So we're looking at stepping up from our reliable ol' 2000 GMC Envoy and have been looking to get something along the same lines. I prefer selectable 4wd for the obvious reasons such as wear and tear, fuel mileage and the occasional blast through some mud. We have been trying to find an 05-06 Envoy/TB but have also come across a few awd Buick Rainiers and Explorers. Any thoughts, pro and con would be appreciated.
I STRONGLY prefer 4wd. I like to have some fun every once in awhile and screw around. You cant do that with AWD unless you have a ton of power. I have had "fun"(drifting, cookies, etc.) in AWD cars(mostly just a 98 Diablo Roadster with exhaust) before. In trucks selectable 4wd is by all means a necessity. Most of the time it will be in 2wd so why have awd that keeps some going to the front wheels?
__________________ My Fquick Page
2005 Ninja 636 12.10 @ 118mph with a 2.2 60ft-Current Toy
1998 Pontiac Firebird Formula M6 12.36@112mph with a 1.76 60ft-Sold
I'm not a fan of AWD since usually only a small fraction of power goes to the front tires, my parents traded a 4wd SUV for an AWD one and now they have problems getting out of their driveway in the snow. also they don't allow AWD vehicles out on the beaches around here since they always get stuck. and like already stated, no low range
These are pretty much the reasons I prefer 4wd. I've only used low-range on occasion but I hate the jerky feeling you get with awd when driving around parking lots and pulling out onto busy roads. We also live in a pretty rural area so on race weekends and such I'll cut down dirt roads to avoid traffic but it's fun to be able to rip around curves (wide open fields!) now and then. I'm trying to convince my wife though.
I have AWD in my Audi and have never had any issues with it locking, rocking, or anything. Parking lots, getting onto street ect...
It has the button to turn off the traction control which for dirt and snow applications it really becomes a blast to drive.
I will agree w/ the eating of the MPG for daily driving. I've heard that QUATTRO does suck up about 2 - 3 MPG in the daily driving which over time does add up. Im sure that it would be about the same for other forms of AWD.
i drive an awd mountineer and like it but hate it it gets about 14 on the dailympg....awd doesnt jump or whatever you where talking about...snow is fun and rain it holds to it....but in the 4 years we have had it i have been able to spin and actually spin all 4s twice up hill n slick pavement,launching out at what ever it lets you launch at...all in all its a good truck and a good family car 3rd row....go checkem out
__________________ black 02 ws-6, 6 speed, spec 2clutch,hurst shifter,mti carbon lid,ls6 intake,230/227 .595 .579 112lsa, 6.0 iron block ,0.030 over hyper pistons, long tubes, poly mounts,sip of juice, bilstien shocks-needs tuned and 3:73's
Just to chip in.. we had an Explorer, I think it was 4WD? But anyway, it let you choose from Auto, High, Low.. My parents said it was good in the snow, but it was a big POS. A shitload of random things broke all of the time. Just figured I'd let you know our experience with one
Thanks for all the input, we're still looking and weighing all the options. Haven't ruled out awd just yet and considering we're coming out of a 9 year old truck with 170,000 miles I don't think we can get worse with the fuel mileage!
my 99 tahoe has selectable AWD.. its got a reg transfer case with low and high, then the AWD function only kicks in when the rear tires lose traction.. i get 19 mpg highway and you can pick up late 90's tahoes for around 5g's in good shape.
well nevermind.. i didnt read your original post...
i wont buy a car usually unless it has AWD. AWD is a safety blanket, and gas mileage in any SUV is going to suck anyway. Its an SUV guys, i dont think he will be drfiting it or trying to have any fun that AWD would take from. AWD allows plenty of slip in the mud etc, its not like the diffs are all welded together. Just make sure you get that additional low range and you'll be doing great. AWD means the car was designed to perform around that mode, 4WD is usually an after thought and causes more wear and tear by just engaging, than AWD causes over the life of the car. Imagine youre driving through the snow. You slip on black ice. You really going to want to take the extra time to pop it in 4 wheel? AWD it wouldnt even happen. You have a family? You want to gamble 3-5 seconds on your childrens lives? Think about it. That could be the difference in survival. So much safer, ALL THE TIME. Plus convienient. Even in the rain it prevents so many spin outs. Even if you have an SUV that you could put it in auto 4WD, that means the axles are always locked, just not engaged, translation= your wasting the same gas mileage you would be as in AWD, but your not using the other wheels. 4WD is good, AWD with low is the best. My dad had a diablo 6.0 AWD and OMG, i dont even want to talk about it. It PWNED everything, my favorite car ever. I will own one one day, my dad was forced to sell it to pay for a house. Anyway, get AWD, Have you checked out the Grand Cherokee range? Or a used Porsche Cheyenne? Theyre getting cheap now. Even Range Rovers. TBSS, SRT8, LR3, there are so many choices.
Picked up and '05 Envoy SLT 4wd last night. Drove 155 miles out to Benton Harbor hoping the old rig would make it out there, tires shot, rear brakes and backing plates shot, something clunking underneath and original 165,000 exhaust rattling. Hell she still had the original shocks and struts. They must've thought we were a couple idiots bringin it in for trade as they offered us a cool grand for it. Four hours and 2k on the trade later we had us a nice upgrade. We had to pull the thanks, but no thanks see ya later jig on them twice but eventually walked out the door with it for under 15k. Its a clean one owner ride and only has 42,000 on it.
Yes it does, its rated at 275hp / 275tq. It's pretty peppy down low but does leave me wanting some more up top, however I haven't really wrung it out yet. I will miss the old 4.3 but one of the appealing things about the I6 is the durability, and we plan on keeping this around a while.
4WD vs AWD 
black 02 ws-6, 6 speed, spec 2clutch,hurst shifter,mti carbon lid,ls6 intake,230/227 .595 .579 112lsa, 6.0 iron block ,0.030 over hyper pistons, long tubes, poly mounts,sip of juice, bilstien shocks-needs tuned and 3:73's 
