John: As you alluded to, I am one of the guys who does say that AWD offers advantages in the worst conditions, but also contend that that difference is not as great as often made out to be.
Here in NH,where snow does fall now and then, four good snow tires on my Saab's has always done the trick. Would there be incrementally more traction with AWD? Yes. Would it make a difference in getting there vs. not getting there? Definitely not! Starting out rom a full stop on ice,I give the advantage to AWD. Once underway on most roads, I feel that stability is really not that much better with AWD.
Winter conditions require above all else, that one drive well below traction and performance limits, no matter how a car is equipped. Long before there were so many four and all wheel drive vehicles on the road, the insurance industry had released well documented statistics that the vast majority of single vehicle accidents in our region involved four wheel drive vehicles. Single car accidents,if I may apply a little aviation terminology, mean that they were the sole cause of the pilot in command. They are not a fault of the vehicle not having enough traction,but of the driver not knowing what the driving conditions were,and exceeding both the vehicle's, and his own abilities.
I am anxiously looking forward to the time when Saab will apply AWD to a conventional passenger vehicle, but mostly for the traction under acceleration that cannot be obtained with FWD. I suspect that if such a vehicle is equipped with low profile high performance tires,it will be necessary to swap them out for winter driving anyway. To me, this negates some of the advantages of AWD as it relates to winter use.

posted by 24.128.2...

• Help - Audi A6 Avant VS Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon, BrightTL, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 13:58:12
  • Some thoughts, Bevan, Wed, 26 Dec 2001 11:30:10
  • If where you live you get lots of snow..., Coolknight, Tue, 25 Dec 2001 15:35:23
    • Fixed link.... NM, Coolknight, Tue, 25 Dec 2001 15:37:03
  • Re: Help - Audi A6 Avant VS Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon, Neal, Tue, 25 Dec 2001 11:06:32
    • ! Agree - Saab 9-5 is safe, BrightTL, Tue, 25 Dec 2001 11:46:37
      • What percentage are you referring to in the ENCAP?, Jim, Wed, 26 Dec 2001 15:11:33
        • Each test gets a %, Coolknight, Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:14:15
  • Lets us know what you decided on n/m, Anton, Mon, 24 Dec 2001 13:36:18
  • Had to make the same decision - went Saab..., Dale, Mon, 24 Dec 2001 12:08:14
    • Near invoice plus the $4k rebate?, New2saab, Thu, 27 Dec 2001 20:46:41
    • Re: Had to make the same decision - went Saab..., Jim, Tue, 25 Dec 2001 03:27:42
  • Interior Quality...... its a matter of so much, Jörgen Trued, Mon, 24 Dec 2001 09:20:44
    • Good point, Polaris, Mon, 24 Dec 2001 10:21:08
  • Re: Help - Audi A6 Avant VS Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon, John Davies, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 18:27:34
    • AWD vs FWD Aero vs Audi, BrightTL, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 23:08:31
      • On the point of AWD vs. FWD and Subaru Outback, Vlad, Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:09:39
      • FWD is OK in my book, Polaris, Mon, 24 Dec 2001 10:34:43
    • AWD vs. FWD, Lou, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 18:53:35 <-- Viewing This Message
      • Re: AWD vs. FWD, John Davies, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 22:18:56
        • Re: AWD vs. FWD, Bob M, Wed, 26 Dec 2001 16:13:23
  • can't say about wagon, but 2.8 sedan is..., Eli5, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 15:06:12
  • I am in the same situation as you are, but you need...., TKC, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 14:54:06
  • Re: Help - Audi A6 Avant VS Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon, ANDREW GAY, Sun, 23 Dec 2001 14:12:16

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