4WD vs 2WD in Texas

Texan here also, I really wanted a 4wd but I couldn’t justify it so I got a 2wd. I wish I had gotten the 4wd but it’s just unnecessary. I’ve had 4x4 before and not used the function. So I’m good with a 2wd.

 

I've had at least 5 different vehicles with 4wd and never engaged the 4wd ever. LOL I live in S. Texas (SATX) as well and looking to getting another Taco to add back to my fleet. Looking at 2wd since this will be mostly used to simply tow/haul stuff on occasion. Previously had a new 2020 TRD Pro 4x4 but sold it after 4 months. Prices now are ridiculous compared to what I paid in 2020.

 

My last three trucks have been 2WD. I've been running 2WD by choice since 2008.


No regrets, not once since 2008.

 

Lived in Houston for 19 years. Owned both 2WD and 4WD trucks and SUVs. Larger and stronger local market to sell your used 2WD than a 4WD. Lot of good folks on TW from the north and west that will struggle to rationalize this local demand for 2WD vs 4WD, but it is a reality if you don’t plan to move back where you will get frequent snow.

 

with climate change, Texas is not immune to icy snowy condition.
I recommend 4wd despite add cost and the hassle of remembering to engage in 4x4 quarterly to keep it from seizing if not used regularly

Last month, when everybody stayed home due to winter storm mara, I was able to dick around outside in ice covered roads (they don't bother to use salt in Texas) because I have a 4x4 truck. I tried to leave the house in 2H it was just pure spinning the rear tires, immediately after 4H engage the truck moved like it was on asphalt

 

Snow and ice you'd definitely want 4wd. But these trucks are pretty capable for moderate off-roading even in 2wd

 

4wd is not worth the extra cost upfront and ongoing fuel cost in Texas.

 

Based on what you’ve shared most practical arguments confirm that you probably don’t actually need 4wd, just like we probably should eat whole grain oats instead of biscuits & gravy. And so, you may not be wrong.

However…if you keep it a long time the extra cost is a wash, you’ll suffer less stress on those TX trails, and having 4wd will encourage you to push the limits and have a little (or a lot) more fun. And even if you only occasionally engage 4x4 & you don’t keep it forever, 4wd is a better position for resale. Go for it, b/c regrets would weigh more than a transfer case.

 

Does it really increase fuel consumption that much? I'd assume both in RWD mode, 4X4 just need to haul an extra 200 pound or so of sprung weight because of drive shaft, transfer case, that's like having one more passenger

 

A lot of people have this perception texas is like a flat prairie. Texas is a massive state with different topography depending where you live. West Texas has big mountains, deep east Texas is swampy, the panhandle has plateaus, etc. Texas isn’t like Florida where the whole state is flat and damn near never gets snow. There are some areas where 2wd is fine and others where 4wd is important to have. I’d get 4wd myself but 2wd vehicles are very capable. Some parts of Texas get significant snow storms every year like the panhandle for instance. If you want to explore the whole state get 4wd. Even in flat, muddy areas 4wd is useful.

OP, you said you live in the hill country. I’d get 4wd if you are going to seriously explore just in case.

 

The biggest issue in Texas is there is very little public land, just about all private property. Off pavement exploring can be pretty tough to find. Very little BLM or forest service land.

 

My input on this is even here in New England, you'll never really have 4WD engaged enough to ever be able to calculate/confirm the MPG difference. I'd be surprised if hauling around the extra components on the truck (when it's not dialed up) would cost you anymore than 1 mpg overall in daily driving. Right now, here we are on 2/20/23 and I haven't even remotely needed 4WD this winter: they plowed the roads only once so far for a 3" storm. (The only other storm we've had in my neck of the woods delivered about 2") In this part of the country, if you have an "essential personnel job", or work off shift, or need to come home during and ice storm, then it's nice to have. Otherwise, if we get 8-10+, we just stay home until the plows come by. (and it never takes long)]

Even with 4WD, we (old bucks) just sit tight to avoid the thrill-seekers, experimenters and crazies in their SUV's screaming along at 50 mph on 4" of slush-over-ice to pick up a suitcase, milk and a loaf of bread.

 

2 wd - AARP approved
4 wd - panty dropper

 

"Never bring a knife to a gun fight"

 

All the folks yakking on resale. It's true that you have a broader market and higher price.

But does resale matter to you?

It doesn't matter a hoot to me. I keep what I have long enough that I either give them away or sell them to someone in need for a good price. Have never traded a vehicle in either.

Just like buying insurance or certain investments, the future is hard to predict. Only you can get close, based on your past, what meets your needs today and what you can reasonably foresee as meeting your needs in the future.

In my case, a 5 lug works. The lowliest of the low, the scum of the truck world. 2.7 auto. No power, no 4wd, no lift. Yet it miraculously does all I need it to all day, every day. And yes, I use it as a light duty truck, not a car with a bed.

If someone said here's a wad of cash, go buy a replacement truck, I'd be looking at a hybrid Maverick.

But since that's not happening, I chose to spend my hard earned $ in other ways.

 

I'm convinced that people whose first line of justification is about resale, are underutilizing their equipment. The "dont use it but bought it anyway" crowd.

I used to run 4WDs. Funny thing about being a young, broke college kid with a bank note on an expensive 4WD: I had no reason to own one, so I went out looking for reasons to use one. And that got me in trouble. A lot. To be fair, those trucks taught me some highly valuable driver and mechanical skills, even if I learned them the hard way.

Nowadays, I stick on the moderate, mud-free trails, and I can get an awful lot of exploring done with just a 2WD and a good set of tires. I guess that goes back to those harshly learned driver's skills - my dad will panic and drop it into 4L if he has to park in a gravel pull-out. Me? I pick my lines and I'll stop and turn around on a section that I wouldn't want to be dragging my daily-driver through, regardless of drivetrain. But there's an awful lot of trails in this grand nation that a 2WD is perfectly happy to run on.















Run what you want. Most people want a 4WD. Cool. Say that then. I'll accept a "I thought it was cool, so I bought it" as a much more valid justification than "resale value" or "better to have and not need."