Does it still make sense to buy a car with all-wheel drive?

Jeep has unveiled the Avenger 4xe with all-wheel drive. The all-wheel drive system was not yet available on the American brand's best-selling model and now comes thanks to the adoption of a light hybrid system with an electric motor on the rear axle.

It is therefore a new-generation 4WD, with decoupled axles (no drive shaft) and traction between the front and rear wheels distributed by software that precisely controls the power to be directed to the rear.

So, in the age of electrification (and, moreover, with the current climatic changes, which mean that snowfall is becoming less and less frequent in many areas that used to be snow-covered for many months of the year), does four-wheel drive still make sense? And who is demanding it? The mere fact that the Toledo (Ohio) brand's best-seller arrives with four-wheel drive a couple of years after its debut is sobering. We spoke to Marco Montepeloso, Jeep's Head of Product Planning for Europe, about it.

Is four-wheel drive still necessary?

"Let's start with a general consideration. The change in technology has not changed people's needs. People who used to want an all-wheel drive car still want it. The cases why people buy a 4WD car are mainly two: the real need, because you live in mountainous areas or you have to deal with dirt tracks quite often; the feeling of safety".

Have you noticed any change in your sales mix?

"No. In fact, to prove my point," Montepeloso continues, "there are the sales mixes. For a brand like ours, which sells two or three times more four-wheel drive cars than the market average, the percentage has been set at a good 20% in recent years. There has been no decline in that sense.

Are there areas where more four-wheel drive cars are sold?

"There are European markets where four-wheel drive cars are not so much in demand. So, talking about specific countries, there are quite clear differences. However, talking about Italy for example, the situation between the north and the south is not very different. If you think about it, between the Alps and the Apennines there are mountains practically everywhere. So there is no region where this technology is not still very much in demand, at least in certain areas".

What does the electrification of all-wheel drive look like? 

"On the one hand, there are the purists who want all-wheel drive cars with mechanical differentials at all costs, and those who view these full hybrid systems with some scepticism, but they are in the minority. Those who want an all-wheel drive car are looking for a vehicle that can drive safely on low-grip surfaces. For them, who are the majority, having an all-wheel drive hybrid with a combustion engine at the front and an electric motor at the rear makes no difference.

Is there an advantage to having all-wheel drive with a hybrid powertrain?

"Certainly. First of all, because there is no drive shaft running through the whole chassis. It's one thing to get an all-wheel drive that works well by working only on the mechanical components, and another to be able to calibrate the software to manage torque distribution to the wheels via an electric motor, as is the case in the Avenger 4xe that we've introduced. It allows us to fine-tune settings that make the car more versatile.

Long live all-wheel drive

In short, the 4x4 is alive and well and has no desire to retire. Electrification changes it and evolves it into something different from a technical point of view, but allows it to do what it has always done: help drivers tackle off-road routes and move safely over ice, snow or mud. Jeep, which has built much of its success on limitless mobility, remains true to its values, simply by taking them into the future.

Speaking of the future, rumour has it that the next Compass will only be available with all-wheel drive in the 100% electric variant. Quite a leap. Jeep neither confirms nor denies this at this time. We'll know more in a few months.

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