So, what you're all saying is that basically my FEH 4WD is really AWD?

I got a 4WD (at least that's what I thought it was when I bought it) because I wanted better traction in the snow (sounds like that is not necessarily true) and because we soemtimes go off road on the beach in the summer.
June

 

Its all semantics these days. Most companies use the terms interchangeably. A "true" 4wd system will lock the wheels and engage the shafts. That would be "full time" mode like what you will find on Jeeps (not the new ones) that is engaged for offroad or ice/snow conditions only...usually called 4wd LOW. There are "part time" systems that automatically engage themselves and offer the driver the option to switch to "low" and engage the system manually. My grand cherokee was like that. There are other part time systems which are called both 4wd and awd....basically the vehicles operate in 2wd mode and if the computer detects wheel slippage it will automatically engage the front wheels and send them power. This is what you'll find on the Mariners and some Escapes.

To oversimplify....if your vehicle doesn't have a button, switch, or lever to engage something, it is usually called AWD. If there is a switch, button, etc. it usually gets called 4WD. If all you are doing is driving in snow or sand, I really don't think you should be concerned with the system in your vehicle....either type should suffice. If you were trying to do some rock crawling or heavy mud driving you'd probably want something that you can lock into a fulltime mode.

 

I have the 4WD FEH and have been through two winters with it. Traction is as good as any 4WD I've owned (my two prior were "true" 4WD (all axles lock)). Though I drive it to maximize economy I have tested it on the snow to see how well it works and if I punch it, it does indeed throw up snow from all 4 wheels.

Regards,
Tim

 

I just ordered a 2008 FWD Escape hybrid (vista blue for those taking notes). Our main reason for going with an SUV at all was size -- family of 5, including 2 teenagers and one 10-year-old. Our Escape will replace an aged minivan, so it'll be hauling kids and cargo on a regular basis. We live in Minneapolis, so we deal with icy but generally flat roads, and off-roading isn't something we generally do. It sounds so 60s to say it, but we really needed a station wagon! The FWD Escape gets better mileage than any minivan or wagon on the market -- and it's union-made, which matters at my house. Can't wait till it arrives!

 

I think you made a great choice(I absolutely LOVE my 06 FEH), but one thing you will find rather quickly is that the FEH is A LOT smaller inside than a minivan.

Before my FEH days, I had an 05 Chrysler Town & Country that I bought brand new(I have two kids). I figured if I bought one really loaded that I would enjoy driving it, but I was wrong. I hated that van as much as I love my FEH, but there are times that the extra room of that van would DEFINITELY come in handy.

There have been a few times that we have had to take two vehicles to accomodate everything where we would have only needed one in the old minivan days.....

~John

 

I thought about this when I bought mine -- but then I realized that it's so rare that I need the space that it's a much better idea to buy the car that's efficient for the vast majority of my trips (btw, I have both an '05 FEH and an '06 Prius) than to worry about what to do when I need more room.

I have a sailboat and need to haul gear up to the boat each spring to prepare it for launch, and again in the fall to bring everything back for winter storage. If I had a really really big van I could probably do it all in one trip.

U-Haul will rent a pickup for $19/day. You can reserve a minivan or full-size SUV from any car rental (Avis, Hertz, and all those guys), and Home Depot will rent you a stake truck and I think those run around $20/day.

Since owning the FEH, I have yet to actually rent something because the FEH couldn't accomodate my needs. Apparently I needed a big vehicle a lot less often than I thought.

As for the boat gear... since it's too much work to do everything in one day anyway, I just think carefully about I really need for the work I plan to do, pack those essentiallys, then pack in whatever else will fit.

I think you'll love your FEH.

Regards,
Tim

 

Nice, my Mother drives an 06 Prius.

My Mother waited over a year on a waiting list to buy a Prius, she drove it for six weeks & sombody T-boned her & totalled it. She liked the car so much that she went back to the dealer & ordered the exact same car again(right down to the color etc)

~John

 

We really struggled with the question of whether we could do without a van. But when we tracked our real-life travel, we realized that we really don't need the extra space too often. A typical drive involves between two and four people, and the stuff we haul is generally stuff like sports gear or a couple of small suitcases. I know we'll miss the space sometimes, but probably not too often. Although we have joked with my mother-in-law that when she joins the five of us for an activity, we'll have to fasten her to the luggage rack with bungee cords!

Liz