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The Rav 4 comes in two configurations: FWD, and 4WD. On the 4WD version the rear wheels come into play when accelerating, cornering, or whenever the computer senses any of the front tires slip or spin. Power to the rear wheels disengages when breaking, or when not needed such as cruising on the road.
That said, if you want to turn the Rav 4 into a 4x4, you can do this by pressing a button on the dashboard. The 4x4 disengages when the car reaches a speed of 25MPH, so while it's not designed for high speed driving, it's useful in the case the vehicle is stuck in deep snow (for example), to pull a boat-loaded trailer out of the water, or just to crawl over rough terrain. It can also be used for crawling down a hill. But in this case the Rav 4 has another feature, and that works as follows: place the transmission on 1st or 2nd, press the switch on the dashboard that has a Rav 4 icon that's shown going downhill. All this does is to synchronize the motor with the transmission (it gives you additional engine breaking) for crawling down very steep terrain.
heres a little video that shows the difference between the various awd systems . they are not even close to being equally capable. while they may all call themselves all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive the amount of torque the systems transmitt when called upon vary greatly. some are just about useless when things get to slick. you can see in the video how traction control is next to useless under more severe slippage conditions as well.
some even advertise a 50/50 split of power yet in real conditions it doesnt seem to play out that way and the vehicle goes no where.
for all purposes many should only be called awd assist as they bear no resemblance to a good awd or 4x4 system. the rav4 ,murano ,crv fall in that class in my opinion. we had such grief trying to pull a jet ski out of the water with a rav4 . with the butten engaged toyota claims a 50/50 split of power but we ended up using a jeep cherokee in awd to get the jet ski out in a heartbeat after giving up on the rav4.
when it comes to winter driving and awd,4x4,fwd and rwd remember nothing is a problem until its a problem. like i said earlier i thought front wheel drive was able to do it all pretty well when thats all i drove.
and it may do okay for most folks if you dont have a problem or dont mind the skitterishness on slushy roads.. but as my vehicles got better and better systems the ability of the cars got better and better and with a greater feeling of comfort.
oooh man do i remember as a teenager some wild rides home back in the 1970's with rwd coming from clubs after a temperature drop would freeze the roads. we didnt even get to radial tires yet in those days.
i remember coming home one night with over 100 collisions on the belt parkway taking place in brooklyn ny.
i also remember even with snow tires adding bags of cement to my rwd cars. those handled well lol.
then in 1978 i remember getting my first fwd car,the plymouth horizon. first time in snow it felt like i had a jeep in comparison. it was a pretty crude car too.
then i went on to a pathfinder and that was the end of me even wanting to drive anything that was rwd or fwd through the winter months.
while the testing in the video was extreme it does show the buyer has to understand that just because something calls itself awd or full time four wheel drive it may not really be.
i have already seen some of those short comings translated into real life. having to push my sons murano up our driveway in the snow or not being able to get the jet ski out are examples of how these extreme tests can show themselves under more normal conditions.
if it wasnt for the fact my son tried the other vehicles that day going up and down our driveway which is inclined and covered in deep snow , with the murano as his example his impression of all wheel drive was this sucks. its no better than fwd. but seeing how the other systems didnt blink he now knows his vehicle isnt a true awd system but more an assist.
Last edited by mathjak107; 10-15-2011 at 06:00 AM..
traction control sucks most of the time. its no sub at all for awd or a 4x4 system
i can tell you 2 real life experiences i had where the difference in awd systems was obvious.
the first was when the murano awd couldnt get out of our driveway compared to the other vehicles and had to be pushed to help it along ..
the 2nd was when a few of us went jet skiing and my buddy took his crv down by some loose sand on pavement the crv had a terrible time getting around compared to any other awd vehicle that day.
it couldsnt route enough power to the correct wheels.
that brake traction control is no match for an awd system at all. maybe as subsitute for a LSD i would say the traction control is a sub but even then the LSD wins most of the time..
Sounds more like a difference in tires and not AWD systems.
I have a real world example also. Took the wifes AWD Ford Freestyle into town while it was snowing and a tad icy. Barely made a couple SMALL hills from a stop, horrible time stopping at ANY corner, and a true nightmare ride through a twisty country road. Same day 1 hour later with snow still falling and roads still icy (road crews don't run most week-ends unless it is a big storm.) Same route and it was like driving on dry pavement, no wheel spin, no sliding at stops, no worries at all during the twisty sections at all. Oh yeah... same exact vehicle, just the difference between swapping out the 1/2 worn summer tires (all-seasons) for the dedicated snow tires. Everything else was the exact same and it was like driving two TOTALLY different vehicles.
I've spent almost my entire life driving in heavy snow country from Northern Maine to the UP of Michigan and the biggest difference is NOT from the type AWD system, it is the tires on the roadway. Yes there is a slight difference in the different systems, but those differences are not that big in the snow (yes I have owned Subaru, Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, etc... and have driven most of the others.)
For the OP, if the area you are in only gets about 10 days of snow, just make sure you have good tires, SLOW down, and don't make quick changes while driving (on/off the gas/brake, lane changes, stops/starts, corners, etc....) No you do not need AWD or 4X4 to drive in snowy conditions/areas. If you drive your existing FWD vehicle within it's limits, and your comfort zone, then the biggest worry you will have are the Idiots in the AWD and 4X4 vehicles that think they are invincible because of what they are driving. Those are the ones that weave in and out of "lesser vehicles," drive too fast, and then wonder why they are the one upside down in the median or ditch while the lesser vehicles are slowly driving by rubbernecking. Plenty of times I've driven an old beater RWD Ford LTD with the 400 v-8 around 4X4 vehicles spinning on the ice, or stuck trying to go up a hill, because I had dedicated snow tires and they were relying solely on their "superior" AWD or 4x4 systems.
100% correct!... but in this test and my cases its a difference in systems not tires. if any of the vehicles were equipt with anything other than oem all seasons i would agree with you. the one constant they all had were crappy oem all seasons. im a big believer in winter tires and they make a big difference. it would even be unfair to pit a rwd against an awd if the rwd had a good set of winter tires on it. you can see test videos on tire rack .
i find a good awd and 4x4 system coupled with winter tires is as good as it gets for winter driving.
as soon as i sell off my bmw blizzak winter tires as i now got the jeep sahara and dont need them anymore i will even pull off the all terrains on the jeep which are decent in snow and go to a full winter tire.
below 40 degrees a good winter tire stays sticky and flexable compared to an all season which is really a no season which gets harder and more in-flexable as temperatures drop.
even without snow and ice todays winter tires are great performers in the cold. better control on turns,faster stopping on slick surfaces and better traction when bogged down are all major benefits to winter tires.
Last edited by mathjak107; 10-15-2011 at 06:00 AM..
100% correct!... but in this test and my cases its a difference in systems not tires. if any of the vehicles were equipt with anything other than oem all seasons i would agree with you. the one constant they all had were crappy oem all seasons. im a big believer in winter tires and they make a big difference. it would even be unfair to pit a rwd against an awd if the rwd had a good set of winter tires on it. you can see test videos on tire rack .
Correct about snow and all-seasons, but don't forget there is a huge difference between which all-season the OEM's choose to equip their vehicles with. I bought one that came with the blasted Michelin LX-4 tires and couldn't get out of it's own way if it was raining hard, let alone snowing. Those are the crappiest tire ever put on a vehicle.
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i find a good awd and 4x4 system coupled with winter tires is as good as it gets for winter driving.
Yep, 100 correct. Best choice if you have a lot of winter driving... which is why both of my vehicles are AWD/4X4 and have the best dedicated wither tires I can buy for them. My wife is an ER Nurse and she HAS to get into work, no matter the weather.
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as soon as i sell off my bmw blizzaks as i now got the jeep sahara and dont need them anymore i will even pull off the all terrains on the jeep which are decent in snow and go to a full winter tire.
Look at either the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 or their W965 for winter sneakers for your Jeep. Both are GREAT tires for the little beasty. Nokian also makes some truly remarkable winter tires.
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below 40 degrees a good winter tire stays sticky and flexable compared to an all season which is really a no season which gets harder and more in-flexable as temperatures drop.
even without snow and ice todays winter tires are great performers in the cold. better control on turns,faster stopping on slick surfaces and better traction when bogged down are all major benefits to winter tires.
Also 100% correct. A lot of detractors of dedicated winter tires, haven't tried them in the last 30 years and have missed out on some great engineering and development in the wither tire category.
those 2 tires are my exact picks.
the Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 or their W965 .
im more inclined to go with the dm-v1.
i have the BLIZZAK LM-25 runflats on the bmw .they are called a performance snow. they do great at 70-80 mph but retain enough winter tire traits to be a perfect match for the bmw. i have them mounted on seperate wheels and just swap them from november to april. except for the wheels they really cost nothing as you put that much less mileage on your regular tires.
i just put them up on craigs list for sale as i want to sell them locally here in new york.
there is a difference in oem tires but in that test video its really a system issue. i remember pulling off the oem bf goodrich long trails off my xterra when i had it and going to a bfg at/ko all terrain. holy smoke was there a difference. i have photos of it in 3 ft of snow.
Last edited by mathjak107; 10-15-2011 at 06:17 AM..
The new Camry wagon is the Venza similar to the new Accord wagon is the CrossTour.... They're pretty stupid vehicles to me. You get a bigger penalty to handling and gas mileage because of the stilts while simultaneously getting a less practical vehicle, especially with the CrossTour, when compared with a wagon. On the upside, it is amusing watching people over 5'6" get into the back of the CrossTour. You'll have a hard time finding a replacement that's as comfortable as a Camry. They really are terrific in that respect. Hell, Volvo doesn't even make a wagon any longer. Sad... I'd really like something just a little bit bigger than my Mazda3 wagon. There's pretty much just the TSX and BMW 3/Audi A4.
More topic drift but noone has mentioned the Saabs. Sort of exotic and sure to get a comment or two.
They have some nice cars/wagons with FWD and AWD . If they can only stay in business
heres a little video that shows the difference between the various awd systems . they are not even close to being equally capable. while they may all call themselves all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive the amount of torque the systems transmitt when called upon vary greatly. some are just about useless when things get to slick. you can see in the video how traction control is next to useless under more severe slippage conditions as well.
some even advertise a 50/50 split of power yet in real conditions it doesnt seem to play out that way and the vehicle goes no where.
for all purposes many should only be called awd assist as they bear no resemblance to a good awd or 4x4 system. the rav4 ,murano ,crv fall in that class in my opinion. we had such grief trying to pull a jet ski out of the water with a rav4 . with the butten engaged toyota claims a 50/50 split of power but we ended up using a jeep cherokee in awd to get the jet ski out in a heartbeat after giving up on the rav4.
when it comes to winter driving and awd,4x4,fwd and rwd remember nothing is a problem until its a problem. like i said earlier i thought front wheel drive was able to do it all pretty well when thats all i drove.
and it may do okay for most folks if you dont have a problem or dont mind the skitterishness on slushy roads.. but as my vehicles got better and better systems the ability of the cars got better and better and with a greater feeling of comfort.
Don't believe for a minute that such tests aren't rigged. All 4WD systems and also AWD systems can be defeated to make another system look better. For example, if you watch this video you can see how the Subaru traction control can be defeated. However, in real life driving one is not driving this Subaru on a set of rollers, so the test means nothing.
I have said numerous times in this forum that I had a 2009 Forester, which later traded for a 2010 Rav 4 V6. I can tell you about both: driving on the ice-covered roads in the interior of Alaska, I could not tell any difference between the two. Both are surefooted on the road, and their traction and stability controls respond to lateral or any other skid incredibly fast and efficiently.
FORESTER: If you want to pull a jet sky out of the water this is what you do (read the manual, because the instructions are there): press the traction/stability control button located near the steering column to turn the system off (you don't need it on when driving slowly, only on the road on normal driving). When you do this, the Forester will allow for the full power available. This in turn stops fish-tailing or the tendency for the rear end to move side to side if the rear wheels spin.
RAV 4 4WD: this is what you do: disable the traction/stability control and press the 4x4 button on the dash (not far from the steering column. When you do this, the 4WD locks all the wheels in 4x4, so the Rav 4 turns into a 4x4 and stays that way up to 25 MPH.
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