Every winter, you will encounter a discussion about rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and front-wheel-drive in the snow comparison. I am not into betting, but this is something that you can bet on happening, and it might happen even after electric vehicles are commonplace. What is best? It depends on your preference.
Jonathan Benson of Tyre Reviews has attempted to bring this comparison into a single vehicle. As you may be aware, it is not easy to find a vehicle that is available in all three configurations.
The closest thing to it would be a plug-in hybrid that has an all-electric mode to drive the front or rear wheels, a combustion-only mode to drive the other axle, and a hybrid mode to drive both at the same time.
Or, as Jonathan proposes, a Tesla Model 3 Performance that lets the driver adjust how much power each axle gets. It may be the closest thing, but it is important to note that the vehicle does not have the capability of sending all its power to one axle, as its axles are not linked by a driveshaft, so it just changes how much energy the e-motors receive.
As Jonathan has found on the snowy circuit rented by Michelin, the company that also provided the all-season tires for the Model 3 in the video, Tesla does have a small secret up its sleeve with this system, as it does not allow for full-on rear-wheel-drive or front-wheel-drive when the steering wheel is straight and the accelerator is pressed to the floor.
This is the closest thing you can get to mimicking all three driven configurations without using three different vehicles or at least two different vehicles in different configurations.
Otherwise, we would have a comparison in drive systems on our hands instead of a comparison in driving behavior on snow between RWD, AWD, and FWD. Watch it for yourself below. Do not hesitate to leave your opinion in the comments section.
The closest thing to it would be a plug-in hybrid that has an all-electric mode to drive the front or rear wheels, a combustion-only mode to drive the other axle, and a hybrid mode to drive both at the same time.
Or, as Jonathan proposes, a Tesla Model 3 Performance that lets the driver adjust how much power each axle gets. It may be the closest thing, but it is important to note that the vehicle does not have the capability of sending all its power to one axle, as its axles are not linked by a driveshaft, so it just changes how much energy the e-motors receive.
As Jonathan has found on the snowy circuit rented by Michelin, the company that also provided the all-season tires for the Model 3 in the video, Tesla does have a small secret up its sleeve with this system, as it does not allow for full-on rear-wheel-drive or front-wheel-drive when the steering wheel is straight and the accelerator is pressed to the floor.
This is the closest thing you can get to mimicking all three driven configurations without using three different vehicles or at least two different vehicles in different configurations.
Otherwise, we would have a comparison in drive systems on our hands instead of a comparison in driving behavior on snow between RWD, AWD, and FWD. Watch it for yourself below. Do not hesitate to leave your opinion in the comments section.