AWD often is the difference of if you have to put on chains to keep going upwards or not. Downwards you’ll need them anyway.

Never had to use chains? Not getting any snow? It’s not very useful then.

Depends on where you live.

I live in Atlanta GA and rarely leave the city so I don’t need AWD.

My buddy lives in bumblefuck Alabama. He can’t live without it.

Do you regularly drive off road (not dirt roads, off road) or are you climbing mountains in the middle of snow storms? If not then you’re better off sticking with FWD.

Since you said you live in Colorado I’d just get a pair of winter tires and call it a day. Just remember, AWD is only good for acceleration, it won’t help you stop any quicker which is far more important in slick conditions. Good tires will do far more for you than AWD ever will.

I come from the land of ice and snow, and AWD allows my car to go. 🎶
Something something midnight sun and doing an car based mountain run. 🎶

I did just fine with just RWD until I moved somewhere more mountainous. If the climate was drier or warmer, it wouldn’t matter as much.

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There is a noticeable difference in EVs with AWD vs FWD, because the drive wheels all have independent motors. More motors= more power. As other commenters said, the main other consideration is if you have snow.

We’ve really enjoyed our Hyundai Ioniq 5 crossover SUV. It has a ton of leg room (I’m 6’2" and can fully stretch out my legs), 300 miles of range, and more acceleration than any car I’ve ever owned. The cost of charging at home is about 70% less than we were paying for gas, plus there’s almost no maintenance needed (e.g. there’s no oil to change). With super chargers on road trips Hyundai and Kia EVs can charge from 10%-80% in about 15 mins for slightly less than the cost of gas.

I don’t think I’d drive an SUV at all if you were concerned with cost or handling, but IMO it depends on what you need: Modern traction control with good all terrain tires can handle extremely well in snow or rain - AWD isn’t necessary.

That said, my current daily driver is an AWD manual Subaru sedan and I have to admit: It corners better and is just a bit more resistant to losing control and a little faster in regaining control. If cost is not a concern, go with an AWD sedan especially if you drive in adverse conditions a lot.

If money is tight, stick with your FWD sedan and make sure you have quality all season tires as well as keeping your brakes and related systems in good condition - this would likely be more than adequate in any reasonable conditions especially if you are already a good driver (and if not, it’s never too late to learn).

With AWD I’d be more concerned with the fuel consumption.

Possibly not relevant to your use case, but one point that I haven’t seen mentioned yet is that for many SUVs that are available in both FWD and AWD, the tow rating will be significantly higher for the AWD version (like 5000lbs vs 3500lbs for FWD in the case of the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot)

I test drive a regular Audi A4 and Infiniti Q50 a few times and became hooked on owning an AWD. It doesn’t snow where I live but the handling was everything I ever wanted. Currently searching for an AWD version of the car I want next and there’s like none down here, it’s super frustrating

Usually not worth it. AWD only matters if you’re trying to push a lot of power to go fast.

If you need snow safety, snow tires are going to do way more for you than some gigantic gas guzzling brick. Buy a vehicle that meets your needs and use snow tires in winter and you’ll be fine.

SUVs are a huge racket. Don’t waste your money and contribute further to climate change by buying inefficient garbage.

Test drive that and similar sizes from Toyota , Mazda, and Honda before you make the purchase. There is a reason the Rogue engine is called a sewing machine motor. Listen to it as you do your best to get to the speed limit from a stand still. Try this with all the other vehicles and make your own conclusions. This is a long term investment so do it right, including trade in value. Almost everything is AWD now and it can come in handy.

I think AWD is widely unnecessary for most people in most climates. It is just an unnecessary feature to sell you a more expensive car.

I have lived in snowier climates my whole life and have also driven 2WD vehicles the entire time. I have only gotten stuck once, and I know that for a fact because I remember it being surprising that it had never happened before. You really don’t need it if you just drive carefully when conditions are suboptimal.

AWD gives you a false sense of invincibility as well. It’s important to keep in mind that “all wheel drive” does not mean better stopping. If you’re going to stop, more wheels with power doesn’t help. And in terms of dangerous situations, it’s usually the lack of stopping that’s the problem, not the lack of going.

There are also issues with fuel efficiency to consider. AWD vehicles generally get lower fuel efficiency compared to 2WD versions of the same car.

Overall, no, you really shouldn’t get AWD unless you really need the feature.

AWD is overrated imo. Really don’t need, my next will be FWD.

I haven’t looked but I’m sure you could find a SUV or crossover with fwd.

But I agree with the other commenter, don’t buy a SUV. Cars or hatchbacks are really all you need.

I agree with most of the responses here, but one thing that I think is worth noting is that not all AWD systems are built the same. The really, really good ones come from Subaru, Audi, and some Volvo’s. With good tires and a competent driver, these are usually really good in slick conditions. A lot of AWD systems though are more of a “mild AWD” where the car primarily FWD but can get some assistance from the rear. Those systems might give you efficiency gains compared to some other AWD systems, but performance wise they might not be dramatically better than FWD. So that’s worth considering I think.

Frankly if you have to ask if you need AWD, then you don’t NEED it. But it’s nice to have and pretty fun if you’re a psycho like me who actually likes winter driving