Featured First Drive: 2016 Kia Niro

People who believe this are confused, though I realize that doesn't mean they don't buy cars. On snow-covered roads, AWD doesn't make all that much difference once you're under way - it's mainly for low-speed maneuvering and getting started off when traction is less than ideal. A light eAWD that works at low speeds is exactly what would help the Prius most in northern climes, while imposing minimal MPG penalty when conditions are less hostile (unlike an all-mechanical AWD system). Anyone who would expect eAWD to turn a Prius into a Quattro likely expects a lot of unreasonable things that would likely lead them away from the Prius in the showroom anyway, but yeah, I get your broader point. I guess this entire conversation plays into that frustration I feel whenever I can't have what I want because other people are stupid.

 

Mind you, it's very possible to get wheelspin at freeway speeds, even with snow tires (I've had it happen in my former Golf TDI), and someone may think that any wheelspin is bad, and therefore that they need AWD to prevent that.

Mind you (at least with vehicles without traction control, the Prius being my first - I guess I'll use TCS interventions as the guide, rather than shut it off), I periodically attempt to induce wheelspin intentionally to help judge the road conditions - the severity and ease of inducing wheelspin (while in a straight line, with space around me) gives me some feedback as far as what the road conditions are, and therefore I can compensate by slowing down, increasing following distances, that sort of thing. An AWD vehicle will have less wheelspin for a given power input and tire, and therefore I don't get that feedback... but a low-speed only system might still be fine there.