AWD is it much better FWD?

[DeanoTS]

Hi all, I'm tossing up between a KL AWD Verada and a KW XI Verada, I have never driven a AWD Magna/Verada, just wondering is the AWD much better to drive? is it worth paying a bit more for the AWD and the higher fuel costs? cheers

[Oggy]

I say there's good and bad both ways, it depends on what is important to you.

I drove Adelaide to Melbourne in a FWD TJ hire car - it pulled well and drove great and didn't use too much fuel.
If you put your foot down in a corner, it would light up the inside tyre, but didn't understeer as much as I thought it would.

I later bought an AWD TJ - why - AWD is unusual, sounds like more fun, price was good, the wife wanted Automatic and I didn't realise the performance difference.
I was pretty happy with it in a straight line - 15.8 seconds 400m isn't too bad, whereas a FWD Manual can hit 14s. I don't know how a FWD auto goes.

The best bit is a wet road slows most ppl down, but the AWD Magna still does 15.8 seconds 400m - water made zero difference to my car in a straight line. Stomp on the gas, car moves forward with no fuss and a nice V6 roar.
Corners - it gets the power down reasonably well, can actually be a bit tail happy, so don't push it in the wet. But lateral grip is controlled by the tyres and how the power is delivered doesn't have a real impact on the road, maybe on the track, but not much difference on the street.
But, mine felt far more stable than any FWD i've ever driven.
In the end, I paid more for petrol but it was a fun drive and I loved my AWD for the 3 years I had it.

I parted ways because I was thinking of a 380 engine swap, but felt a wagon would be a better upgrade - spent my $ on a Turbo Forester - the diffs don't work as well as the Magna, but I'm happier on every other aspect, and it's a manual !

[DeanoTS]

I say there's good and bad both ways, it depends on what is important to you.

I drove Adelaide to Melbourne in a FWD TJ hire car - it pulled well and drove great and didn't use too much fuel.
If you put your foot down in a corner, it would light up the inside tyre, but didn't understeer as much as I thought it would.

I later bought an AWD TJ - why - AWD is unusual, sounds like more fun, price was good, the wife wanted Automatic and I didn't realise the performance difference.
I was pretty happy with it in a straight line - 15.8 seconds 400m isn't too bad, whereas a FWD Manual can hit 14s. I don't know how a FWD auto goes.

The best bit is a wet road slows most ppl down, but the AWD Magna still does 15.8 seconds 400m - water made zero difference to my car in a straight line. Stomp on the gas, car moves forward with no fuss and a nice V6 roar.
Corners - it gets the power down reasonably well, can actually be a bit tail happy, so don't push it in the wet. But lateral grip is controlled by the tyres and how the power is delivered doesn't have a real impact on the road, maybe on the track, but not much difference on the street.
But, mine felt far more stable than any FWD i've ever driven.
In the end, I paid more for petrol but it was a fun drive and I loved my AWD for the 3 years I had it.

I parted ways because I was thinking of a 380 engine swap, but felt a wagon would be a better upgrade - spent my $ on a Turbo Forester - the diffs don't work as well as the Magna, but I'm happier on every other aspect, and it's a manual !

Hi Oggy, Thanks so much for going to the trouble to type all that out for me, was a very interesting read, much appreciated, Cheers

[vlad]

AWD for purely the safety in the wet and unpredictable road conditions. My KW Verada GTVi AWD handled an oil patch mid corner with utmost poise. I now own a Pajero and drive it in 4H which is basically AWD mode and did go through a sharp off-camber right turn and the AWD made sure it stayed on course. Both times, the two cars jiggled a bit rather than spinning out or going off on a tangent.


Each time my wife's MY08 Outlander goes for a service, they switch it from AWD to FWD and at the first set of lights, it will just spin the front wheels on take off.

[BergDonk]

The AWD is heavier and has more friction to overcome, so uses more fuel. Most of the time the lower gearing of the AWD masks the lesser performance that results, but not the extra fuel consumption.

The AWD is easier on the driveline and works great when the road is slippery. I also love the handling of my VRX AWD when pushed. Hit the throttle mid corner and the line tightens, it doesn't run wide, just turns. If you don't push it, you won't notice. I also have 2 x TJ 2wds in the 'fleet' and they are excellent cars, but the TWII VRX AWD with 380 conversion is a bit special for me.

[KWAWD]

Hi all, I'm tossing up between a KL AWD Verada and a KW XI Verada, I have never driven a AWD Magna/Verada, just wondering is the AWD much better to drive? is it worth paying a bit more for the AWD and the higher fuel costs? cheers

i found the AWD is awesomely confidence inspiring, especially in the wet. The first drive in a shower with soaking wet road is just stunning. I was gobsmacked actually. After that its all fun with a big grin.
Negatives: theres slightly more noise and vibration, but not too much. Just dont expect it to be as quiet and smooth as a FWD in top condition. Then theres the power drop coming from a FWD, due to the extra weight of the car. This bothered me as I was used to years of driving my KH FWD and didnt like the reduced overtaking performance, so I had a 380's 6G75 put in. (Even better than the KH now). Finally theres the extra maintenance (oils) and ~1L/100km economy drop.
If you can tolerate the above then the AWD is totally awe inspiring.

[DeanoTS]

i found the AWD is awesomely confidence inspiring, especially in the wet. The first drive in a shower with soaking wet road is just stunning. I was gobsmacked actually. After that its all fun with a big grin.
Negatives: theres slightly more noise and vibration, but not too much. Just dont expect it to be as quiet and smooth as a FWD in top condition. Then theres the power drop coming from a FWD, due to the extra weight of the car. This bothered me as I was used to years of driving my KH FWD and didnt like the reduced overtaking performance, so I had a 380's 6G75 put in. (Even better than the KH now). Finally theres the extra maintenance (oils) and ~1L/100km economy drop.
If you can tolerate the above then the AWD is totally awe inspiring.

Hi KWAWD, thanks so much for your comments that has helped me a lot, thank you, cheers

[lmnau]

The TJ AWD is the best car ever built in Australia (... too much? : )

So when test driving cars to find something to buy, ( I'm 188cm) drove Audi A4 Quattro, Merc 300ce 24v, Subaru's (many), Suzuki... and many others, then came across this car in a car yard with AWD down the side. First drive was arse down, nose up and took off up the road dead straight with no steering torque (audi and subaru [symetrical my arse]), then flat round a bend like it was nailed to the ground. Left everything else standing.

So good, that when my first one got killed by a Dunnydore drive (I wasn't even in it... it was parked) I went straight out and bought another one.

If you upgrade the brakes and rubber, it is both unstoppable and stoppable.

The only shortcoming is the turning circle is wider than a Manley Ferry. But it's high speed handling is so good, I was advised by my suspension guy that it wasn't worth doing anything because they were pretty good stock. (Kept offering him money, but he kept saying no.)

Mechanically things to look out for are:
Transmission: the F5 box CANNOT be left with with bad fluid, they have a tendency to explode. Change the fluid at the scheduled service. The crown gears, if not assembled properly, can destroy themselves. A fix is to drop the box an TIG weld the nuts to the bearer. If you can get the service history and this has been done then your good for life.

Engine: The oil feeders to the top of the 3.5 engine can block, causing a spectacular oil explosion all over the rocker cover, which is actually an easy fix but pretty disturbing at first sight.

Body: Crappy Burger's Metallic paint clear coat peels off.

They were the only issues I had in over 10 years of own 2.

That said, mine currently has put a rod through the sump, and is lying forlorned looking for someone who would like a project. So if anyone wants one.

[fuel]

Where in Victoria are you?

[Handy]

I've had both. Replaced my AWD with a manual TJ VRX. My AWD was great in the wet. Stopping, steering and high speed stability were excellent. But my first drive of the VRX sold me. The exhaust note, the acceleration, the absence of driveline vibration... Not to mention the fuel economy.
I do most of my driving on dry roads with the window down to make the most of that note.