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AWD vs RWD

14K views 14 replies 11 participants last post by  MachDrive 
#1 · (Edited)
so i made a reservation for a premium extended AWD...seems to check all the boxes, nicer interior, max range (to minimize range anxiety) and AWD for safety and performance.

but after reading on the forum about real-use scenarios, thinking more i don't really need the extended range (live in california so not too cold/range hit, rarely take long trips and on abettertripplanner it's still 2 stops whether extended or standard range for LA-SF). cool, saved $5000, wife will be happy.

now i'm re-considering even the AWD.

my current car (volvo c70) probably has a 0-60 in the 7s (has a ecu tune). but it's FWD and has a turbo so there's turbo lag and torque steer. so the mach-e standard RWD in the low 6s is already going to faster. plus the instant torque off the line, it will probably feel even faster. and handling wise, although it's got a heavy battery, my hard top convertible is no lightweight and the mach-e's low center of gravity and RWD should handle great.

i'm in california so rarely need it for snow, although we do go to the mountains to ski/snowboard on occasion. but if it's snowing bad enough to really need AWD, would probably need snow tires and/or chains too, right? basically i could save $7700 forgoing extended battery and AWD and save the dough for the next car. i'm sure it's nice fat margins for ford if i got with ER AWD, but i'm trying to be slightly practical :)

with federal/state rebate's it'd be $41,100 before tax/etc which is pretty reasonable for a electric crossover with decent styling, space, and tech (vs $48,700 for the ER AWD which my wife has approved but induces a bigger frown). for background, our most expensive car was $37k for a new honda odyssey when our twins were born 9 years ago. my volvo was bought used 8 years ago for $21k.

obviously the decision is different from the typical crossover $1000-1500 upgrade for AWD since this entails an additional electric motor and comes with more performance (at a price and range cost). but typical crossovers are usually FWD too.

any warm weather folks feel strongly about AWD over RWD? of course it's always a personal decision, but do you think the $2700 is worth it?
 
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#4 ·
I'm in Southern CA and have a 1st edition in red reserved but I am rethinking it as well to save some money and get those extra rebates for MSRP under $60,000. I think having the extended range is a good thing just in case something happens and I can't charge. I have a 240 outlet in my garage so that shouldn't be an issue and I do see more places around me getting fast chargers or free charging but I still want peace of mind. My current car is a Mazda CX5 GT and I get about 320 to a tank so I'd like to keep about the same range.
 
#12 ·
Sure you can....I've been driving around Oakland County in Michigan in winter in sedans and coupes with rear wheel drive for decades on a series of dedicated winter tires...Blizzak WS 60s, 70s, etc. over the years. Never been stuck; never had a crash. Meanwhile, you don't have to pay for or carry around or maintain all that excess weight and mechanicals. AWD is a marginal assist...the overwhelming success to winter is the tires, especially if stopping and turning are high priorities.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Good point. Just using winter tires instead of AWD will offer better traction performance and also help with general traction and braking. Being able to brake is obviously many times more important than being able to accelerate and winter tires help with both. With the $2700k you save, you can easily afford running two sets of tires. As an added bonus, you will also gain ~30 miles of maximum range and increased energy efficiency in the summer by not having the extra motor (in winter, the tires will cause more drag so might be about the same range hit as AWD.. not sure. Regardless correct tires will improve traction far more than AWD).
 
#10 · (Edited)
That is my guess too, though I don't really know. They seemed to price the first edition to be just under $60k to avoid problems with governments that limit MSRPs to that amount for incentives. Regardless, I am sure Ford is acutely aware of the various MSRP incentive limits and will price accordingly when ordering time comes along. Though I think GT buyers are out of luck if you live in a places that limits incentives based on MSRP.

Sadly I am in a state (Michigan) that not only offers no incentives, but instead charges additional taxes in the form of extra registration fees for owning an electric vehicle (to make up for lost gas taxes). Never mind the fact they are already collecting more sales and registration taxes due to BEVs having a higher MSRP than a comparable ICE vehicle and that BEV adoption will reduce government expenses in other areas like air pollution.

As for AWD, I think it is only worth it if you live in an area that regularly gets snow in the winter and is slow to clear it. It is good for not getting stuck on unplowed roads and climbing icy hills, but it won't for help braking ability at all which is what actually matters for safety. I don't have any skiing experience, but I can imagine that mountains would benefit from AWD since you would need traction to accelerate up the inclines, particularly if you are forced to stop on an incline. And obviously, going off the road on a mountain could have very bad results. However, if you rarely go into the mountains, maybe you would be better off just renting a car built for snow instead as, like you said, snow tires would also be needed for traction.

I wish you could turn the smaller AWD motor on or off, depending on whether you need it or not. Maybe that would help recoup some of the lost efficiencies during the summer when you don't need it.
 
#15 ·
I wrote the Governor asking if the $55k cut-off was base MSRP, or after options.
i made my plea as to why it should be base MSRP, such as important options like extended batteries and AWD.

The rebate program hasn’t officially started yet, they are still working out the mechanics. So we will see what transpires.
 
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