Best All-Wheel-Drive Cars and SUVs

When winter’s fury hits hard, a car with all-wheel drive and good tires is your best bet to help navigate the roads securely.

All-wheel drive feeds power to all four wheels and provides maximum forward traction. It is especially helpful in wintry conditions and when driving over moderate off-road terrain. Its lightness and compactness makes AWD the system of choice for cars and crossovers. Many modern systems exact only a slight fuel-economy penalty, and their engagement is seamless.

But AWD has limitations: It does nothing to improve braking or regular cornering. Thus, such systems don’t enable you to drive the same way or at the same speed as you would on a dry road.

If you’re considering a fresh car and live in an area where roadways could be covered with ice, snow, or other traction challenges, take a look at the models below to find AWD choices in a diversity of vehicle categories.

These highlighted models were ranked tops in our two thousand fifteen auto survey when we asked subscribers to rate their vehicles’ spectacle in snowy conditions. The results exposed that some AWD and 4WD systems are better than others.

Below, SUVs and wagons are ranked for winter driving based on 47,982 subscriber ratings. All respondents had driven their vehicles without switching to winter tires on at least six snowy days during the winter of two thousand fourteen to 2015. The rankings are based on two thousand twelve to two thousand fifteen models that have at least two model years’ worth of data.

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1. Subaru Outback

An SUV alternative, the Outback wagon is roomy and functional, and appeals to the practical-minded buyer. It rails very conveniently, with secure treating. Standard AWD supplies reassuring traction in wintry conditions. The Two.5-liter four-cylinder comebacks twenty four mpg overall and drives through a standard continuously variable transmission. Opting for the Trio.6-liter six-cylinder makes the car quicker, quieter, and thirstier, conceding two mpg. The controls are all easy-to-use, including the touch-screen infotainment system. The wagon’s generous rear seat is spacious enough for three adults. The generous cargo area is comparable to a Forester or Toyota RAV4, with a lower loading height to boot. The optional EyeSight safety suite adds automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring.

Two. Subaru Crosstrek

The Crosstrek is a petite quasi-SUV version of the previous-generation Impreza hatchback, with a raised rail height that gives it enough clearance to slosh through deeply rutted roads. It may appeal to those people who live at the end of a mess road and don’t want anything big and bulky. The cabin is rather noisy, the rail is stiff, and the 148-hp, Two.0-liter four-cylinder engine from time to time has to work hard, but fuel economy is a gratifying twenty six mpg. The costlier Hybrid, which got twenty eight mpg, has been discontinued for 2017. In the end, the regular Impreza hatch may be a better choice: It’s quieter, quicker, cheaper, and better railing, even if its lower rail height makes cabin access a bit more difficult. A redesign based on the fresh Impreza arrives this summer.

Trio. Subaru Forester

Hitting the sweet spot among puny SUVs, the Forester produces a spacious interior, exceptional safety equipment and crashworthiness, and outstanding visibility in a right-sized, affordable package. Fuel economy is excellent at twenty six mpg overall, especially given the standard AWD. The rail is supple, and treating is very secure. Engine noise is pronounced at times. Controls are straightforward and effortless to use. The infotainment and connectivity systems have eventually been updated with an intuitive touch screen. Midtrim Foresters bring a lot of content for the money, but it’s effortless to crest $30,000 with options packages. A feisty turbo comes with XT trim but compromises the value equation. The optional (and recommended) EyeSight system includes forward-collision warning.

Four. Audi Q5

The redesigned Q5 gets fresh styling, enhanced spectacle promise, and a growing list of advanced safety features. The fresh Q is also available with Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, which lets you expand the cluster inbetween the instrument panel’s large gauges into a larger color screen that can display audio, phone, navigation, and travel information. The standard audio system includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility. Like the A4, the Q5 is powered by an updated 252-hp, Two.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. All-wheel drive is standard. Available advanced safety features include forward-collision warning with automatic braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear-collision warning, and lane-keep assist.

Five. Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL

If you need space for seven or more people, all their stuff, and towing capacity to boot, few SUVs other than the Suburban will do. This behemoth has a sumptuous and quiet interior, power-folding second- and third-row seats, and available blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert. Beyond that, it’s pretty much your standard hauler, with a Five.3-liter V8 mated to a six-speed automatic and a respectable sixteen mpg overall. The touch-screen infotainment system is effortless to use, and the magnetic rail suspension on LTZ trims improves rail convenience and treating response and capability. Latest updates include available lane-keeping assist, plus Apple CarPlay.

6. Jeep Wrangler

As an everyday vehicle, the Wrangler trails most SUVs, but few are better for off-road use. The Wrangler uses Chrysler’s Trio.6-liter V6 and five-speed automatic, which returned seventeen mpg overall in our tests. However the Wrangler may be better than ever before, the rail rocks and jiggles permanently, and treating is clumsy. Wind noise is very noisy at highway speeds. Getting in and out is awkward, and the interior is awkward. Off-road spectacle is legendary, and the Rubicon version performs better there than our tested Unlimited Sahara did. IIHS side-crash results for the two-door are Poor, and the four-door scored Marginal; but offset-frontal and small-overlap results for the four-door are Good. A redesigned Wrangler is on the way.

7. Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon

The Tahoe and Yukon have a luxurious and quiet interior, but the rail is too stiff and the third-row seat is taut. In addition, the Five.3-liter V8 and six-speed automatic combine to form a lackluster powertrain that returned sixteen mpg overall. The touch-screen infotainment system is effortless to use, and the front seats are very comfy. The Magnetic Rail Control suspension on some trims improves rail convenience, as well as treating response and capability. Decently tooled versions can tow 8,500 pounds. But if towing isn’t your main concern, car-based SUVs drive better and are roomier. Lane-keeping assist is now available, joining the already-available blind-spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert systems.

8. Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Grand Cherokee has a solid, upscale interior; convenient seats; and a mostly compliant and managed rail. Treating is competent, fit and finish is excellent, and the eight-speed automatic shifts slickly. The standard Trio.6-liter V6 returned just eighteen mpg, tho’. We also tested the diesel, which racked up twenty four mpg overall. Two V8s, a Five.7-liter and the SRT’s 6.4-liter, are optional. The Uconnect infotainment system, with its large, well-labeled touch screen, is one of the best we’ve tested. Appropriately optioned, the Jeep makes a good tow vehicle or a capable off-roader. Latest updates included engine stop-start for the revised V6, Siri Eyes Free, and an easier-to-use shift lever.

9. Toyota 4Runner

Raunchy and ready to tackle off-roading adventures, the truck-based 4Runner falls brief of most modern SUVs on all other counts. Its rough-sounding Four.0-liter V6 is powerful and reasonably fuel-efficient. But the rail is unsettled, and treating is clumsy. The bod leans noticeably while cornering, and the bobbing and bouncing rail chips away at driver confidence. A high step-in and low ceiling compromise access and driving position. The SR5’s 4WD system is part-time only. A third-row seat is optional, and the power-retractable rear window is handy.

Ten. Ford Expedition

This imposing SUV’s Three.5-liter turbocharged V6 supplies more power and better fuel economy than the V8 it substituted. Paired with the standard six-speed automatic, our Expedition returned fourteen mpg overall in testing, a 1-mpg improvement. The V6 also has slew of torque for trailer towing. Regular- and long-wheelbase versions are available, as well as eight-passenger seating that includes legitimate third-row seating for adults. And that’s where the good news finishes. The aging Expedition trails the competition because of its clumsy treating, noisy cabin, and low-rent interior. Gratefully, however, Sync three substituted the much-maligned MyFord Touch infotainment system.

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