Already Woefully Defensive?
When it comes to sports cars, or super cars for that matter, I have always felt all-wheel-drive has been overrated in the public eye. If all wheel drive becomes the deciding factor whether someone buys a car or not, I would consider that person a fool. Too many people have bought into a more is better mentality. Unless you are racing on a slippery surface regularly I would argue that it hurts you. It can hurt you as a developing driver and even commuting on snow covered roads. Let me explain.
Aggression Without Dexterity:
Ill put this bluntly, like traction control or stability management or whatever gizmo your car might have, AWD is a crutch. It is training wheels for the inexperienced and unconfident. Its a service your car provides you when you have overstepped your bounds and you need an electronic helping hand. A little computer minion notices you carried too much speed into a corner, the minion then has to scream Mayday! to the front wheels so they can drag your arse back in line all before you know there was a problem in the first place. An argument can be made that not all AWD systems are the same, not all of them are electrically monitored meaning it is a true AWD system sending 25 percent of the power to each wheel. This is worse. Its worse because now you are permanently compromising your steering, generally causing substantial amounts of understeer (like here; the laps starts around 6:53). So besides maybe helping you off the line faster, all that your extra differential is really doing is adding weight.
Attracting Winter Ditches:
AWDs handicap does not end on groomed, sticky tracks but it also continues on slushy, icy streets. I could never say that a RWD car handles snow covered roads better, you would have to be a lunatic to say that straight faced, but I can say that drivers without the extra two wheels have an advantage. Respect. I spent the last five years driving RWD cars through Wisconsin winters (Volvo 940 and Jaguar XJ6). In that time they never saw a ditch, snow bank or another bumper. (The Volvo met a deer once, but shrugged it off and kept pluggin along like the little tank that it is.) I passed countless Jeeps, Subarus and big 4x4s on highways, consumed by the frozen desert and their own ego. What AWD does to the naïve is give them a false sense of security. Oh, sure I can go 60 mph in the snow storm. I have all wheel drive and blizzaks! Mother Nature can suck it! With that attitude the only thing that will suck is the two hours you will have to wait in a iced over Hell playing Candy Crush with frost bitten fingers while you wait for your Mom to come get you.
If I am completely honest, I am not completely against AWD cars. I just get annoyed at ignorant fanboys that think their car is faster or better just because all four wheels have power. Im looking at you STI/Evo loving maniacs. There is no doubt that these cars can do ridiculously amazing things. But if you look at the super car elites, a lot of cars are putting up the same numbers with just the rear wheels. Conclusion dont be an elitist, douche sacks! :)
