When visiting used car dealers, Perth drivers are often faced with a great deal of choice. Is there a preferred make and model? What colour vehicle do you want? Do you want a petrol or diesel vehicle? While these questions seem like a comprehensive checklist, one thing you may not have considered is whether you should buy a rear wheel drive, four wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicle.
Rear Wheel Drive:
Rear wheel drive refers to a vehicle where the engine power is diverted to the rear axle. This means that the front wheels do the steering, while the rear wheels power the vehicle. Rear wheel drive tends to be a standard option on many sportier vehicles, but if you are looking for an SUV or another larger family vehicle, you may only have four wheel drive or all wheel drive options available.
Four Wheel Drive:
As the name suggests, four wheel drive refers to all of the wheels being used to power the vehicle. The power transferred to the wheels is evenly split, allowing all the wheels to turn at the same speeds. While this is advantageous for tricky road conditions, it can be problematic when you need to turn, as the inner wheel needs to turn more slowly as the outer wheels are covering more ground.
Modern four wheel drive systems tend to be electronically operated where you activate them with a switch or button on the dash. This creates the flexibility of using four wheel drive when there is mud or water on the road but using regular two wheel drive for normal road conditions.
All Wheel Drive:
Since all wheel drive powers all four wheels, many drivers often confuse it with regular four wheel drive, but this is not the case. All Wheel Drive is designed to offer maximum traction when you are accelerating forward. This can be helpful in treacherous road conditions, but can also help you to have maximum traction at all times. The system is designed to automatically divert power to the other axle should any slippage be detected. For example, Subaru AWD directs approximately twenty percent of the engine power to the rear axle, but it can divert more if it is needed. While you are likely to find four wheel drive offered only on larger vehicles and SUVs, all wheel drive tends to be available on smaller vehicles. For example, with the exception of the BRZ, you will find that all Subaru used vehicles are equipped with all wheel drive. This technology has become a staple of the Subaru performance reputation. The reason for this is that Subaru recognises that AWD can be particularly helpful when driving in rapidly changing conditions. You can be confident of maximum traction even if there are intermittent patches of ice or water on the roads.
If you are considering used cars, Perth drivers should speak to us. We have a fantastic choice of quality Subaru used vehicles, in addition to our stock of brand new and ex demo models. The Peel Subaru sales team are ready to answer your questions, arrange your test drive or assist with financing options.
