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4wd vs awd

35K views 65 replies 16 participants last post by  sdgc 
#1 ·
How many of you noticed that 2015 escalade is 4wd not awd ?
 
#37 ·
hcvone said:
Just for the record, if you have an original 2007 Escalade sales brochure you will see the Escalade ESV with the dual knob in the picture, and of course they were all wheel drive, but the brochure shows different
recent reviews by car mags still show the 4wd button. I think the 4wd button is better than awd. so, next time jeremy clarkson pits the escalade to climb uk's biggest peak it will perform better than their iconic range rover.
 
#40 ·
The weird thing is in the latest GM test, where they tested the Denali, Suburban and Escalade (2015's) they talked about the 2/4 wheel drive in the Denali and Suburban, which they had that option all along, but said nothing about it in the Escalade where it has never been offered. The 4 wheel drive system would offer no better traction than the all wheel drive system that the Escalade has now because of the locking rear, that gives you at least 3 wheels of drive the same as the 4 wheel system, now before the locking rear diff the 4 wheel drive system was much better than the all wheel drive system. I only say this because we get snow up to hood deep, and I have several 4 wheel drive 2500 hd trucks, and a dozen Escalade's. While I do not like giving up the fuel mileage that all wheel drive uses, I like the safety of the all wheel drive when the conditions are less than perfect. :)

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that applies with the escalade because of its low front approach and rear departure angle. I am range rover owner as well and you will be surprised that they are already driving the 2014 FFRR and RRS to the 4wd terrain. I'm actually tempted to drive my escalade hybrid with 4wd to the local land rover dealership 4wd course but it might lean and rollover it would be bad advertising for cadillac.
My local Jag dealer sells Range rovers, but I did not get my RR there, my Escalade has been on their RR course several times, my salesman took pics of the Escalade on the course, I will get some shots the next time I am by there. ;)
 
#39 ·
that applies with the escalade because of its low front approach and rear departure angle. I am range rover owner as well and you will be surprised that they are already driving the 2014 FFRR and RRS to the 4wd terrain. I'm actually tempted to drive my escalade hybrid with 4wd to the local land rover dealership 4wd course but it might lean and rollover it would be bad advertising for cadillac.
 
#41 · (Edited)
evois said:
recent reviews by car mags still show the 4wd button. I think the 4wd button is better than awd. so, next time jeremy clarkson pits the escalade to climb uk's biggest peak it will perform better than their iconic range rover.
Who cares about what Jeremy clarkson thinks.
It doesnt matter you put rocket ship against RR To them nothing can be better then British made RR
 
#43 ·
Can't agree more with Carl, I have owned 4wd tahoe and awd escalade's I have felt so much more comfortable in deep snow of Illinois in awd then 4wd. Who is climbing rocks with escalade's or deep desert sand ?!!!! You would be better off buying a jeep wrangler for that kind of places. Complaining about escalade not climbing rocks is like complaint about mole on kate upton's ass.
 
#46 ·
not really. you get awd with 4hi anyways. the 4auto is for better fuel economy. unless you don't know what's going on and don't know what knob to turn then that's understandable. to say that awd is better than 4wd, you mean leaving it at 4 auto? instead of turning the knob to 4hi as it is suppose to? you can actually turn it from 4auto to 4hi on the fly.
 
#51 ·
how can awd be superior to 4wd? not cadillac awd? does cadillac have the central locking differential? torque vectoring of the rear right and left and AYC of the front? no! it doesn't. so the escalade awd is not superior to the cadillac 4wd system. it has a simple awd system. that is all.
 
#52 ·
Its all about application. A car driven primarily on the streets in inclement weather occasionally, IMO AWD is better. Its more convenient and uses the cars "brain" in conjunction with traction control to determine when it should be applied. For that particular use, more often than not it will perform better for that type of driver. In a world of going off road and taking cars to an extreme not encountered during daily street driving, hands down 4WD prevails. Even 4WD off road is just as useless as AWD if it doesn't have locking diffs. Taking into consideration how I drive my Escalade, AWD is better for me. After all, was it really meant to go off road?.?.?... JMHO..
 
#53 ·
the hybrid's 4wd has 2wd(free), 4auto(free), 4hi(free) and 4lo(locked differentials). I think they are using this system as well. I'm glad I had it when I encountered a snow storm last year in the middle of the night and have to drive against traffic past the stalled semi's to the nearest exit. it wasn't meant to do off-road but glad to know it can do it when it needs to do it.

the 6 speed tranny is just icing on the cake.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f69/thanks-cadillac-escalade-hybrid-thanks-onstar-28709/
 
#56 · (Edited)
Here is an excerpt from an article that ran in our local newspaper that to my mind sums up the difference between AWD and four wheel drive. Some may find this enlightening. My personal experience has been that in deep snow on my 17 percent grade long driveway, I'll take four wheel drive over AWD.

With the first major winter storm of the year, television news coverage chronicling the event takes perverse delight in showing the effects on traffic. Along with shots of vehicles struggling up icy hills or being dug out of snow banks, there is invariably footage of some crumpled SUV or crossover in the ditch or on its roof. Is this simply a matter of motorists forgetting to drive to the weather and road conditions, or, especially for owners of these SUVs and crossovers, a misplaced confidence in the traction abilities of their vehicles?

“Sport- utility vehicles offer a marked improvement in tractive effort and handling in snow,” says Chrysler’s Raynard E. Durham, vehicle line executive of SUV vehicles, “but what people often forget is that stopping distance. In fact, it is very much compromised in the snow.

“Even with active chassis systems that keep the vehicle in a straight line when stopping in the snow, it still takes a much longer length of road compared to dry and wet conditions to bring the vehicle to a stop. People forget this simple fact their first time out in the snow.

And, no matter the type of drivetrain, it takes all vehicles longer to stop on snow- covered roads, which makes winter tires a must. Testing by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation of vehicle stopping distances from 50 kilometres an hour — on asphalt roads covered with three to five centimetres of compact snow — showed a four- wheel- drive SUV coming to a halt in 35.7 metres when fitted with winter tires. With all- season tires on, the stopping distance increased to 42.8 m. That can be the difference between a close call and a trip to the autobody shop — or hospital.


“Four- wheel- drive and all- wheeldrive vehicles always offer improved traction in unfavourable weather conditions over two- wheel- drive vehicles,” says Durham. “Two- wheel- drive vehicles are still much better than they were 10 to 20 years ago because, with new active chassis controls, even two- wheel- drive vehicles can apply traction to two tires instead of one in snow. The second best system for inclement weather is all- wheel- drive. Vehicles ( with AWD) can send torque to all four tires.
The best system for inclement weather is an actively controlled 4×4 vehicle. These vehicles can send an optimal amount of torque — based on demand — to the tires with the most traction.”


Vehicle Stability Assist ( VSA) systems, a combination of traction control and braking systems, help any vehicle maintain direction and stability by slowing down one or more wheels via the brakes. But it only works when the vehicle is in motion, says Honda’s Mori. “Traction control simply slows down power delivery so you can slowly roll forward rather than slipping the wheels when starting ( up). These systems on front- wheeldrive cars with snow tires will get you through most slippery conditions.


“All- wheel- drive adds another level of traction by sending power to the axle with the most grip. So, even if one of the axles is sitting on a slippery surface, it can divert power to the other, thereby getting you going. All- wheel- drive systems with VSA and snow tires would be the ult*mate … in slippery conditions.”

While the benefits of having traction at all four wheels are obvious, there are a couple of specific disadvantages, namely the added cost at purchase time, plus some penalty at the pumps. “You’ll notice that fuel consumption can go up when you have all four wheels reacting,” notes VW’s Squires.

Adds Mori: “Due to extra weight ( about 80 to 100 kilograms, depending on the type of AWD system), an all- wheel- drive- equipped vehicle will have some fuel consumption penalty compared to its two- wheel- drive cousin. Some all- wheel- drive systems constantly send some power to all four wheels and this also adds some load on the engine,” which increases fuel consumption.
 
#57 ·
Its been a couple months without a post in this topic lol! So I think we agree there is No more AWD only anymore--what we will have Im guessing is the standard 2WD/4Auto/4HI/4Lo, is that about 99.9% what we are getting? I personally like standard AWD but can live with a 4Auto setting as you can leave it in that setting 100% of the time if it makes you feel better :)
 
#61 · (Edited)
Cadillac should have kept the AWD as a way to further differentiate from the Chevy/GMC twins. The AWD version I have had was an appropriate application with the smoothness like a Cadillac should have been all along. Now that they are bringing back the 4WD in the next generation, that velvety smoothness of having that extra traction comes into question. Will the 4WD Auto mode be felt as it engages, where you don't with AWD as it already engaged?

Having great studded winter tires make all the difference, no matter what the four-wheel drive system. If the engagement have to be felt from the driver's seat, then it will be no different from the rest of the K2XX lineup, making the Escalade not the Cadillac you would expect with the smoothness being gone.

There is always the Yukon or the Tahoe for the "real" 4x4. Leave Escalade out of it for true off-roading, unless it is extensively modified to run like a Jeep.
 
#64 ·
evois said:
the 4WD auto is seamless. I have it in my hybrid.
Are you a sensitive-type of person? I am curious because hearing and feeling the Auto mode engaging is considered normal from what I have heard.

On the current Ford Expedition 4WD with AdvancedTrac, it was relatively rough compared to the Escalade, where the AWD and Stabilitrak was silky smooth on icy pavement.

I have to try that AutoTrac system sometime.
 
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