AWD Sedans Grow In Popularity

The explosion in the number of all wheel drive sedans on the market has snuck up on us. AWD or 4WD sport utilities have been around for years and we are all familiar with them. But recent years have seen an increase in the popularity of AWD sedans, a rather new concept.

And it’s easy to see why. Here you have the comforts of a car, great gas mileage, and yet you have the capability to go anywhere in all kinds of weather conditions.

The auto industry started toying with AWD sedans several years ago but the consumer market wasn’t ready for them yet and because of the lack of enthusiasm in the consumer the manufacturer’s interest in creating such a beast faded.

It seems the 2003 Mercedes Benz C240 was the car that drew consumer attention to the idea of a AWD sedan. Although this wasn’t Mercedes’ first all wheel drive vehicle it was the one that caught the attention of drivers around the world. Here was luxury at it’s finest combined with the ability to go anywhere, and it was affordable.

Suddenly interest began to grow as consumers recognized the benefits of owning an all wheel drive vehicle. Today there are several AWD sedans to choose from.

The Audi Quattro is available in either the all wheel drive A4, A6, or the luxurious A8. The A8 has had great success in Europe because it was the first car in this class to offer AWD. Audi is not new to the all wheel drive sedan. They’ve actually been offering them for quite some time as has Subaru.

The Subaru Legacy and Impreza sedans both offer all wheel drive systems. Subaru comes from a long past in AWD so it’s got the experience to create a great product. Each year Subaru AWD vehicles play an important role in the World Championship rallies.

New to the line up of all wheel drive sedans is the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII. It puts out 250 horsepower, has a nice body style, a comfortable interior and AWD meaning this performance house is likely to be a real hit!

Volvo has manufactured an AWD station wagon for quite a few years but recently it has also added the S60 Sedan. The AWD S60 Sedan is a luxury sports sedan that directly competes with the Audi A4 and BMW 3 series of cars.

Volkswagen also offers an all wheel driving system in both the luxurious Phaeton and the Passat sedan. The Phaeton directly competes with the Audi A8 series, the BMW 7 series, and the Mercedes S series.

Jaguar offers the level entry X Type sedan with all wheel drive designed to compete with the popular BMW 3 series sports sedans.

If you’re looking something that’s a little more affordable Toyota offers the Matrix hatchback new to their line up. The Suzuki Aerio is the most affordable all wheel drive sedan available and Suzuki also has plenty of experience with AWD vehicles.

Interestingly the North American manufacturers – Dodge, Chrysler, Ford, and GMC have not entered the all wheel drive sedan market. To date neither Nissan and Honda also have not entered the AWD sedan market. Instead these manufacturers have continued concentrating on the more traditional SUV market.

However it the demand and interest from the consumer continues to grow it’s a safe bet that you’ll see both North American manufacturers and Import manufacturers jump on the band wagon and begin to produce some incredible all wheel drive sedans. So keep your eyes open for the new AWD vehicles coming to the streets near you soon!

Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.