All-Wheel Drive Electric Car Options
Discover the all-wheel drive options available in the electric car market as we approach the start of 2019. For more details, visit Swing Electric.
All-Wheel Drive: A Feature For the Rugged (and Wealthy)
All-wheel Drive (AWD) is a vehicle feature often sought out by those who live outside of an urban environment or who live in snow-bound climates. Having control of four wheels instead of two grants the car significantly improved traction control and allows the driver to escape hairy situations in loose dirt or snow than might otherwise trap a front-wheel drive-powered car.
While there is a healthy diversity of hybrid electric vehicles offering all-wheel drive functionality on the market, there are only five fully-electric AWD-equipped cars “available” in 2018 and two of them aren’t even widely released yet. All of these options are considered to be in the luxury vehicle price range ($45,000 or more) so if you’re shopping for a budget EV with AWD, you’re out of luck… for now.
Tesla Model X
MSRP: $ 83,000 — $ 140,000
The Model X is a transformative SUV. It features some of the best handling and acceleration of any vehicle available on the market, it has some very impressive standard collision avoidance tech, and it looks like it was sent down by time traveling engineers from the future. It just happens to be electric. At 237 miles, the range is impressive for any vehicle, let alone a heavy SUV.
Jaguar i-Pace
MSRP: $ 69,500 — $ 85,900
The i-Pace is Jaguar’s first major play into the EV market. It’s an upscale luxury SUV with all the making of a Jaguar but a battery instead of a gas engine. This cat isn’t just about playing in the mud or snow, it feels equally at home on the track with a 0–60 time of 4.5 seconds; that’s 1.5 seconds faster than a Tesla Model X 60D while costing almost 20% less (although the ludicrous Model X P100D still has it beat with a 0–60 time of 2.9 seconds).
Audi e-tron
MSRP: $74,500
The e-tron by Audi has been getting a lot of press lately for its uncompromising focus on fitting in with the rest of the Audi line. At a glance, it looks like all their other vehicles, handles the same, and features the same exterior styling — but it’s powered by electrons instead of fossil fuels. Many EV enthusiasts may scoff at an EV without “quintessential” EV features like one-pedal driving but we think this SUV is going to go over well with the mainstream audience. It features that fastest 0–80% recharging time of any EV on the market which is exactly the type of feature first-time luxury EV buyers are looking for (even if they had to sacrifice battery efficiency). This vehicle is not widely available yet but we’ve heard reports that Audi dealerships in some areas are taking orders.
Tesla Model S
MSRP: $ 74,500 — $ 135,000
The 2018 Tesla Model S is perhaps the best vehicle, not just electric, ever made, all things considered. The 250+ mile range (on the base model) eliminates range anxiety, the sleek exterior will turn heads, the cabin is spacious, and the whole car just feels like the future — even 6 years after it was first produced. And, of course, AWD comes standard. If you have the budget, you can’t go wrong with the Tesla Model S.
Tesla Model 3
MSRP: 38,700 — $ 64,000
The Model 3 is Tesla’s latest product and it’s truly the mass market electric car that the world has been waiting for. The base model has a range over 200 miles, it looks attractive and sleek, it offers bleeding-edge collision avoidance technology, is compatible with thousands of Supercharger stations around the country, all with a base price less than $40k. The only issue is that you have to get yourself on a very long wait list in order to buy it, with little certainty around fulfillment. If you’re okay with the uncertainty around fulfillment dates, the Tesla Model 3 is your cheapest option for AWD.
