JMJ-

In the absense of snow I would opt for a FWD MO. The only exception would be if I lived in a rural area with hilly, gravel roads where AWD might keep you from getting stuck. If you regularly haul a boat out of the water at a steep, wet ramp then AWD might be beneficial. Otherwise, an FWD MO would be my choice.

-njjoe

 

Go with FWD, unless you do drive on the beach often as you can do say in Daytona Beach, Florida. Frequent Florida boat ramp use would warrant AWD also.

Can also tell you that AWD's are a little scarce at Florida dealerships and while the dealership will get you one / find what you want they do that at a premium and bargaining power is lost.

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I think you will do just fine without the AWD, and you also will simplify the drivetrain and probably lighten the vehicle a bit.

 

I would also go with FWD. I have had FWD cars, most recently a Maxima, and I live on a hill where we get snow. For that reason I opted for AWD because it sometimes gets dicey in FWD and I have been stuck before. But since I bought the AWD MO we have had the warmest winter on record. Go figure!

 

Ditto - FWD will be fine.

 

Sounds like your situation is similar to mine; I live in Dallas where we get very little snow and some ice. In my experience, nothing short of tire chains will help on ice, but we do get big downpours of rain in the Spring. Maybe something like you get in the Summer. I went for AWD mainly from the rain. If I, or my wife, are driving at 45 through our town during a downpour, it is not unusual to lose traction when hitting a low spot on the road that has 6 -8 inches of water in it. I haven't had the car over a Spring rainy season yet, but I'm hopeful that the AWD on our 2011 SL will help in this situation.

 

The AWD in these cars is mostly to get you started in low traction situations. It is largely not functioning at quite low speeds, 18-20 MPH IIRC. The loss of traction you describe above is classic hydroplaning where your tire gets elevated from the road surface due to the incompressible water. As little as 1/2" can do it. The greater the speed, the easier it happens.

 

Isn't the AWD only activates when you loss traction. Most of the time its basically FWD

 

Thanks a lot for your inputs. Since everyone of you feel the same and it also makes sense, I'll go for a FWD and save some money.

 

You'll get better fuel economy, too.

 

Hmmmm. I was disappointed to hear what your were saying about the AWD at other than slow speeds, TopazM3. I had always assumed that the MO AWD system would provide traction assistance at any speed if slippage is detected on a driven axle. The Nissan advertising certainly leads one to believe that is the case. You are saying that there is never any power applied to the rear axle at speeds above 25 mph or so? For example when cornering on a slippery road at 25 mph and a front wheel starts to slip in mud, the AWD system won't help out at all? That would certainly be a letdown for me.

 

I'm the same way. And we also have a 4X4 Titan for when it's really bad out but I just wanted the OP to realize that there's quite a bit more to the Muranos AWD system than just snow. There are many non snow related advantages to the AWD setup.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone 4S app

 

And BTW, fuel mileage ratings are the exact same 18/23 for both AWD and FWD 2011+ models

 

Guys - Thanks a lot for yr inputs.
well, my wife thinks that since this is a SUV/CUV it is good to have AWD.

BillArf - I see yr point, I checked about 5 dealers locally and found only 2 AWD in total, so that might be an issue and agree with u, if I insist on one then my bargaining power is diminished.

I also see from members here that AWD has more to offer in normal driving conditions. So I'm still mulling abt, to go for one or not.

Keep the inputs coming.

 

You won't be sorry with the AWD. The feeling of sure-footedness in the wet and cornering along with a much better resale value is well worth it.

 

I think the only thing that matters here is what your wife say. So long you are ready to deal with the maintenance requirement of an AWD MO then you are set. Majority suggest FWD including me because of the expensive repairs needed should it start acting up on you during your possession of it--particularly the transfer case and rear diff to some extent. This comes from the experience of owning one and reports posted here over the 9 years since it came out. However, since you are asking...I think subconsciously you want the AWD. Dude just get it. :29: Dont let anyone talk you out of what you like to buy specially cars. You usually take better care of your car if you like it alot. Thats how I am anyways. Good luck.

 

I agree with you "nitely".... gotto keep the wife happy, more often than not, she makes sound decisions in our household. The feeling of sure footedness and security like HVT mentioned is always good to have. On the other side there are these issues with the AWD transfer case. kinda see which one outweighs the other... I guess. Keep it coming. Thanks Again !!

 

Something I learned LONG ago: nobody drives the car they NEED, they drive the car they WANT.

If we all drove what we need, most of us would be in Checkers and there would be no sports cars, pony cars or other vehicles that don't carry much payload. The rest of us would be driving 6-cylinder pickups for work reasons.

Even those who drive econo-mizer-boxes are doing so because that's what they want to drive based on their values and the statement they want to make.

Get the car you want. You will anyway!

 

Get the car you want. You will anyway!

You are kidding, right? You did read that he is married, so he will get the car she wants.

-njjoe

 

Mo is for her, so she gets what she wants, but at the same time she wants to make an educated decision after looking at the pros and cons.