If you're driving gently in packed snow, I agree with Eric, don't put it on. If you're not taking it easy, or you're just generally having fun, trust me, put it on....
If you hammer it in packed snow while turning, the system will detect it's slipping, and kick in the rear wheels part the way through the turn. The next thing you know, traction conditions have just changed to your rear wheels and if you're really gassing it, you've just unhooked the rear end.
First reaction, oh no, what's it doing? So you automatically let off on the gas which makes the front wheels dig in.
Rear unhooked in turn, fronts digging in, better hope there's no poles, hydrants, or anything else you don't want to hit in the spin you've just created. Oh, unless you have VDC and it's on... But VDC probably wouldn't have let you do that in the first place...
So if it's snow or ice you're on, I say AWD on. Especially if you are in an area where you want to have some fun and no one else is on the road with you. Rain? Let it do it's thing...
This winter one day the roads were sheer ice... Like glass. AWD worked well then. While everyone else was in the ditch or parked in the road petrified to move, jaak in his Murano, with the AWD switched on, was creeping along at about 4 mph, passing them all.
Had to be really gentle with the gas, but I was impressed. There was a corner that was a steep camber, going up a hill. A gentle right, then a hard left. In the ditch on the other side of the road, was a Toyota highlander. Passing it was a Murano.
Of course I had my window down and was saying good morning, especially to the 4x4 drivers chatting to each other waiting for the ice to melt.:4:
Some have felt they would like the Murano to be all time AWD. In the two years and three winters I've driven mine, I have yet to find a situation where the AWD was not up to the task, nor could I detect when it released and I lost ability to put horsepower to the road.
My only concern about it, is in slippery conditions, it's a little slow to engage, if I'm driving more aggressively than normal. (I do this in isolated areas, because I enjoy driving. I don't drive like an idiot, however.)
So AWD gets turn on, when it's time for fun in ice and snow...
It's even bad for a 4x4's transfer case to have it engaged in the dry.... So it's not just a Murano characteristic.
