With a guilty heart I'm thinking it's time to replace my 2007 300K+ mile touring. With a decent set of snows, my Gen2 is like a little tractor in the snow, but with plans to move from NJ back to New England, I'm intrigued by the AWD model. I wouldn't be expecting it to compare to a 4WD vehicle with clearance, but am curious if the extra traction is worth the trade-off in fuel efficiency and more importantly, maintenance costs. Any AWD owners care to comment on their experiences? Is there a definite difference in traction with the AWD and has anyone had to have repairs? If so, were they costly or somewhat reasonable? I also posted in the Gen5 forum, but am thinking there may be a larger knowledge base of experience with the AWD here. Thanks! Bechi
I find that AWDe has very little MPG cost (minor weight increase) as my 2020 is averaging 52 MPG which is about the same as my 2016 Prius LE. In both cases I carry the extra weight of a donut spare (although in an inconvenient location in the AWDe). One downside of the AWDe is a smaller gas tank (a bit less than 10 gallons), but the increased traction gets me up my steep driveway in bad weather. JeffD
Thanks Jeff. Do you normally run snows in the winter, or is that with older all-seasons? I've found that new all-seasons are about as good as snows around here (NJ) when sloppy. The price differential between the 2WD and AWD Prius is a little over my deductible, so if it adds any help whatsoever with traction, it seems like a no-brainer; it would only have to have made a difference once. Anyone with comments on 2WD with snows vs AWD with snows? Thanks! Bechi
I normally run "All Weather" tires on my Prii although my 2020 AWDe is currently still on the OE nano tires. With the worn all season nanos, the AWDE does better than my 2016 Prius (not AWDe) did with the Nokian WRg4 All Season tires (they are also LRR rated). JeffD
I've never had (or felt I needed) 4-wheel drive. Lived in northern New Hampshire, Boston, Seattle, Taos. The only time I've had trouble I drove off the road (fully aware) and was able to dig myself out easily. You need to drive carefully on occasion, but that is all.
I live on top of a hill, and when I had an 07 Prius, even with Blizzaks on 4 corners when there’s snow and/or ice I would have a hard time going up this hill without getting stuck, usually the VSC will be super aggressive and the car stops moving. I would basically accelerate like crazy before the hill and use some inertia to get over that section… Then I got 2019 Awde, and it’s so easy up this hill now. I actually stopped switching to Blizzaks, just on the OE Ecopia tires, I can now manage it. I have put Blizzaks back on the Awde from time to time, and basically I feel like I can drive like in a normal condition, which is fantastic. I recommend Awde. Mpg is at 53 mpg under all conditions…
