lexington, Kentucky got two snow storms. One of them was just over 12 inches and the second one just over 17 inches and my Camry never got stock. That car was such a tank on the snow. It wasn’t a sport car, but it did it’s job just fine.
Agreed. But going up hill, I think awd has an advantage. It’s too bad there’s a winter tire shortage this yr. It seems like most are already out of stock.
Having lived in Colorado for the majority of my life (since I was 3 - early 1970's), I have owned RWD and FWD cars until February 2015. In my opinion AWD is a luxury if living in the city including Boulder and Denver Metro area. That said since 2015, my daily driver hasn't been and will never be 2WD ever again - 2 different AWD sedans so far since 2015.
Amazing how Pontiac had a awd car the 6000 STE and S/E models, from 1988 to 1990. The awd sedan concept didn't catch on, but 30 years later is the norm. GM was ahead of their time on a lot of innovations that are the norm now.
What are you talking about? So the 1985 BMW 325ix wasn't an AWD sedan? The Subaru Leone was sold in 1972 and it had AWD, wagon, but it still had 4 normal doors. So how was GM ahead?
I live in north central MIchigan, and I have a Toyota Avalon. Just put Nokian WR-G4 all weather tires on it and it's amazing. Obviously can't handle deep snow, but anything up to 6 inches or so it goes like crazy. And the tires are quiet and smooth on dry pavement.
i can garantee you the mazda temperature indicator is very precise. i live in northern canada and i have a 2021 turbo mazda 3. it was -35 celcius this morning where i live and my mazda 3 started easily with no aid and not plugged. record low in my city is -49 celcius in 2016. at about 1 hour drive from my town the record is -51 celcius in 2014. i have owned 4 mazdas and they all perform very well in these extreme climates.
AWD on stock all seasons vs FWD on dedicated winter tires. Yes I have tested that scenario for myself to see if I was putting too much emphasis on winter tires. It wasn’t a perfect apples to apples comparison but I tested the 2008 Sienna fwd with blizzaks WS90 vs Subaru 2019 AwD on stock all season. My Sienna was only slightly slower off the start than Subaru. Braking my Sienna was night/day better. For 99% of the time on paved snowy roads I would and do pick FWD with blizzaks over any awd/4x4 with all season tires. As long as I can get going with FWD then I prefer the at speed benefits of superior winter tires with less chance of spin out and FAR better braking performance. I’m not picking my winter vehicle based solely off off the line acceleration. Stopping and turning take priority. AWD with blizzaks is my best option but still have no issue leaving it at home for the extra people space of my van. It’s what I did yesterday cause I needed the entire space of the van. Had no concerns with taking the fwd van out with great tires.
Have a 2009 Sienna FWD, with Toyo "Celsius" tires (Canadian approved winter tire) Amazing traction with a real winter tire & yes steering & stopping are much improved whereas AWD, in itself, isn't much help with those aspects.
@@Livewild779 I can tell you for certain when I was shopping for a used SUV (RAV4 v6) about 4yrs ago I would have had zero issue buying a FWD if I found a deal. If it was low miles, well kept at a great price I would have bought a fwd without hesitation. I knew I would have a dedicated set of winter wheels anyway for it. I ended up with an AWD version which does give me faster acceleration from a wet road stop and some added climbing ability in light mud, dirt and snow conditions. But I do gain some added expenses like rear differential oil change service and any failure of a tire when they are partially worn down will likely result in 4 new tires vs replacing just one due to the recommendation to keep tires within 2/32 tread difference because of the awd powertrain. I would focus on winter tires and rims for snow capability first and awd focus after the tires. Don’t buy awd as a replacement to proper tires. Or you will simply be less equipped for winter with more maintenance with a all season equipped awd. I went from a Subaru Outback to a family van ( Sienna fwd ) and moved my blizzaks over to the van and wondered if I would regret dropping the awd. First trip to the mountains in snow with good blizzaks confirmed to me that as long as I’m not trying to do deep snow or heavy off road good tires on fwd does great. Last if you have a need to climb dirt, mud or snowy driveways then AWD will be even more worthwhile WITH winter tires.
@@45eno thanks, I’ve always drove AWD but couldn’t remember how FWD in the snow. The last time I drove FWD was like 15 years ago. I really love the AWD never worry about getting stuck. This car is very low mileage from the south, the right trim level, color. Only thing turned me off was FWD. Seems all you need is really good snow tires.
My camry with some continentals did decent in the snow, but then again I would deactivate traction control and I have the V6. But nothing beats putting on my Blizzaks and watch the car eat up the snow. Winter tires really are a game changer 🙌
I got stuck going up the last hill to my local ski hill in my Mazda Protege 5 so I flipped it around and made it up the hill in reverse! Sometimes you just have to improvise!
I remember when Andrae came on board, over a Decade or so ago. About the time I recognized TFL and the Ike gauntlet. This is what it looks like when people work hard toward the American dream. Good on you for working your way up. You did what few Americas are willing to do!!! And learned English.
I left Subaru after a decade and bought a Mazda3 Turbo AWD. Seeing this I feel better about the AWD in the Mazda since we don't usually get a lot of snow in the Mid-Atlantic. I still think I may get a set of Blizzaks and steel rims for it as inexpensive insurance.
Why did you leave Subaru? We’re debating between getting a Crosstrek or a Mazda CX-30 or 3. I’m biased in favor of the Mazda but the Crosstrek is stupidly popular where I’m from.
@@bizmonkey007 I own two Subarus currently, a 17 Outback and a 16 Forester. Both of them had their head gaskets go at 90k miles. The other issue was ride quality. I wanted an AWD sedan with more than 225hp. That's the Legacy Turbo or the 3 Turbo and the ride between the two is night and day. That said, if I REALLY had to contend with snowy winters, the Subaru is an obvious choice. The two I own are like mountain goats in bad weather.
I have a Chysler 300s awd with Yokohama all season tires mounted. That's one of the best awd vehicles to boot. Works great in the northern mountains of N.M..
I remember when I was dating my wife 16 years ago. Took her to Lake Tahoe in my 4Runner and we hit a snow storm. Caltrans set up a snow chain checkpoint. As I was driving, there a lot of people lookin for a parking space on the shoulder to put on snow chain out in the snow storm when we strolled along in a toasty 4x4 4Runner. She ended up buying an AWD and never looked back on getting a 2WD ever again.
Wish they did front wheel with winter tires vs 4wd . At one point at had a bmw330xi , my moms, my dads explorer , and my civic si with winter tires . From my experience in a metro area . Hands down I’d take the civic or anything g with winter tires . The explore and bmw were better from a stop in thick snow above like 4 or 5 inches that’s fresh . But when it came to stopping , turning , pure speed on the hwy , the civic blew them away . Last night in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio I still went 65 and the car loved it .
I have the best of both worlds -- AWD with winter tires. Just yesterday I was on a 4-lane highway that hadn't been cleared off yet. Everyone was puttering along in the semi-cleared right lane while I'm bolting past them at 50-some MPH in the unplowed left lane. A few people honked at me like I was an idiot, but I was still on more sure footing than 95% of them since nobody uses winter tires around here. When I did the same a few years ago, a cop swung out of the right lane and started to chase me down (even though I was still under the speed limit so I'm not sure what his issue was). He gave up after about 5 seconds because he knew he was never going to catch me.
Yup! I’d take my wife’s Subaru equipped with studded snow tires over my Jeep Wrangler with all-season tires any day, unless the snow is over a foot deep. Her car accelerates, turns, and stops better with the snow tires on. With truly deep snow, the Jeep does better getting through, though. That said, if I had snow tires on the Jeep, it’d be just as good.
@@jeffk464 For the last 18 years I've spent many of my winter weekends racing on frozen lakes. I know perfectly well what my cars are capable of in limited traction conditions and what they're not.
I wish my 2015 Camry was AWD, for the added assistance in certain situations. Driving in the road with new all season tires, it’s decent though overall.
My 2011 Camry with General Altimax Arctic studded was one of the most planted secure cars I have driven in the snow. Sold it to a friend who was more of a 4x4 believer over good tires. He now has a dedicated set of winters for his highlander after driving his equipped Camry.
The Toyota Camry actually does offer all wheel drive, would like to see the all wheel drive Camry in this deep snow, The Mazda 3 with all wheel drive did great. Would also like to see the new Mitsubishi Outlander in this deep snow. The Outlander has S-AWC and I think Mitsubishi has one of the best All Wheel Drive systems from what I have seen and read.
drove in the snow once about a decade ago. it was not bad but I was in my two-wheel-drive Avalanche and got stuck in a ditch that had iced over. Fortunately, I had a towel and was able to get it under the tires enough to get some traction. I can't imagine having snow every year. (Currently 84 degrees and sunny here.)
There's nothing more fun to do in a car then fish tailing fresh powdered streets. Don't let one bad experience get you down, it's pretty on a winter day!
When you get one of those surprised snow storms, now that's a nightmare to drive on. On i-95 with my BMW e90 xDrive, it took my 2.5 hours to get home, compared to 55 minutes when it's not snowing. Without snow tires, the car was swerving side to side when it would it drifted out onto fresh snow, it was dark and there was so many cars on the road that night which made it terrifying when everyone was breaking traction. There was an ahole with a Subaru who drove like an arrogant d*ck. Makes me hate Subaru drivers. It's not about how fast you can go, it's about stopping, that's what Subaru driver don't understand. I never got stuck in my 3 series AWD or my Mazda3 hatch awd. So moving forward isn't my concern, it's the braking and black ice that scares me. Black ice is terrifying. You get on what looks to be clean pavement but it's actually ice. I turned off a ramp and on the curve, going nice and slow, front wheel slide on black ice mid corner. I was so close to smacking the guardrails.
I had zero issues in my 2017 Chevy Malibu while being stationed at fort drum, NY and while driving with traction control turned off with all season tires. Might I add that I never got stuck while being stationed there for 5 years between the years of 2015 to 2020
Love this test for its real world effect. I hate when test are done on a skating rink. Those road conditions were real world for New England and deep snow has different properties to it. It adds drag especially to a non AWD vehicle. I would love to see this done with multiple styles snows on the Camry and all seasons on the Mazda.
Stack a bunch of firewood on the front and you got this!I use to do this with my truck back in the day but I would put the firewood in the back at the tailgate
I used to have a 2012 Toyota Camry V6 fwd and she did amazing in the snow in New Hampshire. It’s all on how you drive too and also traction control sucks in the snow it’s better to have it turned off.
Should have tried (carefully) driving backwards up the hill with the FWD. It shifts a lot more weight onto the drive wheels and can make hill climbing performance a lot better.
A compact class crossover with same engine but different drive system would be a good comparison. For example, the Kona base engine is available in FWD & AWD
To everyone saying snow fires would have made both capable. Yes. Of course. But unfortunately almost everyone doesn’t switch out their tires except for the car enthusiast who follow this channel. Heck most of my coworkers still use their summer fires all winter long let alone all seasons. So having awd vs fwd at least provides some safety benefit for people who otherwise wouldn’t switch out their tires anyway even if they should
Something I dont see mentioned here is tire width. New vehicles have wider tires than older ones did. Wider tires tend to want to ride on top of the snow then dig in. I've driven a few GM A-bodies in snow and those had narrower tires and those were great in snow. With ordinary all-season tires.
I'm glad my 2021 4Runner Limited came with 245 width tires. That is kinda narrow for the 4800+ pound weight of the vehicle, which is great for snow covered roads. Put some snow rated tires on it and you are ready to go and stop!
That was really fun! 😂 I think this was a really good real world comparison. That was my exact experience living in CO. I went from a Nissan versa to a Subaru Impreza and I could pretty much go anywhere in the winter. I still remember getting stuck in the a basin parking lot every weekend. That poor versa. Great car otherwise! Cheers and happy holidays 🎄🕎
I moved to Michigan in 1995 from California. I had a 94' Honda Civic Dx and a 89' Honda CRX-Si. In 02' I traded the CRX-Si for a Subaru WRX. The WRX was so much better in the snow. So much so I actually would go have fun in empty parking lots doing donuts and drifting in the snow. Would never do that in the Honda's. I now have a 09' Forester X that is lowered on a racing suspension and my winter wheels have all season tires. Even 3 inches lower than stock the Forester has no problems in the snow. I would never go back to front wheel drive.
I live on a 650 foot mountain and plowing it is a luxury we don't always get quickly. When I moved here I owned a FWD 2006 Saab 9-3 and a 2003 FWD Honda Accord. Neither car even with snow tires could get up the mountain - I would get warning failures in both cars and they would get stuck. I learned to wait until an uphill approach was plowed and follow the truck up the mountain. I have since replaced both cars with a 2013 Subaru Legacy and a 2018 Buick Envision (I keep cars for at least 10 years and about 150,000 to 200,000 miles). Even with All Weather Tires as rated by Canada, no problems getting home now even with snow on the ground. The big question now is will a hybrid car make it up the mountain with AWD? We know AWD EVs cannot do it.
dont bother going ev. my f250 from '99 destroys tesla's in uphill mountains. Always end up in my rear views lol those cars got no torque to maintain the same as a gas car.
@@slumy8195 I have an answer soon after I wrote that. My neighbor bought an AWD Tesla 3. He got stuck climbing the mountain in 8 inches of snow. Answers my question - you are right, they don't do so well. Thanks!
@@MikeYurbasovich Yes, I have FWD Toyota Sienna currently with Toyo "Celsius" tires (Canadian approved winter tire) & can out do the 4 wheelers with poor choice of tires in most situations. Unless you're dealing with more ice than actual snow, these tires really grab & go! You wouldn't think anything could hold in snow like that...
@@DejaView I bought those for my girlfriends Honda accord, they are really pretty decent for tires you can drive in the summer, too. The best tires I have found are Nokian Hakkapellita. They have some grit molded into the tire that feel as though you're driving dry pavement on ice. I drove on black ice to work one day, took a couple steps out of my car and busted my head on the ice. Then everyone who came to work was complaining of how slippery it was. It was at that point I realized that I drove normally on this same ice without realizing it. Those tires aren't good with deep slush though. My viking contacts are decent all around winter tires.
As someone who lives in the Snow Belt and having experience with all types of driveline configurations with all types of tires, I can say straight away without even watching the video, the difference between FWD an AWD on low-traction surfaces is night and day; and I'll never go without at least one AWD vehicle for as long as I live this far north. I can even attest that AWD with all-seasons will beat out an equivalent FWD with winter tires for straight-line acceleration. That said, I'd still much rather have winter tires on any 2WD than all-seasons on an AWD as the former will still have far superior braking and turning grip.
TIres! With winter tires, I find I can get more traction on a front drive car versus an all wheel drive car with all seasons....I think a test with a front drive with winter tires and a comparable in size and weight all wheel drive car with all seasons would be interesting.
I had my second car ever a 1997 Dodge Intrepid with a 3.5 l non snow tires in 2007 we had a major snow storm I was passing every truck on the highway to get to work when I got to work I couldn't even open my door That thing was a tank everybody was like does that thing have all wheel drive No it doesn't! My neon was a beast too! Love my front wheel drive vehicles❤
Try with snow tires would be interesting. Funny you think -6f is cold. Here in the Canadian prairies -40f is not unheard of, the challenge then is a) start the car and b) get the car to move. You get flat spots on the tires that stay flat for the first mile or so. Oil is like sludge unless you plug in a block heater. For those in Florida that is an electric heating element that is inside the engine block to warm up the oil. ...
Interesting test of AWD vs FWD. The big advantage of AWD is the initial dead start in heavy snow. I currently have a 2001 FWD Monte Carlo, but mine does the same thing in heavy snow, just don't like it. My next car will have the AWD feature being in Northern Illinois. Plus my driveway is sloped upward quite a bit to get into the garage. Thanks for the demo test of both cars. Take care.
my taurus is heavier enough to always start moving at least an inch when you gun it with traction control off being fwd with the exception of being in lose sand and moving up hill. i’ve honestly had better experiences with it than i have the awd g35 i owned as far as that goes…don’t like the rear coming out on vehicles but an awd does keep the rear end moving so that helps. It’s long and wide and has wheel spacers and that helped some with keeping it straight in the snow and ice. Running 255/45/19 all season nitto’s, can’t complain about them. I’m near Springfield Missouri. Had a rwd 335i sedan that was the absolute worst to drive in bad weather..my altima coupe did very well. my civic si did terrible. My next car will be a q50 with awd.
I have 2000 Camry fwd and I live in Minnesota. My car is fine on snow with all seasons tires, and the good thing is the 2000 Camry is higher than the recent model. The recent one is too low. It depends on how you drive on snow and the car weight also.
Do you have snow tires? That makes a big difference too! We are in the Mid Atlantic we don’t usually need snow tread unless we are medical or first responders
Fwd with winter tires feels like a awd but using all season is also good to and down fall to can't get out of tall snow. Yall should do a corner turning it makes a big difference to. My v6 accord I have so much confidence on my winter tires. It gets up like a champ.
I have an 2006 real wheel staggered S430 Mercedes with deep dish low profile rims and I rode in deep snow ,ice storms and I had no problem because I used Continental DWS. I had other tires and would get stuck in an inch of snow with my other tires.
I own two AWD Chevy Astros I will say that tires do make a difference I have all season mud snow tires year round the all season tires did slip on plowed roads plus I would like to mention I put a 4 ton floor jack in the back of one of my vans this makes a big difference also ,sand bags help for AWD too,anyway I sure get a kick from your tests very helpful,happy new year to both you and your family
Great job with product placement with Taste of Chicago! Just sent some pizza and Italian beef sandwiches to someone for Christmas, and they loved it. Plus, you don’t have to risk your life going to .Chicago.
Of course an awd is better in a drag race from stopped in slippery conditions with similar tires, though too many drivers think they're invincible with awd/4wd. A fwd with winter tires can do quite well in the snow; I've used them for decades in Canada.
My new car has awd. But i survived with an old beater car with fwd for many years because i couldn't afford an awd car until know. I never managed to get myself stuck other then spinning the tires a bit. But i made it out each time. It's really about having some decent tires and knowing how to drive.
i am shopping for a new car, wanted something small and nimble but suitable for winter state, and decided to get mazda3 turbo. and friends/coworkers/acquintances were asking why i dont consider civic type R or golf gti. from now on i will be showing this video as an answer))
That's what seems to cause all the crashes. People follow too close in slippery conditions and when they need to stop they can't at least until they hit the car in front of them.
I also hate traction control cuz once your stuck your stuck! And some cars you can’t turn it off. But if you can turn it off you’ll pull yourself out from where your stopped. Since with it off you can spin the wheels. And get grip. And ABS when stopping I’ve noticed takes longer then letting off the brakes and pressing again you’ll stop sooner! Even sooner if you put in neutral if you have to stop fast. Snow or not. The transmission is still pushing and not disengaging fast enough during an emergency stop
The SMALL hatchback fwd's from the not too distant past.....many still on the road......where the best at snow traction.....over these bigger sedans of today with higher horsepower and wider lo pro tires ....Does anybody remember the OLD vw beetle from the 60s/70s? They seemed unstoppable in heavy snow!!
I have two AWD cars with all season tires. I have a FWD car with winter dedicated tires. Even without snow tires the AWD'S spank the FWD with winter tires. Just my experience.
I have a Mazda 3 hatch awd and it it fantastic in the snow with hakkapellita snow tires. Better than my old 2013 audi s6 to be honest. It sends enough power to the rear to do donuts.
I haven't even watched the video yet but i can tell you right away that awd destroys fwd and rwd. My first car was fwd, my second car was rwd and now i have awd and i'm never going back. I have gotten stuck so many times with fwd and rwd. I have owned my awd for 2 years and i haven't got stuck once! and i've been driving in some extreme winter conditions. Other cars were totally stuck but i didn't have a problem.
You should really try to line up 4 loaners from Mazda. All Mazda 3's, 2 with FWD, and 2 with AWD, equip 2 with winter tires and really do a full experiment. That would be awesome e to see.
Clearly the best snow cars. They have continuous AWD, and ground clearance without being top heavy. I can't tell you how many 4wd pickups I've seen slide off the road and then flip over. Most cars tend to slide off the road and manage to stay upright. I drove long haul truck for years so I've seen everything.
Would love to see FWD + snow tires vs AWD + all-season
+1
Snow tire wins, it makes a huge difference, much more than AWD. Winter tires also stop much faster than all seasons.
I personally have a 2006 AWD Outback on all seasons and a 2022 FWD Sonata on brand new Blizzacks and the Outback will still out accelerate the dedicated snow tires in snow and ice. The snow tires of course stop the Hyundai faster which is probably more important but no question AWD is better for traction even with bad tires. Of course you can also put snow tires on the Subaru and have the best of both worlds.
Where the FWD Hyundai pays off is with 50 miles per gallon compared to maybe 1/2 that on the Subaru.
@@bryanhersman4037 Of course AWD with snow tires is the best option for safety.
Awd + all seasons always crushes fwd with winter tires in acceleration but the winter tire stops and turns better.
Living in the Canadian prairies, I definitely do not miss the days when I had front wheel drive cars in the winter. Since I started driving 4x4s, I've pretty much forgotten that winter driving was supposed to be a problem.
With blizzak snow tires on my 4 x 4 RAM…..you are correct….no more white knuckle driving
Why I love fwd with nice winters during the winter. I feel alive and all my worries go away. Awd feels like god mode, no rush. Whatever makes us happy I guess.
Always drove '80's and '90's FWD manual cars during the winter between Montreal and Gatineau, never had problems in heavy snow or freezing rain. My '07 Civic and '13 Fiesta on the other hand, are absolutely worthless on even a hint of rain. In my region, trucks and SUV's are just a threat to everybody on the road during the winter; they can't grip, they flip and tumble way too easily.
The older cars were also much lighter, which makes a big difference in snow/winter
@@dwnrange7812 They were? How so? Links? Source?
All seasons have come along way, particularly from the European manufacturers. However, so have snow tires. I’m running Blizzaks on our 2015 Sienna AWD, and it’s incredibly stable in the snow. Remember kids, AWD helps you go, but tires allow you to stop.
I've got a set of Toyo "Celsius" on FWD 2009 Sienna. Absolutely unbelievable what I could do & where I could go in the snow. Got a good laugh last winter at the local farmers market. We had a fairly good snowfall & they only plowed a portion of the lot. On a crowded morning numerous people wound up using an unplowed area. Some parts if it already had tracks & were partly packed down but still not easily travelled. I'm pretty good dealing with the snow & I don't do stupid stuff. I think about what I'm doing, but I drove in, parked, & drove out again with virtually no difficulty while watching about a dozen people pushing, shoveling & rocking a hopelessly stuck AWD Lincoln Navigator. You just gotta have tires that are made for the job! I could just dig in & go. Never even activated the traction control...
@@DejaView I had celcius on a few cars and loved them but just got Michelins cross climate.. an even better tire all around (a bit $$ but it is what it is)
@@DejaViewyou got lucky. And it was flat. Add some hills and god save you lol 😅
my 255/45/19 all season W rated nitto’s were worth every penny , they were about 1200$ . got caught in a few snow storms in my 14’ taurus with front wheel drive. Did really well. Had to climb some steep gravel hills in the deep snow that i didn’t think it would make it up and it climbed right up never broke traction all the way to the top in second gear . never left me stranded at 180k miles now. pulled a chrysler 300 out of the snow once. my buddy buried his 15’ silverado in the drive way and it wouldn’t move in 4 wheel drive, we tried to use it to pull the taurus out . were in deep mud and snow and i took my traction control off on the taurus and gave her he** and it started moving, it rained mud that day. Got out just fine and he was barely able to get his 1980 350 small block out but it did cause it has 35’s and able to pull the newer truck out taurus didn’t budge it.
A light fuel pedal foot will help a lot when it comes to 2wd vehicles.
But when it comes to putting the power down under full throttle, there's no comparison.
Assuming equal power getting to the wheels, the 2wd is trying to put down twice as much power through each tire compared to the AWD. That means a lot of wheelspin for the 2wd, not much movement.
That Mazda also has a far more advanced AWD system than most others, so even more of an unfair advantage in this case
People DO NOT realize how good Mazda’s awd system is. I love it in the snow. It’s very predictable and incredibly well composed.
Truth is that RWD, FWD, and AWD will perform better with dedicated snow tires. Studded snow tires are really great. I totally enjoy your videos. On the lighter side with lots of laughs. 😃
So Subaru with studded snow tires.
@@jeffk464 snows a lot where I’m from and I see wrxs with snow tires going 50+ through snowy backroads often.
@@dakota5571 at 50+ how can you tell what type tires they have?🤔
TC off can do better in the snow with a FWD sedan than having it on. Especially thick stuff, TC will just shut the car down before it gets moving.
Depends on the model.
My fwd Suzuki once stuck in snow and the TC off did the opposite. Turning off TC will shut down your break assist, and the break based torque vectoring will also be disabled.
From my personal experience TC is vital to FWD open diff, cause you will need the TC to distribute the torque.
@@oceanzu6585 works the exact opposite on a Hybrid transmission
Yes all you can do is let the air out on the Hybread and put it in Eco mode. The low profile tires just no good for snow, no way to turn off traction control on hybread
Unless you ease into it but yes.
@@ArtStamos maybe the Camry but not all hybrids.
You guys should show the difference in AWD vs 4WD in snow with the same tires if possible
That is actually what I thought they were comparing. Recently drove my YJ 2x4 high in snow. Amazed how good 3 peak rated tires were. Especially compared to how poor traction is in my long bed 2x4 pickup, also triple peak. Both vehicles have General grabber at2.
4 WD wins easily
@BBBYpsi absolutely incorrect... ON ROADS with snow and ice anyway. ON road AWD is king, off road 4x4 us king.
Great fun! I just put Nokian all weather tires on my 2013 ES350 Lexus and drove about 800 km (500 mi) in -20 c (-4 f). Grip and stopping were great. Return trip it was around 0c (32 f) and grip and stop were acceptable. The amazing thing was I hit 6.7 l/100km ( 40 plus mpg) out, and 7.4 l/100km (high 30 mpg) on the way back. Some weight needs to be given to driver experience and skill. going out, I passed 2 different Wranglers in the ditch, on their doors!
Just traded my Camry in for a new Mazda cx-5. First time having AWD and loving it. Good video. Thanks
The AWD on my 21 Camry is fantastic. I've been able to get out of my driveway with ease, even after the snow plows put more snow at the end of the driveway. AWD is always highly recommended
Camry Front Bumper Crunch, pieces all over. Do not drive over DPW Snow Plow that gets pushed into your driveway entrance. Could be heavy and ice mixed in. Do not damage your vehicle by taking an unnecessary chances. The Camry is not a snow plow.
I'll take my ancient 02 Subaru Forrester 5 spd w/ asymmetric AWD any day over Toyota's AWD.
@@robertsims9201 06' Legacy GT here, snow = fun in a Subaru
@@robertsims9201I’d like to see how that does against a new awd Camry in a race in the snow
2022 subaru crosstrek limited owner here .crosstreks are the best !
'82 Nissan Stanza (12 years) '94 Camry (27 years). Many trips DC to Central PA and a few DC to Buffalo in snow. Cars were quite capable. '14 RAV4 AWD and '19 Lexus RX 300 AWD - handle snow a bit better.
Would now like to see a real SUV (i.e. Toyota 4Runner, Chevy Tahoe, etc.) go against an AWD compact SUV (i.e. Toyota Rav4, Honda CRV, etc.) in powder like that. My current Ford Escape cannot compete with my old truck based and selectable 4wd SUVs like the 1997 GMC Jimmy, 2000 Jeep Cherokee and 2003 Jeep Liberty. Big difference in the snow. PS Do not ever buy a Ford Escape or maybe any Ford for that matter.
I was shocked to the core to discover that all wheel drive was better than front wheel drive in the snow. It was totally unexpected that twice the drive potential would mean twice the traction potential. That's crazy!!! 😜
Your sarcasm is hilarious 🤪
Especially when the fwd started in fresh unpacked snow.
The snow stopping test should really be done on a flat snow surface without loose show - that variable is difficult to control for otherwise.
I agree with you
I used to have a 2014.5 Camry SE V6 with Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires. In 2015, Lexington, Kentucky got two snow storms. One of them was just over 12 inches and the second one just over 17 inches and my Camry never got stock. That car was such a tank on the snow. It wasn’t a sport car, but it did it’s job just fine.
Winter tires are more important in snow then AWD
Agreed. But going up hill, I think awd has an advantage. It’s too bad there’s a winter tire shortage this yr. It seems like most are already out of stock.
not true. AWD makes a huge difference in corners in snow (and in general)
Having lived in Colorado for the majority of my life (since I was 3 - early 1970's), I have owned RWD and FWD cars until February 2015. In my opinion AWD is a luxury if living in the city including Boulder and Denver Metro area. That said since 2015, my daily driver hasn't been and will never be 2WD ever again - 2 different AWD sedans so far since 2015.
Amazing how Pontiac had a awd car the 6000 STE and S/E models, from 1988 to 1990. The awd sedan concept didn't catch on, but 30 years later is the norm. GM was ahead of their time on a lot of innovations that are the norm now.
What are you talking about? So the 1985 BMW 325ix wasn't an AWD sedan? The Subaru Leone was sold in 1972 and it had AWD, wagon, but it still had 4 normal doors. So how was GM ahead?
I live in north central MIchigan, and I have a Toyota Avalon. Just put Nokian WR-G4 all weather tires on it and it's amazing. Obviously can't handle deep snow, but anything up to 6 inches or so it goes like crazy. And the tires are quiet and smooth on dry pavement.
i can garantee you the mazda temperature indicator is very precise. i live in northern canada and i have a 2021 turbo mazda 3. it was -35 celcius this morning where i live and my mazda 3 started easily with no aid and not plugged. record low in my city is -49 celcius in 2016. at about 1 hour drive from my town the record is -51 celcius in 2014. i have owned 4 mazdas and they all perform very well in these extreme climates.
AWD on stock all seasons vs FWD on dedicated winter tires.
Yes I have tested that scenario for myself to see if I was putting too much emphasis on winter tires. It wasn’t a perfect apples to apples comparison but I tested the 2008 Sienna fwd with blizzaks WS90 vs Subaru 2019 AwD on stock all season. My Sienna was only slightly slower off the start than Subaru. Braking my Sienna was night/day better.
For 99% of the time on paved snowy roads I would and do pick FWD with blizzaks over any awd/4x4 with all season tires.
As long as I can get going with FWD then I prefer the at speed benefits of superior winter tires with less chance of spin out and FAR better braking performance. I’m not picking my winter vehicle based solely off off the line acceleration. Stopping and turning take priority.
AWD with blizzaks is my best option but still have no issue leaving it at home for the extra people space of my van. It’s what I did yesterday cause I needed the entire space of the van. Had no concerns with taking the fwd van out with great tires.
Have a 2009 Sienna FWD, with Toyo "Celsius" tires (Canadian approved winter tire) Amazing traction with a real winter tire & yes steering & stopping are much improved whereas AWD, in itself, isn't much help with those aspects.
What do you think of a fwd 2015 crv. I really want this car but I live in New England. I feel like I might regret this purchase.
@@Livewild779 I can tell you for certain when I was shopping for a used SUV (RAV4 v6) about 4yrs ago I would have had zero issue buying a FWD if I found a deal. If it was low miles, well kept at a great price I would have bought a fwd without hesitation. I knew I would have a dedicated set of winter wheels anyway for it. I ended up with an AWD version which does give me faster acceleration from a wet road stop and some added climbing ability in light mud, dirt and snow conditions. But I do gain some added expenses like rear differential oil change service and any failure of a tire when they are partially worn down will likely result in 4 new tires vs replacing just one due to the recommendation to keep tires within 2/32 tread difference because of the awd powertrain.
I would focus on winter tires and rims for snow capability first and awd focus after the tires. Don’t buy awd as a replacement to proper tires. Or you will simply be less equipped for winter with more maintenance with a all season equipped awd.
I went from a Subaru Outback to a family van ( Sienna fwd ) and moved my blizzaks over to the van and wondered if I would regret dropping the awd. First trip to the mountains in snow with good blizzaks confirmed to me that as long as I’m not trying to do deep snow or heavy off road good tires on fwd does great.
Last if you have a need to climb dirt, mud or snowy driveways then AWD will be even more worthwhile WITH winter tires.
@@45eno thanks, I’ve always drove AWD but couldn’t remember how FWD in the snow. The last time I drove FWD was like 15 years ago. I really love the AWD never worry about getting stuck. This car is very low mileage from the south, the right trim level, color. Only thing turned me off was FWD. Seems all you need is really good snow tires.
I noticed the Mazda side is snow route ready . The Camry side is snow in front of tires .. not shovel yet that’s y Camry was harder to take off too
My camry with some continentals did decent in the snow, but then again I would deactivate traction control and I have the V6. But nothing beats putting on my Blizzaks and watch the car eat up the snow. Winter tires really are a game changer 🙌
That is crazy. I used to have a 98 Camry and it was a beast in the snow. It would take off like a rocket ship. Miss that car.
This was more of an IQ test them all wheel drive vs front wheel... perhaps a better starting line for both autos.
Also disabling traction control helps a lot in situation like these in fwd cars
I got stuck going up the last hill to my local ski hill in my Mazda Protege 5 so I flipped it around and made it up the hill in reverse! Sometimes you just have to improvise!
Wow that Mazda 3 did so good!
I remember when Andrae came on board, over a Decade or so ago. About the time I recognized TFL and the Ike gauntlet. This is what it looks like when people work hard toward the American dream. Good on you for working your way up. You did what few Americas are willing to do!!! And learned English.
I left Subaru after a decade and bought a Mazda3 Turbo AWD. Seeing this I feel better about the AWD in the Mazda since we don't usually get a lot of snow in the Mid-Atlantic. I still think I may get a set of Blizzaks and steel rims for it as inexpensive insurance.
Why did you leave Subaru? We’re debating between getting a Crosstrek or a Mazda CX-30 or 3. I’m biased in favor of the Mazda but the Crosstrek is stupidly popular where I’m from.
@@bizmonkey007 I own two Subarus currently, a 17 Outback and a 16 Forester. Both of them had their head gaskets go at 90k miles. The other issue was ride quality. I wanted an AWD sedan with more than 225hp. That's the Legacy Turbo or the 3 Turbo and the ride between the two is night and day. That said, if I REALLY had to contend with snowy winters, the Subaru is an obvious choice. The two I own are like mountain goats in bad weather.
I have a Chysler 300s awd with Yokohama all season tires mounted. That's one of the best awd vehicles to boot. Works great in the northern mountains of N.M..
The problem was that the Camry had Texas plates. lol
I remember when I was dating my wife 16 years ago. Took her to Lake Tahoe in my 4Runner and we hit a snow storm. Caltrans set up a snow chain checkpoint. As I was driving, there a lot of people lookin for a parking space on the shoulder to put on snow chain out in the snow storm when we strolled along in a toasty 4x4 4Runner. She ended up buying an AWD and never looked back on getting a 2WD ever again.
Wish they did front wheel with winter tires vs 4wd . At one point at had a bmw330xi , my moms, my dads explorer , and my civic si with winter tires . From my experience in a metro area . Hands down I’d take the civic or anything g with winter tires . The explore and bmw were better from a stop in thick snow above like 4 or 5 inches that’s fresh . But when it came to stopping , turning , pure speed on the hwy , the civic blew them away . Last night in Detroit and Toledo, Ohio I still went 65 and the car loved it .
I have the best of both worlds -- AWD with winter tires. Just yesterday I was on a 4-lane highway that hadn't been cleared off yet. Everyone was puttering along in the semi-cleared right lane while I'm bolting past them at 50-some MPH in the unplowed left lane. A few people honked at me like I was an idiot, but I was still on more sure footing than 95% of them since nobody uses winter tires around here.
When I did the same a few years ago, a cop swung out of the right lane and started to chase me down (even though I was still under the speed limit so I'm not sure what his issue was). He gave up after about 5 seconds because he knew he was never going to catch me.
Yup! I’d take my wife’s Subaru equipped with studded snow tires over my Jeep Wrangler with all-season tires any day, unless the snow is over a foot deep. Her car accelerates, turns, and stops better with the snow tires on. With truly deep snow, the Jeep does better getting through, though. That said, if I had snow tires on the Jeep, it’d be just as good.
@@Guy_de_Loimbard Don't let all the gizmos make you overconfident.
@@jeffk464 For the last 18 years I've spent many of my winter weekends racing on frozen lakes. I know perfectly well what my cars are capable of in limited traction conditions and what they're not.
@@Guy_de_Loimbard driving to fast for conditions is actually a ticket able offense and is up to the police and judge to determine.😉
I wish my 2015 Camry was AWD, for the added assistance in certain situations. Driving in the road with new all season tires, it’s decent though overall.
My 2011 Camry with General Altimax Arctic studded was one of the most planted secure cars I have driven in the snow. Sold it to a friend who was more of a 4x4 believer over good tires. He now has a dedicated set of winters for his highlander after driving his equipped Camry.
The Toyota Camry actually does offer all wheel drive, would like to see the all wheel drive Camry in this deep snow, The Mazda 3 with all wheel drive did great. Would also like to see the new Mitsubishi Outlander in this deep snow. The Outlander has S-AWC and I think Mitsubishi has one of the best All Wheel Drive systems from what I have seen and read.
drove in the snow once about a decade ago. it was not bad but I was in my two-wheel-drive Avalanche and got stuck in a ditch that had iced over. Fortunately, I had a towel and was able to get it under the tires enough to get some traction. I can't imagine having snow every year. (Currently 84 degrees and sunny here.)
There's nothing more fun to do in a car then fish tailing fresh powdered streets. Don't let one bad experience get you down, it's pretty on a winter day!
When you get one of those surprised snow storms, now that's a nightmare to drive on. On i-95 with my BMW e90 xDrive, it took my 2.5 hours to get home, compared to 55 minutes when it's not snowing. Without snow tires, the car was swerving side to side when it would it drifted out onto fresh snow, it was dark and there was so many cars on the road that night which made it terrifying when everyone was breaking traction. There was an ahole with a Subaru who drove like an arrogant d*ck. Makes me hate Subaru drivers. It's not about how fast you can go, it's about stopping, that's what Subaru driver don't understand. I never got stuck in my 3 series AWD or my Mazda3 hatch awd. So moving forward isn't my concern, it's the braking and black ice that scares me. Black ice is terrifying. You get on what looks to be clean pavement but it's actually ice. I turned off a ramp and on the curve, going nice and slow, front wheel slide on black ice mid corner. I was so close to smacking the guardrails.
@@DroneStrike1776 Yeah, no thanks. I'll stay with my comfortable 65 degrees.
I had zero issues in my 2017 Chevy Malibu while being stationed at fort drum, NY and while driving with traction control turned off with all season tires. Might I add that I never got stuck while being stationed there for 5 years between the years of 2015 to 2020
I've never used snow tires and I live in Northeast Wisconsin. All season radials have worked well for me.
Love this test for its real world effect. I hate when test are done on a skating rink. Those road conditions were real world for New England and deep snow has different properties to it. It adds drag especially to a non AWD vehicle. I would love to see this done with multiple styles snows on the Camry and all seasons on the Mazda.
I have a new Mazda Cx30 and put some Bridgestone Blizzaks on because I don't love the Turanza tires that came with it on the snow.
Stack a bunch of firewood on the front and you got this!I use to do this with my truck back in the day but I would put the firewood in the back at the tailgate
I used to have a 2012 Toyota Camry V6 fwd and she did amazing in the snow in New Hampshire. It’s all on how you drive too and also traction control sucks in the snow it’s better to have it turned off.
Should have tried (carefully) driving backwards up the hill with the FWD. It shifts a lot more weight onto the drive wheels and can make hill climbing performance a lot better.
A compact class crossover with same engine but different drive system would be a good comparison. For example, the Kona base engine is available in FWD & AWD
To everyone saying snow fires would have made both capable. Yes. Of course. But unfortunately almost everyone doesn’t switch out their tires except for the car enthusiast who follow this channel. Heck most of my coworkers still use their summer fires all winter long let alone all seasons. So having awd vs fwd at least provides some safety benefit for people who otherwise wouldn’t switch out their tires anyway even if they should
My 1992 Acura Integra was very stable and didn’t get stuck in the snowy winters in Yakima, WA.
Something I dont see mentioned here is tire width. New vehicles have wider tires than older ones did. Wider tires tend to want to ride on top of the snow then dig in. I've driven a few GM A-bodies in snow and those had narrower tires and those were great in snow. With ordinary all-season tires.
I'm glad my 2021 4Runner Limited came with 245 width tires. That is kinda narrow for the 4800+ pound weight of the vehicle, which is great for snow covered roads. Put some snow rated tires on it and you are ready to go and stop!
@@DigitalHaze65536 2000 Limited came with 265s and with 265 Blizzaks its almost unstoppable unless I want to stop.😉
That was really fun! 😂 I think this was a really good real world comparison. That was my exact experience living in CO. I went from a Nissan versa to a Subaru Impreza and I could pretty much go anywhere in the winter. I still remember getting stuck in the a basin parking lot every weekend. That poor versa. Great car otherwise! Cheers and happy holidays 🎄🕎
I moved to Michigan in 1995 from California. I had a 94' Honda Civic Dx and a 89' Honda CRX-Si. In 02' I traded the CRX-Si for a Subaru WRX. The WRX was so much better in the snow. So much so I actually would go have fun in empty parking lots doing donuts and drifting in the snow. Would never do that in the Honda's. I now have a 09' Forester X that is lowered on a racing suspension and my winter wheels have all season tires. Even 3 inches lower than stock the Forester has no problems in the snow. I would never go back to front wheel drive.
I live on a 650 foot mountain and plowing it is a luxury we don't always get quickly. When I moved here I owned a FWD 2006 Saab 9-3 and a 2003 FWD Honda Accord. Neither car even with snow tires could get up the mountain - I would get warning failures in both cars and they would get stuck. I learned to wait until an uphill approach was plowed and follow the truck up the mountain. I have since replaced both cars with a 2013 Subaru Legacy and a 2018 Buick Envision (I keep cars for at least 10 years and about 150,000 to 200,000 miles). Even with All Weather Tires as rated by Canada, no problems getting home now even with snow on the ground. The big question now is will a hybrid car make it up the mountain with AWD? We know AWD EVs cannot do it.
dont bother going ev. my f250 from '99 destroys tesla's in uphill mountains. Always end up in my rear views lol those cars got no torque to maintain the same as a gas car.
@@slumy8195 I have an answer soon after I wrote that. My neighbor bought an AWD Tesla 3. He got stuck climbing the mountain in 8 inches of snow. Answers my question - you are right, they don't do so well. Thanks!
Another test would be the awd on all seasons and a front wheel drive on dedicated snow tires.
I agree. I outdrive awd subarus with all season tires in my accord with snow tires.
@@MikeYurbasovich Yes, I have FWD Toyota Sienna currently with Toyo "Celsius" tires (Canadian approved winter tire) & can out do the 4 wheelers with poor choice of tires in most situations. Unless you're dealing with more ice than actual snow, these tires really grab & go! You wouldn't think anything could hold in snow like that...
@@DejaView I bought those for my girlfriends Honda accord, they are really pretty decent for tires you can drive in the summer, too. The best tires I have found are Nokian Hakkapellita. They have some grit molded into the tire that feel as though you're driving dry pavement on ice. I drove on black ice to work one day, took a couple steps out of my car and busted my head on the ice. Then everyone who came to work was complaining of how slippery it was. It was at that point I realized that I drove normally on this same ice without realizing it. Those tires aren't good with deep slush though. My viking contacts are decent all around winter tires.
The Mazda looked great doing it!
As someone who lives in the Snow Belt and having experience with all types of driveline configurations with all types of tires, I can say straight away without even watching the video, the difference between FWD an AWD on low-traction surfaces is night and day; and I'll never go without at least one AWD vehicle for as long as I live this far north. I can even attest that AWD with all-seasons will beat out an equivalent FWD with winter tires for straight-line acceleration. That said, I'd still much rather have winter tires on any 2WD than all-seasons on an AWD as the former will still have far superior braking and turning grip.
TIres! With winter tires, I find I can get more traction on a front drive car versus an all wheel drive car with all seasons....I think a test with a front drive with winter tires and a comparable in size and weight all wheel drive car with all seasons would be interesting.
I had my second car ever a 1997 Dodge Intrepid with a 3.5 l non snow tires in 2007 we had a major snow storm I was passing every truck on the highway to get to work when I got to work I couldn't even open my door That thing was a tank everybody was like does that thing have all wheel drive No it doesn't! My neon was a beast too! Love my front wheel drive vehicles❤
Try with snow tires would be interesting. Funny you think -6f is cold. Here in the Canadian prairies -40f is not unheard of, the challenge then is a) start the car and b) get the car to move. You get flat spots on the tires that stay flat for the first mile or so. Oil is like sludge unless you plug in a block heater. For those in Florida that is an electric heating element that is inside the engine block to warm up the oil. ...
Interesting test of AWD vs FWD. The big advantage of AWD is the initial dead start in heavy snow. I currently have a 2001 FWD Monte Carlo, but mine does the same thing in heavy snow, just don't like it. My next car will have the AWD feature being in Northern Illinois. Plus my driveway is sloped upward quite a bit to get into the garage.
Thanks for the demo test of both cars. Take care.
my taurus is heavier enough to always start moving at least an inch when you gun it with traction control off being fwd with the exception of being in lose sand and moving up hill. i’ve honestly had better experiences with it than i have the awd g35 i owned as far as that goes…don’t like the rear coming out on vehicles but an awd does keep the rear end moving so that helps. It’s long and wide and has wheel spacers and that helped some with keeping it straight in the snow and ice. Running 255/45/19 all season nitto’s, can’t complain about them. I’m near Springfield Missouri. Had a rwd 335i sedan that was the absolute worst to drive in bad weather..my altima coupe did very well. my civic si did terrible. My next car will be a q50 with awd.
Would love to see the awd Camry tested!
same!!!
I have 2000 Camry fwd and I live in Minnesota. My car is fine on snow with all seasons tires, and the good thing is the 2000 Camry is higher than the recent model. The recent one is too low. It depends on how you drive on snow and the car weight also.
That Mazda is good looking.
Do you have snow tires? That makes a big difference too! We are in the Mid Atlantic we don’t usually need snow tread unless we are medical or first responders
Keep the tire content coming guys
Fwd with winter tires feels like a awd but using all season is also good to and down fall to can't get out of tall snow. Yall should do a corner turning it makes a big difference to. My v6 accord I have so much confidence on my winter tires. It gets up like a champ.
This is why I run Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tires on my 2020 Civic.
I have an 2006 real wheel staggered S430 Mercedes with deep dish low profile rims and I rode in deep snow ,ice storms and I had no problem because I used Continental DWS. I had other tires and would get stuck in an inch of snow with my other tires.
I would be nice to see a comparison between AWD: Altima - Camry - Mazda 3, in different situations, all season tires.
Subaru's symmetrical all wheel drive will work the best. The other systems all take a beat to detect wheel slip and then engage the rear axle.
I own two AWD Chevy Astros I will say that tires do make a difference I have all season mud snow tires year round the all season tires did slip on plowed roads plus I would like to mention I put a 4 ton floor jack in the back of one of my vans this makes a big difference also ,sand bags help for AWD too,anyway I sure get a kick from your tests very helpful,happy new year to both you and your family
Great job with product placement with Taste of Chicago! Just sent some pizza and Italian beef sandwiches to someone for Christmas, and they loved it. Plus, you don’t have to risk your life going to .Chicago.
There is a Mazda 3 AWD? They don't sell it in my country!
You two are so funny! I’m new to AWD & live in Minnesota. I’ve heard there’s a difference with how they handle driving on snow packed roads.
Of course an awd is better in a drag race from stopped in slippery conditions with similar tires, though too many drivers think they're invincible with awd/4wd.
A fwd with winter tires can do quite well in the snow; I've used them for decades in Canada.
My new car has awd. But i survived with an old beater car with fwd for many years because i couldn't afford an awd car until know. I never managed to get myself stuck other then spinning the tires a bit. But i made it out each time. It's really about having some decent tires and knowing how to drive.
Mazda AWD is very underrated
I have a Charger sxt awd with Goodyear Assurance Weatheready snow rated all seasons and this video is sooooooo true in a real life scenario.
I had a prior Gen Camry XLE 4-cyl with Michelin all-weather and it was promisingly good in the snow.
Take air out of the front tires down to 32 psi. That's one reason I hate low profile tires. Taking air out for traction makes the rim vulnerable.
TFL is awesome. Non-stop dad-friendly content.
I want a Mazda like that now so bad. Great video.
It’s crazy how 4WD drastically changed things.
Both of those cars have brand new all-season tires. Now imagine the test with tires with 10k to 30k miles on them and being worn.
i am shopping for a new car, wanted something small and nimble but suitable for winter state, and decided to get mazda3 turbo. and friends/coworkers/acquintances were asking why i dont consider civic type R or golf gti. from now on i will be showing this video as an answer))
All wheel drive is a definite advantage during acceleration and in handling in snow and wet roads however it doesn’t have much impact on braking.
That's what seems to cause all the crashes. People follow too close in slippery conditions and when they need to stop they can't at least until they hit the car in front of them.
Roman's near evil villain laugh at about the 14:35 mark while Andre is stuck really makes the video for me.
I also hate traction control cuz once your stuck your stuck! And some cars you can’t turn it off. But if you can turn it off you’ll pull yourself out from where your stopped. Since with it off you can spin the wheels. And get grip. And
ABS when stopping I’ve noticed takes longer then letting off the brakes and pressing again you’ll stop sooner!
Even sooner if you put in neutral if you have to stop fast. Snow or not.
The transmission is still pushing and not disengaging fast enough during an emergency stop
Comparing a FWD Camry to an AWD Mazda3 is like comparing Malnati's to Portillo's...one is entertaining and the other is delicious. I approve!
Watching Roman push that camry was the best!! Way to go boss
I think the end of the video summed up the comparison pretty accurately in winter weather. LOL!
Try that Camary with dedicated snows and it will be a game changer
I've held up traffic in my fwd lancer trying to go uphill on the highway in bad snow. This is no joke.
BUT did Andre have the traction control off? And how about the same test with snow tires on the Camry?
want to see the Mazda vs a subaru wrx or sti. see how well the 2 awd do
thanks!! this confirms I should by the AWD Camry SE since I live in New England!!
The SMALL hatchback fwd's from the not too distant past.....many still on the road......where the best at snow traction.....over these bigger sedans of today with higher horsepower and wider lo pro tires ....Does anybody remember the OLD vw beetle from the 60s/70s? They seemed unstoppable in heavy snow!!
I have two AWD cars with all season tires.
I have a FWD car with winter dedicated tires.
Even without snow tires the AWD'S spank the FWD with winter tires.
Just my experience.
Had a 2019 Kia forte S FWD. Did pretty good when I lived in AK. My next car will be AWD though. I think I was just lucky lol
I have a Mazda 3 hatch awd and it it fantastic in the snow with hakkapellita snow tires. Better than my old 2013 audi s6 to be honest. It sends enough power to the rear to do donuts.
Mine was pretty good in the storm a few days back as well. Love this thing.
@@markcoopers1930 I am honestly shocked how well it performs for a reactive awd system
I haven't even watched the video yet but i can tell you right away that awd destroys fwd and rwd.
My first car was fwd, my second car was rwd and now i have awd and i'm never going back.
I have gotten stuck so many times with fwd and rwd.
I have owned my awd for 2 years and i haven't got stuck once! and i've been driving in some extreme winter conditions. Other cars were totally stuck but i didn't have a problem.
You should really try to line up 4 loaners from Mazda. All Mazda 3's, 2 with FWD, and 2 with AWD, equip 2 with winter tires and really do a full experiment. That would be awesome e to see.
This is the best video i've fond on this subject
Subaru sedans have been my favorite sedans . They always have AWD
Clearly the best snow cars. They have continuous AWD, and ground clearance without being top heavy. I can't tell you how many 4wd pickups I've seen slide off the road and then flip over. Most cars tend to slide off the road and manage to stay upright. I drove long haul truck for years so I've seen everything.
Really needs to be 4WD all seasons vs FWD dedicated snows!