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There are only a handful of all wheel drive sedans. They include the Ford
> Five Hundred, the A6 Audi, the Infiniti G35, the Mercedes E Class, the new
> Cadillac, and the Lexus GS. For whatever reason Chrysler has decided to enter
> this niche market, and in doing so stuffed it so completely that it is going
> to be difficult for the others to breathe. The reason is simple; the pricing
> and performance of the Hemi powered 300 C with all wheel drive are unmatched.
> The downside is that the all wheel drive makes the 300 C more bulky and less
> likely to even approach 18 mpg in daily driving.
>
> Mom's view: The addition of all wheel drive makes this Chrysler feel much
> more heavy and instead of providing you a feeling of solidness, such as
> exists in the rear wheel drive version, the C feels overstuffed and cranky.
> Over bumps you would swear you were riding in a pick-up truck. Even on smooth
> roads the all wheel drive sedan with its slightly raised stance never felt as
> connected to the road as its rear wheel drive sisters.
>
>
> 2005 Chrysler 300C AWD (photo: The Car Family)
> The point I am trying to make here is why do you really need all wheel drive?
> It adds weight, lowers the fuel mileage, does not significantly improve
> handling in normal driving, and costs more to buy and maintain. Of course, if
> you live where it snows or rains significantly an all wheel drive might be of
> value, but why not just get the much less expensive Ford or even a compact
> SUV for far less money? The answer probably lies (yes, that's the word that
> comes to mind) in the mind of attention seeking males who feel it is
> important to have the latest toy. That is why less than five percent of all
> SUVs ever get off road, because many are essentially posers. They want the
> looks, but not the body and paint shop repair bill for their $40,000
> excursion into the hinterland.
I'd like to add that for real snow capability good ground clearance is most important. The 300C doesn't have adequate ground clearance. In deep snow it is getting hung up on the bottom that usually stops a car. Unfortunately RWD just doesn't hack it for my winter driving to the ski hills, unless I use those ugly chains. I have more experience with RWD than FWD.