I’m Stuck—Hybrid or Turbo AWD?

[CrazedHoosier]

So I’m 23, and for the first time ever, buying a new car. I’m so glad Ford made a truck I could afford, as it was just what I needed, but couldn’t find on the market yet. That said, now I’m stuck in the middle of a mental battle between the idea of having the 2 liter turbo AWD, and the 2.5 liter hybrid. I need advice from more experienced drivers.

I live in Southern Indiana, where there are large hills, but much less snow than the northern part of the state. I currently have a Kia Soul that struggled to face the repetitive 7-10 inch snowstorms that kept hitting us last year. That said, it’s a bit uncommon for us to have a lot of snow like that. We typically get a few inches here and there, but nothing major annually.

I also work at a job 20 miles from where I live. My Kia Soul, while good in fuel economy, usually gets just 25-28 mpg. It would be amazing to get 35-40 mpg instead. I’m also a huge tree hugger, and want to support Ford in their endeavor to be more eco friendly. I also want to slow down the damage being done to Earth.

I do put a lot of stuff in the back of my car—admittedly more than I should in a Kia Soul, but have never towed anything in my life. Would the turbo be that much more helpful in helping carry heavy items such as large plants, bags of soil, mulch, animal enclosures, aquariums, etc?

What do you all recommend I get?

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[Big_T]

I'd say the front wheel drive hybrid will be fine for your needs, but I would suggest some winter tires when needed to be sure you get to work on time and safely. An extra set of winter wheels and tires is much less cost than the upgrade to ecoboost AWD.

 

[Guardian]

I'd say the front wheel drive hybrid will be fine for your needs, but I would suggest some winter tires when needed to be sure you get to work on time and safely. An extra set of winter wheels and tires is much less cost than the upgrade to ecoboost AWD.

Solid advice. He has a long life ahead of him. Plenty of time left to buy an AWD truck in the future. Save your money for now!

 

[bgillen35]

There have been pictures of the AWD frame stickers that actually show less hauling capacity than the hybrid, most likely due to that weight being taken up by the AWD system. A good set of snow tires on the hybrid in the winter would be perfect for your needs it sounds like.

 

[Deleted member 1483]

The hybrid is what drew me away from the bronco sport to the maverick. I think that unless you plan on towing 2000 to 4000 lbs, or like to dart from stoplights, the hybrid is the superior powertrain.

 

[Jasperw229]

100% agree with Big_T, get the hybrid and a full set of winter tires.
Swap out your tires with the seasons and rotate them with each oil change. I think you'll be surprised how well you can do in the snow.

 

[stoptothink]

Dedicated snow tires are WAY more important for car performance and safety in inclement weather than what and how many drive wheels there are. If safety in the snow is your only real concern about getting the FWD hybrid, get a set of snow tires.

 

[JASmith]

I’m also a huge tree hugger

Its actually the small trees that aren't established that could use the most care, unless I'm reading that wrong and you're just overweight, in which case I recommend a low carb diet.

Just get the hybrid, buy a second set of steelies, and have a pair of real winter tires. FWD with winter tires is IMO more safe overall than AWD with all seasons.

 

[zach57x]

I am 21 and this is my first new vehicle purchase as well. Although I would much rather have a dedicated ICE, the fuel savings that result from the hybrid will be well worth it in the long run. Any money I would have otherwise wasted on gas or the optional EB will go towards a mustang in the near future.

 

[atomguy245]

I agree with the other comments. Get the hybrid. You'll have better ground clearance for the snow than your Kia, get better gas mileage, be better environmentally, and have a lower car payment.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I'd say the front wheel drive hybrid will be fine for your needs, but I would suggest some winter tires when needed to be sure you get to work on time and safely. An extra set of winter wheels and tires is much less cost than the upgrade to ecoboost AWD.

I second the fwd hybrid and was torn between XL $ XLT but decided to make the XLT do for now until the plug in comes, as it has a few options that I like. Expect resale to be strong with gas $$ going up and lux pkg to help resale. Also like the extra weight the lux adds thinking it might help with braking on wet pavement. I am central Texas so have snow 0-10 days a year. Am waiting for PHEV and would give up bottom half of bed for battery that would power my house instead of buying 2-3 power walls. My XLT will be for sale even if I get the 2026 PHEV first as I am not backing out of it.

 

[TruckVille]

Congrats on getting your new vehicle, CrazedHoosier! I don't think there is a wrong way for you to go, so try not to fret about it too much. This is a good channel and I think all of this has been good advise. I'm going to go the other way, however, and recommend you take a good look at the 2.0L EcoBoost and AWD.
1. You can get winter tires no matter what configuration you get. So get winter tires.
2. 20 mile commute with lots of hills is no joke. The greater push of the EcoBoost will be your friend.
3. If you want to do everything you can to make sure you get where you're going, don't mess around. Pick the option that gives you the greatest assurance. That sounds like what you want, or else you would keep driving the Kia.
4. You can still wear your tree hugger badge because you'll be getting better gas mileage than most trucks.
Going for test drives in both type would be great, if you can find some to test drive.
Either way, you're a lucky guy - picture yourself driving your new truck! Either configuration is going to be great!

 

[Fx4hOok]

I agree with the other comments. Get the hybrid. You'll have better ground clearance for the snow than your Kia, get better gas mileage, be better environmentally, and have a lower car payment.

Yup hybrid, that way you can save up for a bigger down payment, imagine how much $ you can save by waiting until August 2022.

 

[brnpttmn]

@ 23 years old you should also consider that the AWD will cost you about $15k over 10 years (compared to the hybrid). Put the $3k you'd spend on the AWD in a retirement account and put it in an aggressive growth fund and don't touch it. You'll have $100k when you retire.

 

[Ronaldo]

I’m from southern Indiana, Orleans, but live in LA now. The rolling hills there are perfect for great hybrid mileage. The battery charges on downhills. Get the hybrid, the engines weight is over the drive wheels that provides great traction. Winter tires and a set of chains will get you through anything. The money you save on gas, eco boost, AWD, and 4K tow you can use as a down payment for a house.

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