[s-cars] NAC - Why is manual and full-time 4wd or AWD mutuallyexclusive in SUVs

[Lee Levitt]

Older Land Rover Discovery was available with a 5 speed. Nice truck. Can be
a beast to maintain.

Lee 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com 
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Edward
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2007 7:14 PM
> To: s-cars
> Subject: [s-cars] NAC - Why is manual and full-time 4wd or 
> AWD mutuallyexclusive in SUVs
> 
> Hello all,
> Very unrelated to UrS, but I am trying to find a 
> high-clearance vehicle to tackle water bars so I can stop 
> abusing my poor 95 S6...
> 
> Much research has landed me the conclusion that the few 
> high-clearance vehicles available with a manual (xterra, for 
> instance) are part-time 4wd only.  Vehicles that in the 
> recent past offered full-time 4wd or AWD and a manual 
> (pathfinder, 4runner, explorer) only offer part-time with the 
> manual.  (I'm looking at SUVs of this nature as vehicles like 
> all-road and outback, while higher clearance than a car, do 
> not really offer enough approach angle to actually clear the 
> average BC water bar...)
> 
> Is there some challenging technical reason for this that audi 
> & subaru have overcome to get AWD and manual in their cars 
> that doesn't scale to a bigger vehicle?  Or is this just a 
> function of market?  Am I only one who wants a manual and 
> on-dry-road 4wd?  Is there some vehicle I'm missing?
> 
> Found myself curious and unable to solve on google... figured 
> someone here
> *must* know!
> 
> Thanks (and sorry for the NAC question),
> 
> Ed
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