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Had to get AWD to get the engine I wanted in mine. Ford doesn't sell it any other way. Generally I'd skip the AWD if possible to minimize mechanical complexity and mpg loss, but the better handling and grip is actually quite nice!
I live where it snows, so my AWD G35x has a purpose. It drives VERY well in the white stuff.
But for the other 8 months a year? I'd have to say rain confidence improved with AWD as well. I realize that a good set of tires can overcome that hurdle, but i found it an added benefit to the AWD + good tires was the feeling that no matter the road conditions, the car felt stable.
If i lived in the south there it never snowed, i'd just get a RWD car.
If they're diesel, I wouldn't doubt those numbers for a minute. My 22 yr old F250 diesel pulls upper teens doing 70-75 all day long.
Mike
I only made the comment because in mixed driving my 03 Duramax never got over 14 and I drove it 170,000 miles. Truck was 2WD and bone stock. Driving home from the dealership it got 17 on the highway but was totally empty and I wasn't driving it hard (trying to break it in right).
The HP/Torque/emissions on the new ones have strangled the mileage in most cases. You have to remember it is still a big heavy square truck being pushed down the road using a huge motor.
Awd allows the vehicle to put down power at all four contact patches. Climate and road conditions are only part of the reason why a car would have awd. Consider these awd vehicles:
we have lived in SC for 4+ years now, but as we make multiple trips back home to WI thru the year (including in winter) we have kept our Pilot AWD. It's been useful often enough when we're up there, not to mention driving thru the mountains. In the past year, our trips up to WI included a 20" snowstorm one day in Dec, having to drive back thru IN on a day they had a bad storm in Dec, a WI snowstorm in March, and so on....
Down here, it has come in handy on the heavy rain days (got 4" the other day), and even occasionally at the boat ramp.
I dont complain about our mileage with it (20-22 avg) and it's not worth it to us to have a fwd version but spend the extra coin several times each year just to rent a 4wd/awd vehicle for our winter travels.
I'm sure on my daily commute back and forth to work, my 4wd SUV might seem silly to some (altho there are no 4x4 badges anywhere, the only way to tell unless you are looking under the truck is the 4x4 buttons on the dash.)
But odly enough, I don't only use my vehicle for work commute. I also take it to the beach, where 4x4 is very useful. I also take it camping and pull my camper with it. On our annual trips to Denver to visit family at christmas time, we don't cancel the trip because of a blizzard. I've also used it several times to pull out stuck 2wd's or 4x4's where people overdrove their abilities.
What is the point of getting an AWD drive car if you live in a warm climate?
Offroading.
Anything else I can help you with?
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