Kunal D’souza
Subaru
Subaru makes the best mainstream all-wheel-drive system for a snowy Canadian winter, bar none. The company has been at it the longest and built its entire brand around it, offering standard all-wheel drive on all its cars, except the rear-drive BRZ sports coupe.
Marketed under “symmetrical” all-wheel drive, the symmetry of the system comes from the engine, transmission and centre differential running in a line down the centre of the car, forming a spine. This was how the original system was designed in the 1970s, with a constant 50/50 front-rear torque-split and it is still in use today on Subarus equipped with a manual transmission (WRX).
The most common system Subaru equips is in the Forester, Crosstrek and Ascent (Subaru has stopped importing the Ascent to Canada because of tariffs). The system uses a multi-plate transfer clutch and various sensors to “predict” road conditions and distribute torque between the front and rear axles accordingly, which by default is set at 80/20 but can push up to 50 per cent of the torque to the rear.
Among all of Subaru’s systems, the common trait is that all four wheels are powered all the time, which provides confidence behind the wheel for the driver.
Subaru Outback.The Globe and Mail
BMW
Many all-wheel-drive systems today drive the front wheels most of the time and only send power to the rear axle when wheel slip is detected by the sensors, but BMW’s xDrive reverses this by sending power primarily to the rear wheels first. It helps the company maintain its sporty rear-wheel-drive driving dynamics while still providing reliable traction in slippery conditions.
Miranda Lightstone
Audi
In Canada, where “winter” is essentially a nine-month personality trait, every manufacturer under the sun claims to have the best all-wheel-drive system. But after nearly two decades of throwing everything from budget hatchbacks to six-figure supercars into snowbanks, I can tell you that Audi’s Quattro remains the gold standard.
While most systems play a desperate game of catch-up once you’ve already lost grip, Audi’s lineup is essentially reading the road’s mind. It isn’t just one-size-fits-all; whether it’s the bulletproof mechanical Torsen in the Q8 or the proactive “Ultra” technology in the A4, the car is working before you even realize you’re in trouble.
It’s not just about safety – it’s about the soul of the drive. The new RS Torque Splitter, for instance, doesn’t just “manage” slip; it invites you to dance, pivoting the car with an agility that makes physics feel more like a suggestion than a law. In a world of reactionary, digital “safety nets,” quattro feels intentional. Whether you’re navigating a city slush-fest or a twisty country backroad, it provides a level of confidence that’s frankly addictive. Life is too short for “good enough” traction.
Land Rover
While other SUVs give you a “snow” button and hope for the best, Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system is a literal masterclass in off-road physics. It doesn’t just wait for a wheel to spin; it proactively locks differentials, adjusts the air suspension, and recalibrates the throttle before you’ve even realized you’re hub-deep in a snowy rut.
2023 Land Rover Defender 130 is 1.97 metres high, which makes parking in some garages a challenge.Matt Bubbers/The Globe and Mail
Mark Richardson
Toyota
The great thing about Toyota is that because it makes such a complete range of vehicles, and almost all of them are available with all-wheel drive, you can choose the system that will work best for your driving.
If you need a rugged truck, such as a Tacoma or 4Runner, you can lock it from rear-wheel drive to four-wheel drive when you go off road or when slippery road conditions warrant. They call this “part-time” four-wheel drive. If you want better performance at the cost of greater fuel consumption, then vehicles such as the Sequoia and Land Cruiser use a “full-time” system that always powers both axles to varying amounts – the sporty GR Corolla also lets you manually adjust the torque ratio between axles.
“Regular” vehicles such as the RAV4 and Corolla Cross use two-wheel drive to save fuel unless the road gets slippery, and then they switch automatically to all-wheel drive, usually before the wheels have slipped by less than a quarter of a turn. This “on-demand” system is practical and efficient without trying to sell drivers on more than they realistically need.
Toyota’s electrified vehicles are also all available with all-wheel drive, in which a separate motor is attached directly to the second axle without needing a drive shaft, saving weight and complexity.
The 2022 Toyota Sienna with winter tires has no problems with a snow-covered, 15-degree slopeMark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Jeep
If you really want to drive over the most challenging terrain you can find, the various 4x4 systems found in Jeeps are the best there are. Like some other brands, they vary between models, so that “soft-roaders” such as the Compass use a more economical, on-demand system, but rugged SUVs get highly advanced and more costly systems.
The gnarliest of them all is the Rock-Trac system found on the Wrangler Rubicon, which uses electronic locking differentials and an active transfer case to shift all the engine’s power to just a single wheel if necessary – whichever has grip to pull or push the Jeep over a rock or out of a snowbank.
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