

Luxury-sedan makers are in the midst of a real scramble to outfit more of their models with all wheel drive. Joe White has details on The News Hub. Photo: Jaguar.

The epitome of a high-performance, luxury sedan for many consumers has long been a car with a big six- or eight-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels. Now, cars that send power to all four wheels are gaining traction, accounting for half or more of luxury-car sales in the colder parts of the U.S. and as much as 15% of sales even in snow-free states, up from single-digit shares in the past. Many industry executives say all-wheel drive is now a must-have technology for the U.S. market.

"It's not even a debate," says Jim Vurpillat, global marketing director for General Motors Co.'s Cadillac brand. Luxury-car buyers expect all-wheel drive to be available on any serious luxury sedan, he says, which is why Cadillac is offering the technology on its new compact ATS and large XTS sedans, as well as its midsize CTS model.

What is debatable is whether all-wheel drive delivers enough safety and performance benefits for the $2,000 to $3,000 extra charge car makers typically add to the price tag, as well as the mileage penalty that the extra weight of all-wheel-drive hardware still exacts in most cars.

The AMC Eagle was one of the rare cars to offer four-wheel drive 30 years ago, but the feature is becoming a must-have for luxury-car buyers today. Chrysler

The Highway Loss Data Institute compiled collision statistics for 10 popular midsize luxury sedans from the 2008-2010 model years that had both two-wheel and all-wheel-drive models. The all-wheel-drive cars had higher collision rates in four model lines, and lower collision rates for six. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hasn't studied specifically whether all-wheel drive delivers a safety benefit, but vehicle-dynamics experts there say electronic stability control and good tires are most effective at keeping a car on a slick road, according to a NHTSA spokeswoman.

Safety experts stress that all-wheel drive can help with acceleration on a slick surface, but it doesn't repeal the laws of physics governing friction, or the lack of it on snowy roads.

Consumer Reports compared the slick weather performance of a Toyota Corolla to a Land Rover and concluded that the Corolla—with its thin tires and light body—stopped much more quickly in snow than the burly, all-wheel-drive, luxury SUV, says Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' co-director of auto testing.

Even industry executives who are pushing all-wheel drive into more models say demand for it is driven as much by emotion as hard data.

Jaguar offers all-wheel drive for the first time in its 2013 XJ, above, and XF sedans. Jaguar

"It's about confidence," says David Pryor, vice president of marketing for Jaguar Cars North American sales arm. Jaguar will offer all-wheel drive on its cars for the first time on its 2013 XJ and XF sedans. In the segment in which the $53,000 XF competes, Mr. Pryor says all-wheel-drive cars have moved in five years from just 30% of the market to about 50%. "We haven't seen it plateau," he says.


Volkswagen AG's Audi luxury brand, which began offering cars equipped with its "Quattro" all-wheel-drive system more than 30 years ago, is launching a new system that is lighter, and designed to improve handling and speed. The newly designed system that sends engine power to the wheels—called a center differential—weighs 11 pounds, down from 15 pounds in the previous generation system, says Barry Hoch, a product-planning manager for Audi's U.S. operations. The new system takes up less room in the car's chassis and is less of a drag on fuel efficiency.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 features an all-wheel-drive system. Mercedes

Audi is also experimenting with hybrid all-wheel-drive systems that use electric motors instead of gears, and fiber optics instead of drive shafts.

John Barlage, director of product strategy for BorgWarner Corp.'s all-wheel-drive-technology business, says using electronics, substituting lightweight aluminum for steel, and employing designs that eliminate certain components outright can narrow the mileage penalty to as little as 1 or 2 miles per gallon overall.

BorgWarner, which sells technology to Audi, Cadillac and other brands, forecasts production of all-wheel-drive luxury sedans will grow by about 8% a year through 2017.

Car makers also are talking up the attributes of all-wheel-drive as a performance enhancer—an angle with a proven record of piquing the interest of luxury-car shoppers.

So does the 2013 Cadillac ATS. Cadillac

Audi's all-wheel-drive system and those used by its luxury rivals don't send an equal amount of power to all four wheels at all times. They can continually shift the flow of power from front to back and side to side, responding to data from the car's brakes, steering or other systems. A system that sends a touch of extra power to the tires on one side of the car can help guide a vehicle more smoothly through a sharp turn even when the road is dry.

"Quattro acts as a good support for an average driver when they start to run out of talent," says Mr. Hoch.

All-wheel drive can also help with acceleration. A rear-drive Porsche Panamera sedan, which starts at $75,850, weighs 3,880 pounds and claims it takes six seconds to go from zero to 60 miles an hour. An all-wheel-drive Panamera 4, carrying an extra $4,600 on its price tag and 132 pounds net of extra hardware, zips from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, Porsche says.

"If you're putting power down with all four wheels, you get a better off-the-line result," says C.J. O'Donnell, group marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln brand.

That is one reason why all-wheel drive will play a central role in Lincoln's effort to get its new MKZ sedan on shopping lists next to better-selling rivals such as the Lexus ES model. The Lexus, Mr. O'Donnell says, doesn't offer all-wheel drive.

Lexus says its ES customers are satisfied with the car's front-drive performance, and those who want all-wheel drive can get the feature on the brand's top-of-the-line LS 460 and its sportier IS and GS sedans.

Write to Joseph B. White at