All-wheel drive becoming mainstream

By: Drivers.com staff

Date: 2001-04-24

Coming to driveways everywhere: "all-wheel drive vehicles that offer the bad-weather traction of the big beasts, but not the inherent dangers of their bulk, the top-heaviness that makes them prone to rollovers, or their voracious thirst for gasoline. They also will offer dry-road and cornering safety usually found on high-performance race and rally cars." So says an article in the Boston Globe.

SUV's may be on the way out as sedans, station wagons, and sports cars equipped with this traction and safety enhancement fill showrooms. Costs have come down, and so the technology that applies gentle braking to spinning wheels, while simultaneously transferring power to those wheels with good traction will soon be available in dozens of models. Manufacturers are already seeing a drop in SUV sales.

Comments to this article have been disabled.

---

---