Just wondering if there is much difference in driving a AWD compared to a FWD. I have heard that they feel great compared to the FWD.
I asume there would be a great advantage when driving hard but just doing everyday driving, can you notice a difference?

How do they feel different?

I'm just suprised that more people don't buy an AWD considering that they aren't much more expensive than the FWD.

I have a TH FWD and a TJ AWD, and i have to say there are some huge advantages in day-to-day driving that you get from the AWD...

For starters, with the FWD, I'd regularly slip the wheels at takeoff from lights etc..., whereas with the AWD I can push the accelerator to the floor and let the car pull itself to whatever speed i want lol

Also, the AWD is much happier on warn down roads, like with pot holes and stuff - on the FWD the car would get thrown around much more and you'd have to slow down or drive around the bad ones, but in the AWD I can drive straight over this stuff without slowing and you dont even notice it...

Funnily enough, the one place I haven't really noticed a huge difference is at higher speeds on dirt roads or fire trails - the FWD seemed to do just fine, mind you, I don't think I would have taken the FWD on some of the trails I've been on since I got the AWD...

BUT, all that said, while the AWD seems like a great car for normal driving, you loose some performance over a FWD car (hence why the Ralliart is an FWD), but that dosn't matter to me

awd basically has better traction then fwd car in all situations. there is probably better and there is less stress on the front with a fwd.

only bad thing about awd is there is greater loss through the drivetrain as the power
has to be distributed through all 4 wheels unlike fwd. also there are more things that can
break cause of another differential. also they are heavier then fwd cars.

On normal daily motoring, particularly city driving, there is not a lot of difference between the FWD and the AWD. The AWD is a joy, relatively speaking, on wet roads.

The other great thing about the AWD is the bigger "ralliart" brakes. They are superb.

I don't know what is going to happen when the new model is released in October. It won't be available in AWD and would need to be a remarkable car to tempt me away from my current wheels.

Thanks for the feedback.

I didn't think there would be a huge difference between the two in normal driving. Also with the FWD Veradas having a fairly good traction control system for the wet, i guess thats why people go the FWD over AWD.

Looking at a new KW Verada and might as well go the AWD considering there isn't much price difference and resale value would be a lot better you would think.

i drive my FWD TL magna around all day every day for work and i am here to tell you, i WISH it was an AWD model! especially in the wet. Spinning your front wheels can only be described as a complete pain in the ass! unfortunately they dont make an AWD wagon :( stupid beam axle rear end!!

I have a TH FWD and a TJ AWD, and i have to say there are some huge advantages in day-to-day driving that you get from the AWD...

For starters, with the FWD, I'd regularly slip the wheels at takeoff from lights etc..., whereas with the AWD I can push the accelerator to the floor and let the car pull itself to whatever speed i want lol

Also, the AWD is much happier on warn down roads, like with pot holes and stuff - on the FWD the car would get thrown around much more and you'd have to slow down or drive around the bad ones, but in the AWD I can drive straight over this stuff without slowing and you dont even notice it...

Funnily enough, the one place I haven't really noticed a huge difference is at higher speeds on dirt roads or fire trails - the FWD seemed to do just fine, mind you, I don't think I would have taken the FWD on some of the trails I've been on since I got the AWD...

BUT, all that said, while the AWD seems like a great car for normal driving, you loose some performance over a FWD car (hence why the Ralliart is an FWD), but that dosn't matter to me
the man sums it up perfectly.

The biggest down side of the AWD in my opinion is the drive train losses - especially in acceleration from the lights - my heart stops when I glance down at the nice red dials and spots the instant fuel consumpstion still reading 112L/100km (yes 112L/100km - 38C day a/c with 4 adults in car, in moderate acceleration - ie keeping up with ford Ka next door) 10secs after the lights turns green. Expect to average 14-16L/100 in city driving.

The Magna AWD is 130kg heavier than the FWD with all those weight ending up front. this causes terrible understeer so i wouldn't take on a mazda mx-5 or rx-8 (both RWD with 50-50 weight distribution on front and rears) through the corners. In fact I can't match them in straight line acceleration either, so I leave them alone. :(

u reckon that the power to weight ratio is why u cant keep up and not the 50/50 distribution
on thier cars?

Do the AWD's feel any different while driving normally round corners or give a different feeling througth the steering? I have read from reviews that the AWD has a much more neutral feeling and is a lot more nimble meaning it feels lighter and easier to throw around corners etc..

Does this sound right?

I guess what i want to know is, if i jumped into one and drove it to work would i feel a difference?

Also, i guess the AWD is a similar weight to a wagon which i have so i might not notice much of a difference. And yeah, the wagon averages round 14L in the city and around 8.8 in the country so i guess i wont be to suprised hey.

Thanks for the feed back.

Do the AWD's feel any different while driving normally round corners or give a different feeling througth the steering? I have read from reviews that the AWD has a much more neutral feeling and is a lot more nimble meaning it feels lighter and easier to throw around corners etc..

Does this sound right?


the underlying question here is - Can it drift :badgrin:
bolt my turbo setup (or even that AAE Supercharger setup) and lets see the first magna doing some drifting action :badgrin:

u reckon that the power to weight ratio is why u cant keep up and not the 50/50 distribution
on thier cars?good point, I'm trying to say its both.

the 1.8L mx-5s Power/weight ratio does the AWD in a straight line.

then, the 50/50 weight ratio of the mx-5, plus rubbery steering control and gross lack of feel on my AWD puts me further behind when we get to the corners.

Do the AWD's feel any different while driving normally round corners or give a different feeling througth the steering? I have read from reviews that the AWD has a much more neutral feeling and is a lot more nimble meaning it feels lighter and easier to throw around corners etc..

Does this sound right?

I guess what i want to know is, if i jumped into one and drove it to work would i feel a difference?

Also, i guess the AWD is a similar weight to a wagon which i have so i might not notice much of a difference. And yeah, the wagon averages round 14L in the city and around 8.8 in the country so i guess i wont be to suprised hey.

Thanks for the feed back.
I say the good thing about the AWD is you stand a lesser chance of losing control going hard into corners. I don't believe it's a nimble car I driven better eg. commodore, camry, falcon - now the missus car an mx-5 weighing 1/2 as much - thats a nimble car :).

The total lack of feel of the steering makes me drive the AWD conservatively into corners. I find the front keeps wanting to go straight with all the weight in there when i try to turn. :(

Would you feel a difference with the FWD on your way to work? I think the Magna AWD is overrated. if you drive mostly gently like me in a fine weather place with good paved roads like Perth WA, you won't think the AWD is any better than the FWD.

yes...thats true when talking about stock cars. when once u start doing modifications
a awd car would eventaully be better off the line then the rx8 with. magna are just low
on power.

I say the good thing about the AWD is you stand a lesser chance of losing control going hard into corners. I don't believe it's a nimble car I driven better eg. commodore, camry, falcon - now the missus car an mx-5 weighing 1/2 as much - thats a nimble car :).

The total lack of feel of the steering makes me drive the AWD conservatively into corners. I find the front keeps wanting to go straight with all the weight in there when i try to turn. :(

Would you feel a difference with the FWD on your way to work? I think the Magna AWD is overrated. if you drive mostly gently like me in a fine weather place with good paved roads like Perth WA, you won't think the AWD is any better than the FWD.

there is new steering racks on TL magna's so that might eliminate the problem your referring to. I honestly think though that even driving under normal conditions, there is great advantages in AWD in the wet. My FWD slips all the time under normal driving conditions when it rains.. just try taking off on a hill in the wet.. it doesnt happen with heaps of wheelspin in the FWD car

I find the TH FWD much more "nimble" is steering - its much lighter and therefore heaps easier to yank the wheel and duck round a corner... that said, the AWD is still more responsive than some of the chunky holdens (from my experience) cause it's still not physically as big...

I think the safety factor in the AWD really stands out - you're comfortable knowing that the AWD can HANDLE tackling trickier corners without as much risk of loss of control.

I also find the AWD GREAT when taking risks when turning right in front of incomming traffic - you can floor it and turn the wheel at the same time without slipping or losing control, so you'll end up getting round a corner faster...

yeah no doubt they are safer.

i have driven an AWD and also FWD's in LSD and non LSD cars.
i do rate the AWD for its road handling abilities but besides the wheel spin in 1st gear, a magna with an LSD is just plain awsome! sure the car with the LSD is lowered with big wheels but it is seriously point and shoot wherever u want to go and i prefered the handling a great deal more than the AWD, especially seeing u cant get the AWD in manual :rant:
Without the LSD i found it at times the car too powerful for its own good especially when your in hoon mode u cannot get the power to the ground when u want it to and it can be unpredictable, at least with an LSD in your car u know the car wants to go straight

Some very interesting responses here guys - makes for good reading!

Deathkage - Doesn't sound like your too impressed with the handling of your car? Sorry to hear that. It is a little surprising considering the amount of hype the magna AWD has received in some reviews and considering the success of the Rally cars. These reviews of the TJ AWD (http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_1666/article.html) & the TL AWD (http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_2141/article.html) both rave about the handling.

I've never driven an AWD Magna but have spent considerable time behind the wheel of a Subaru Liberty. The AWD was brilliant. In fact the car was brilliant except it needed more power. Interestingly enough there was a Wheels test of a Liberty V Magna AWD which the Magna won because both cars shared very similar dynamics but the Magna had better (more effortless) performance from its bigger engine.

In my opinion it is the wet weather advantage of AWD that does it for me. I HATE my FWD in the wet as it is impossible to make a quick start from the lights and exiting corners. Bloody Ford Lasers can be just as quick! :rant:

TZABOY - Was good to hear your positive comments about the LSD, i am trying to decide if i should budget for one, but how does your LSD go in the wet? Surely it is not as effective as AWD? I am not sure if i should mod out my current FWD or wait and save for the AWD i want.

Magnafied, yeah, for some reason i had higher expectations of the AWD. i'd read a lot of this car including the articles listed before making my buy decision which may have contributed to the higher expection of the real thing. i was driving an mx-5 for many years and probably got very at home with its exceptional balance, stoping power & road handling characteristics. also, hmmm - probably is an unfair comparison to draw the mx-5 in line with the magna which is 2x heavier, higher C of G with a less stiff body - an open road tourer with AWD - essentially what mitsubishi designed it to be, as opposed to a street racer.

Magnafied, yeah, for some reason i had higher expectations of the AWD. i'd read a lot of this car including the articles listed before making my buy decision which may have contributed to the higher expection of the real thing. i was driving an mx-5 for many years and probably got very at home with its exceptional balance, stoping power & road handling characteristics. also, hmmm - probably is an unfair comparison to draw the mx-5 in line with the magna which is 2x heavier, higher C of G with a less stiff body - an open road tourer with AWD - essentially what mitsubishi designed it to be, as opposed to a street racer.
Understood. After the MX-5 it would be hard to find many cars that feel as nimble. Unless....you could afford a Lotus Elise :D

Seriously though i wonder if some simple suspension mods wouldn't tighten things up a bit and improve turn in/understeer & improve the feel knowing that the AWD is going to keep you fairly stuck to the road.

it poured down in brisbane today, and all i can say is that i wish i had an AWD even more now!! Hill starts in the pouring rain SUCK ASS in a FWD V6!!!

TZABOY - Was good to hear your positive comments about the LSD, i am trying to decide if i should budget for one, but how does your LSD go in the wet? Surely it is not as effective as AWD? I am not sure if i should mod out my current FWD or wait and save for the AWD i want.
As i said, i rave about the LSD in the dry, but in the wet its game over until u find traction somewhere in 3rd gear but thats if you've got ur foot to the floor. If its wet just take it easy like you should do neway and just enjoy the dry. In the dry i see no need for AWD except if launching in a hurry to beat the car beside you, but with a limo spinning both wheels you can deal with a bit of wheel spin.

go rent an AWD magna for a day... its fscking fantastic !

and its makes u smile when ur instantaneous fuel use readout goes spastic :P

I've driven a 4 cyl Subaru Liberty a fair bit when my dad had it. The grip is pretty darn good, especially when you're pushing it around corners. No wheelspin, not that I would expect any from the seriously underpowered engine. It drove well and revved nicely, just didn't have the torque.
However, with regular day-to-day type driving, I didn't notice much difference. Except the fuel economy was lower than it could've been.

AWD will be less efficient, using more mildly more fuel on the highway. Unless you live in snow or cant control your right foot, they are kinda just a gimmic.



Has anyone got a hardcore AWD car? i wonder how they handle a bit more torque

Well from and old bloke like me i am here to tell you that i have the option of both in my car.
as you know you select 2wd or awd in the pajero. So lets get some things sorted.

a) in the two years i have owned the car and from multiple testing, i have not been able to tell any difference between running in 2wd or awd for fuel consumption.

b) in both the dry and (especially) the wet there is a very large difference between how the car drives. when in 2wd it can 'feel' more nimble (if you could ever call a pejero nimble :D ) but i think it is just my mind playing tricks. in awd mode the truck handles much better and will keep up with and pass just about any NORMAL (ie factory) car on wet or dry roads.

It makes a huge difference driving down the freeway in the wet and haveing all four wheels working for you not just two.

In my opinion it really doeas change the way the car drives and because of that i only travel on awd mode now.

Just my two cents

PS i used to own a wrx and i thought that the awd magna was far more secure and planted on the road than even the wrxy. The awd's are really great cars and like all other magnas, very under-rated!

bummer their is no manual option :rant: