We sort of got aother thread going on this, but I thought I would start a specific thread on this issue. I live in Baltimore most winters, and my FWD Prius has been just fine. I am now thinking about the FEH because I could use something a bit bigger.

I don't think I will do much that is true offroad, though it could be comforting to have 4WD, I suppose. But I assume FWD is plenty for say gravel roads on the way to camp sites, etc.?

 

First: understand that it is not "full time 4WD" rather the rear axle is engaged when the wheel slip says to kick in.

In other words you have no direct control of whether it is in 2WD or 4WD.

Second: there is no lower range as you may be used to in most 4WD cars/trucks.

I find it a good system. But it is not like a Jeep or Suburban 4WD in capability.

 

The way I understand it the 4wd system on our FEH's would be most helpful in some kind of mud/snow/ice condition to either keep you moving if you are going slow, or get you unstuck if the front wheels lose traction (the front of your parking spot is all ice or mud). It would help to keep you moving in some mud, or if you were driving in a few inches of wet snow. The fact that the Escape is already front wheel drive covers many of the traditional advantages of your typical RWD/4WD selectable system (the wheels that steer the car are already powered, and also have the most weight on them). The 4wd system would also help if you had to climb a steep grade in a slippery situation because of most of the weight of the vehicle transferring to the rear wheels as the incline increases.

I grew up driving a jeep and had a subaru before the FEH, so I am very partial to some kind of 4/AWD system. Chances are if you were happy with the Prius, a FWD FEH would be fine, but the 4WD might let you get out before the plows, not worry about shoveling your driveway as much, or save you once or twice when the roads are real bad.

 

I like my 4WD Mariner and have had it out in pretty extreme snowstorms here in California, in Wyoming, and in Colorado. It drives well in those conditions and I feel very safe in it. I don't go off road, but like the additional control the 4WD system gives me in bad weather.

I also appreciate that I don't have to stop and put on chains in California; I carry the chains (mandated by law), and it's possible that they'd declare conditions where they're even required on a 4WD, but so far I've never had to use them.

All that said, I've never driven the FWD Escape or Mariner, so I can't say if the 4WD is enough better to be worth the trade-off in MPGs. The person that posted in answer to one of your other questions noting 35MPG is, I'm sure, driving a FWD Escape; I've never had a full tank above 29.1, and have never seen the average MPG exceed 32 in any sort of extended driving in my car. My per-tank average is about 27. I know there are people who can squeeze out more, but I think these are pretty realistic real-world averages for the 4WD for most of us.

 

Right. You can go anywhere that you could go in a two wheel drive pickup.

 

That was me, and I do have an AWD MMH. I've had one 35.2mpg tank, and a couple of 34mpgs, but I work pretty hard to do that. All of my best tanks involve mountain driving at ~60mph, and the mountains make high mpgs easier (in my opinion). However, in the city, I can generally average mid-30mpgs as well--provided the drive is at least 8-10 miles. Shorter trips, and higher speeds on the highway will bring your average down quickly in my experience.

diver110: What kind of mileage do you get in the Prius? Do you work at it, or just drive normally?

 

diver110: What kind of mileage do you get in the Prius? Do you work at it, or just drive normally?[/quote]

I get around 44.5 in my Prius. I don't work at it at all and tend to be heavy footed. Some get over 50.

 

I have a FWD in SE Michigan and find that AWD is not necessary. I've owned AWD and 4x4 Explorers in the past and found that I only really used the extra traction when I was lazy and didn't take precautions.

Of course the downside of AWD is a constant drain on mileage, higher initial cost and one more thing to fail. I went back and forth when I was buying, but after 2 years, I'm happy with my decision.

 

Actually, it was "way2muchkc4u" I was referring to - he said he gets 35mpg.

Sounds you and I are saying the same thing - that we'd be ecstatic to get 35 mpg for a full tank in the 4WD, which it sounds like you're not either (though close a few times). Interesting that the best mpgs you get are in the mountains; mine are in rolling coastal hills where the speed generally stays in the 40-50 mpg range. In round trips to the mountains here, going from sea level to 8000' and back, the car does somewhat better than in normal driving, getting 28-29 mpg for the full tank.

I try to drive carefully, use tricks from here on the board, make frequent use of L to slow with regeneration, etc. - not sure what it is about my driving, our local fuel, our terrain, or maybe even my specific vehicle, but I have yet to see a tank over 29.1. Would be great to be able to change that...

 

I chose my 2008 AWD for the ride. I don't know about the 2009 models, but the Gen 1 FEH rolled a bit too much on the FWD for my taste. The suspension is stiffer on the AWD, and I prefer the way it drives.

I had test driven a FWD FEH in 2006, and rejected it because of the body roll (to my taste). Had that been an AWD I would probably have bought it.