Best All Wheel Drive (AWD) System on the Planet = Subaru’s Symmetrical All Wheel Drive System

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Haven’t yet been convinced?

My search for best AWD system quickly revealed Subaru as the top if not the only contender to have the best AWD system on the planet. Their commitment is so deep that all of their models, even for all of the base models, (except for their new compact sports car, BRZ), come equipped with this incredible symmetrical All Wheel Drive system.

You may ask, what does it mean by “symmetrical”? Well, that is their commitment to sticking to the very basics. Their whole engine, the AWD system, the drive shaft are completely at center, left side symmetrical to the right side, therefore, provide innate stability at all driving conditions and allowing all four wheels to have equal physical chance of getting the power at all times.

subaru symmetrical awd (source-motorimage.net) (source: motorimage.net)

The result is an impressive AWD performance:

Here are a few more clips:

It is so good that Subaru took top 5 spots from KBB’s 10 Best AWD Cars & SUVs under $25,000, Subaru Forester taking the #1 place.

What about 4×4? Isn’t 4×4 better than AWD system?

Just a quick note regarding AWD vs 4×4. 4×4 systems differ from AWD where all four wheels get equal amount of power all the time. 4×4 system offer Hi and Lo 4×4 setup where Hi provides the car to be driven up to 60mph in locked 4×4 setup, but this burns up more gas, and some times harmful because differentials are locked and wheels are spinning at equal power. 4×4 system is usually most useful in Lo condition where you have heavy towing to do, or doing a rough offroading since the power is on all four wheel constantly. But if you are like me, where 99% of driving is on paved roads yet want to leave some room for weekend offroad getaways or stuck in heavy snowfall, all at the same time, have the confidence that all four wheels are working together to provide maximum traction at all road conditions. The answer is the AWD system.

But not all AWD systems are created equal. There are partial AWD systems that only runs using the front wheels, until there is a slippage is detected, only then it transfers the power to the rear wheels, which has little bit of lag time for the rear wheel to kick in, but when it does kick in, it makes the driver hard to predict and control the vehicle. Subaru’s AWD is engages all four wheels all the time, and when there is slippage in one of the wheels, it transfers that power over to other wheels with grip.

Be sure to check out more exciting 2014 Subaru Forester reviews!

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An avid technologist, entrepreneur at heart, has the determination to make this world a better place by contributing the most useful articles to ThingsYouMustKnow.com, one article at a time.

2 Comments

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      Hi, Dan, no doubt! Though Tesla has little bit of work still to do to bring the price of the technology down to 30K level.

      Philip