AWD Vehicles

The All Wheel Drive (AWD) concept - which was previously restricted to Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) and trucks, has made its way to the luxury car segment, which according to experts is a welcome change in the world of automobiles. AWD vehicles have numerous advantages over their 2WD counterparts, and the fact that this technology is now available as a standard feature in luxury cars has prompted many people to go for it. Those who are not familiar with the concept of all wheel drive cars can go through the following information about it before moving on to the list of AWD vehicles given below. (If you are well versed with what AWD cars are, you can skip the next section and directly go to the list.)

AWD Vehicles

As its name suggests, an AWD vehicle is a vehicle in which all wheels are powered by the engine. Even though this is somewhat similar to 4WD vehicles, a closer look at AWD vs 4WD comparison shows that the working mechanism in both differs to a significant extent. In case of AWD, approximately 90 percent of the power is transmitted to the front wheels while the remaining 10 percent goes to rear wheels. In four wheel drive vehicles, on the other hand, the power is equally distributed among the four wheels (when in 4WD mode). Even though the performance comparison between all wheel drive cars and four wheel drive cars shows same results on normal roads, AWD vehicles do fall short when it comes to off-road performance. However, you also need to pay attention to the fact that 4WD are much more costly than AWD. At the same time, the comparison between AWD and 2WD vehicles shows that the AWD cars have a definite advantage over their 2WD counterparts.

Best AWD Vehicles: 2010 Edition

Now that AWD concept has made headway in almost all the different types of cars, the task of compiling a list of best AWD cars (2010) has become all the more difficult. The all wheel drive cars list includes sedans, SUVs, sports cars, trucks, and so on. Given below is the list of best AWD cars which you need to take into consideration when opting to buy a new vehicle.

Rank	Model	Type
1	BMW X5	Crossover SUV
2	Acura RL	Luxury sedan
3	Lexus GS 350	Luxury sedan
4	Volvo S80 T6	Luxury sedan/saloon
5	Lincoln MKX	Crossover SUV
6	Suzuki SX4	Hatchback/sedan
7	Subaru Outback	Crossover SUV
8	Subaru Impreza 2.5i	Sedan
9	Ford Fusion V6 SE	Sedan
10	Toyota Sienna LE	Minivan

AWD Vehicles With Good Gas Mileage

In times marked by incessant rise in fuel price, the fact that the sale of vehicles with good mileage has increased manifolds is not at all surprising. Even though all wheel drive sports cars and trucks don't quite boast about fuel economy, there do exist some AWD Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV), wagons and small cars which promise an average fuel efficiency ranging between 20-30 mpg. Given below is a list of top 10 AWD cars with good gas mileage (2010) which will help you decide which car to buy - if mileage is a priority for you.

Rank	Model	Highway	City
1	Volkswagen Passat Wagon	31 mpg	22 mpg
2	Toyota Venza	29 mpg	21 mpg
3	Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan	29 mpg	20 mpg
4	Suzuki SX4 Crossover	28 mpg	21 mpg
5	Audi A4 Avant Quattro	28 mpg	20 mpg
6	Mitsubishi Eclipse	28 mpg	20 mpg
7	Subaru Impreza 2.5i	27 mpg	20 mpg
8	Lexus IS 250 AWD	26 mpg	20 mpg
9	Volvo S60	26 mpg	17 mpg
10	Mercury Milan Premier V6 AWD	25 mpg	18 mpg

Now that you are armed will all the necessary information, you can simply go ahead and choose a vehicle from the lists given above. If you are looking for one of those AWD vehicles which score in all the departments, you can opt for BMW X5 or Acura RL, but if you want an AWD car with best gas mileage, Volkswagen Passat Wagon is the name you need to look out for.