Looking to buy a decent used car fro my daughter. Settled on a choice between 2 of the same models with some difference 1. 2020 Nissan Rogue SV AWD 63K miles 2. 2020 Nissan Rogue SV FWD 53K miles. Price is pretty much same. Before I sit down to negotiate I wanted input which model works best in pretty much normal weather with no snow i.e. northern california. I prefer AWD since I own one. My daughter is open to anything as long as it has Apple Car play and is decent to drive. I drove both - and I get the sense AWD seems to have bit more power. FWD more traction and cpontrol on the steering - more steady. In terms of engine its same 2.5 liter 175Hp output engine. What would you all recommend and why???
FWD because you don’t need AWD. Why carry the extra weight, less reliability and suffer poorer fuel economy for something you don’t need?
FWD all the way.
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Personally I would avoid AWD and 4WD unless it was needed. And I’ve owned several 4WDs and worked on hundreds.
fuel rating is indeed better on FWD on this Nissan model
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You can’t beat physics! More weight, more mechanical bits to spin means more fuel to spin them.
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I’ll go against the grain here…
We recently bought a 2020 Honda Pilot with AWD. Prior to this one, we’d always had FWD.
My wife had 2 Honda Odysseys with FWD only. Both had a nasty tendency to spin the front tires in the rain, or even on inclines. New tires didn’t help the problem, and it happened with both vehicles independently.
With the Pilot with AWD, that problem has gone away. It’s a much more sure-footed vehicle.
I’m pretty sure there’s a slight penalty in fuel economy, and I’m also aware that if one tire has to be replaced, then all of them will have to be replaced. However, my wife is much happier with the vehicle, so that’s worth something too.
Just my two cents.
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But that does not mean that the Nissan they are looking at will do that . Our friends in Colorado have had nothing but FWD Honda Odysseys and never had that problem .
Maybe Mrs Ledhed75 is nicknamed Mrs Ledfoot75?
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I have both. Why you would want an awd with no snow I don’t understand, unless driving in mud or sand. An awd requires maintenance of the transfer case and differential, plus normally the only time the rear comes into play would be if the fronts are slipping. The Acura dealer in Minneapolis only stocks awd, but that’s Minnesota. Still haven’t had a good opportunity to try it out.
I’d prefer the FWD version, fewer things to break and need maintenance & repair. Saves future you and daughter time and money. Use the savings to purchase 4 new highly rated all-season tires.
If your daughter lived at the end of a 1/4 mile long uphill poorly maintained road in Vermont, then AWD would be a good idea.
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Another vote for two wheel drive.
You may get more rain in northern CA than in southern CA, but surely not enough to justify the added maintenance of AWD.
One more thing the FWD car is 10K mileage lesser than the AWD
I thought FWD cars have good traction in rain and snow betterthan Rear wheel drive.
I have driven a thousand AWD vehicles (sedans and SUV), half of the customers SUVs have AWD.
This is a matter of personal preference, AWD offers improve traction, front-wheel-drive vehicles are lighter weight: better fuel economy.
AWD allows me to pull out of the parking lot into swift moving traffic without wheel slip from a wet gutter or the traction control closing the throttle.
Some truck-based AWD vehicles require transfer case and differential maintenance, crossover SUVs generally do not require additional maintenance aside from “dealer recommended” maintenance of which many people object to.
Glad you mentioned the feeling of power with the AWD. I noticed a feeling like that in 4WD while driving the 84 F-150, almost an identical model (NOOOOOO!) I was driving on snow uphill when I tried 4WD. The FWD should be a better choice.
I had a 2013 RAV4 AWD and it got almost 29 MPG on the highway in August, It was a 250 mile stretch with a 75 MPH zone for 110 miles. Orono to Houlton Me. Sixty mile stretch between Houlton and Caribou, much slower. From Augusta to Orono was about 85 miles at avg. 65 MPH.
Winter fuel economy was about 16 MPG local driving and 22 summer local. Many people drive Nissan Rogue around Central Maine.
I’d pick the one in best condition.
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No snow = no AWD, new tires does not mean good wet weather traction, you have to buy good wet weather traction tires to get that…
I always run top of the line all weather tires and have never had a traction issue unless I was flooring it…
I have also driven thousands of customers FWD/AWD vehicles with different quality tires, and it makes a huge difference in the rain…
A top of the line Primewell tire will never have the traction of a Bridgestone as one example… I have also tested on closed tracks with the same car different big name brand top of their line tires on wet/dry courses and there is a difference…
Plus IIRC, Nissan Rogues AWDs require at least replacing 2 at a time and maybe all 4 at a time if the difference is 3/32 or more in tread depth… Check the owners manual to be sure…
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I’ll let you ask her that question. 
Just offering my 2 cents.
For a long time I was against AWD too, just like most on this discussion. When we were shopping for the Pilot, though, the AWD model fell into our price range and other criteria. We decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad we did.
HOW DOES NISSAN INTELLIGENT AWD WORK?
When equipped with Intelligent AWD, the Nissan Rogue is able to get up to speed more quickly and protect you against a loss of traction on Turnersville or Woodbury roads. Here’s how the Nissan Intelligent AWD system works:
- When you’re starting from a standstill, your AWD system kicks in to help you accelerate more quickly.
- Once you’re up to speed, your AWD system essentially goes on standby. FWD takes over to deliver the efficient performance you expect from the new Rogue.
- If slippery conditions or a loss of traction are detected, AWD kicks in immediately to deliver excess power to the wheels that do have a good grip. This keeps you moving forward and prevents wheel spin.