islndchica

Hey everyone,
I'm new around here and seeking some advice. I'm interested in buying a 2012 IS 350, and I'm seeking opinions on what I should do regarding purchasing the AWD version. I already foresee the comments about RWD outperforming AWD, given the proper set of tires. That will not help me. I already know this. I want to know what I should do given my personal situation.
1) I'm female, I live alone, I don't own a garage, and I have nowhere to store a set of winter tires.
2) I live in NC, where in general the winters are mild, but we get nasty road conditions every so often without warning.
3) I have a job that requires me to get there early, never to be missing and being late/absent is never an option (regardless of whether the rest of the city is shut down)

Those things in mind, if you were in my specific position -- what would you do?

Thanks.

laobo979

iTrader: (5)

If your buying new check out the 2014 models with its new upgrades. If not I don't think NC get that bad were you need snow tires with the awd. If you feel more confident with the awd vs rwd then go for it. Most people do make it around in harsher storms in the north east with awd with all season. Beside the tire it also about the driver in bad weather.

knguyenk

In your situation, the AWD version will fit your needs a lot better (probably with good All-Season tires by the sounds of it). Since I'm thinking like a guy it was a bit difficult to see why not have snow tires, but thinking it through and putting your specific position into account I was able to weigh the options.

If you did had a place to store and fit snow tires on your car the RWD would save you money up front.

Or for the ultimate piece of mind, an AWD with snow tires.

The best thing to do if you are completely set on an AWD IS is to look into good All-Season tires that have good snow performance. That's what I'm suggesting for your specific position.

NimaM

iTrader: (1)

With your situation, I say AWD. I used to own an AWD IS250 and now I have a RWD IS350. I really miss the AWD feature. It definitely had better handling than RWD.

Icy350

iTrader: (18)

The awd sounds like a better option. If performance isn't your too priority (wit our cars it really shouldnt be)then the awd and rwd difference will be negligible

1Clean06IS

I am in a similar situation, I wanted a car that can get me out of the house durin the ocational snow storm in nj.....with that being said I found a huge power down grade from my Acura TL but overall I love the AWD dependability and drivability.

aspeckt

I'm in NC and I have AWD. went on a skii trip to Boone and I had no issues with the snowy roads there. I am on all season tires too. I'm actually in fayetteville and we had an icy road issue a couple days ago where people freaked out for no reason and the roads were salted. People were driving slow and carefully, I drove exactly the same with no issue. I might have slid once? But with AWD it wasn't noticeable.

Holunsok

I have a IS250 AWD in Chicago, I dont know which tire it comes with on the 2012 model but on my 07 it had really ****ty all season tires. The huge blizzard two years ago, those tires aren't trust worthy. Even in the lightest snow, the ABS will kick in cuz the tires losing grip and made me drive with care. Since then, I upgraded to 18's with a set of Continental Extremecontact DWS and they were great in the mild blizzard last year. I couldn't be happier for my needs. Gave me much more confidence with the DWS driving in snow. Given the fact the side walls are weaker, I dont beat on the IS as I have an S2000 for that =)

A set of good tires matter the most given the condition of the weather. If I had a RWD car, I would opt to get a set of snow tires. But with AWD, a good set of all seasons will do. Saves you the hassle of changing wheels depending on the season.

Hope this helps

Joshohoho

My advice would be yes get an AWD IS350. If anyone says get a RWD cause of performance, don't listen to them. Get the car that will make your daily commute more convenient.

I have an 07 IS250 RWD
-smaller V6 so I can have slightly better mileage
-RWD because I live in san diego.
-My job might require me to transfer to a region that snows alot and i will just buy snow tires or not drive at all.

Tarrant64

Yeah, stick with the AWD. I have a 2011 IS350 that is AWD - only drawback is my tires aren't good All-Seasons (Dunlop 5000). Try to get some Michelin's on there, they are better rated. Even the Continental DWS will be a good fit. However, with the AWD I didn't really have any problem accelerating or stopping in wintry conditions (NE here, we can get a ton of snow). Mind you, snow tires will always outperform all-seasons, but in my opinion a safe driver can get around in most conditions, especially with AWD.

From my personal snow experience with the AWD on the IS350:
1-3 inches of snow it felt like I was driving on dry pavement most of the time (don't drive like you are though). The AWD really does get you going fairly well in poor weather conditions. 3+ inches of snow and the traction control system can cause you some problems. It will stop the tires if it detects they are spinning. In my first deep snow run I had the gas down and the car went nowhere. In some deep snow you sometimes need that spin to "dig yourself out" of a problem, especially if you get stuck. This happened to me and I forgot how to turn off the TSC (hold it for 5 seconds). Just pressing the TCS button to turn it off will automatically cause it to come back up after 30mph or something like that. I forgot this and actually almost got stuck in 8"+ of snow. TCS on will prevent you from "rocking" out of tough spot. I'd say once you get going in deep snow turn the TCS back on until it becomes a problem again. I've found in most cases the system is helpful.

In terms of performance, not sure why anyone would say RWD outperforms AWD. I think there's pros and cons to both, and in your situation AWD is going to outperform RWD.

Slammer1

Hmmmm... Where are you in NC? I'm here too and can tell you that I have driven my RWD IS350 in snow and ice and that the traction control makes it quite manageable. If you are in the mountains and expect to encounter heavy snow and ice, go AWD. If you are in the southern, central or eastern areas, you should be fine with just the RWD. If we get heavy ice (like we did a few days ago), I drive the FWD Honda to be on the safe side. With that said, the wife drove the IS home Friday night after we got lots of ice and freezing rain and didn't have any problems at all.