Why 4x4 or AWD in Class Bs?

[Punkinhead]

I had several reasons for choosing AWD. My rig is being built for four seasons because I live where it snows and I enjoy going places in the snow. I want the option to drive on a beach or in the sandy areas in places like Utah. I want to be able to get home if I'm camped in a dispersed camping area accessible by forest roads that turn greasy and/or rutted if a good rain comes along after I'm back in a ways. I'm not interested in hard core 4x4 trails because I think that kind of punishment is too much for even the best built vans. I think expecting cabinets not to get tweaked or appliances to not get beat up is a bit optimistic. Dirt bikes, side by sides, and Jeeps are a better way to do that kind of exploration.

As far as the extra weight of AWD, I factored that in. My build will come in enough below GCWR and GVWR that I'll be able to tow my side by side or motorcycle trailer even when fully loaded. I chose AWD instead of 4x4 as a trade off between cost and capability. AWD will give me what I need to get out of sandy/greasy/rutted situations. I'll leave 4x4 for people who will use there rigs in a more hardcore way. And I won't sneer at people who choose 4x4 any more than I'll sneer at people who choose 2WD. I'm not arrogant enough to think my choices are the right ones for everybody else.

[Rocinante]

We would prefer AWD in our next camper for the simple reason that it would give us more flexibility, would help us get out of untenable situations into which we might accidentally stumble, and has the potential to give us better traction in marginal situations (e.g. rain, light snow, etc.). If the camper came with true 4x4, we'd consider that as well, but it's not on our list of must-haves because we would never intentionally drive it into conditions like those you see in this video from Matt's Off Road Recovery, where AWD combined with general cussedness and determination got the owners of this small class C RV into trouble:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqPzOsxtn6Q

[Davydd]

For Sprinters 4x4 is a factory option but AWD isn’t. Transits have an AWD option. 4x4 option? I haven’t enquired. Promasters are only front 2WD? I have never explored non-factory options.

I drove in January 4-5,000 miles on all roads in snow of all kinds down to blizzards where you couldn’t see the vehicle in front of you. At my daughter’s new house in the Pittsburgh suburbs I was apprehensive about driving up the steep about 40 ft. approach in the snow of her driveway. I made it. I used to live with a 300 ft. 12% slope driveway in Minnesota and never failed to get up or down it in the snow. I go to the winter Freezeout in Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s UP in January and have never failed with two 2WD Sprinters to negotiate the snow. Yeah, I know AWD and 4x4 would be better but with my snow experience I don’t think it will be a game changer for me.

[Sleeping Dog]

The problem with lifting a PM is that it puts a lot of strain on front axles, due to the change in angle of the axle shafts. When you lift a Sprinter or Transit you can leave the axles where they are relative the wheel hubs and simply put on longer springs and shocks.

[Sensfan]

A rough tally of member responses to the original question confirmed a diversity of individual member wants or needs:
8 did not imply a preference for or against a 4X4 Class B;
7 did not support a 4x4 Class B;
4 supported a 4x4 Class B; and,
3 supported AWD.

The logical conclusion: There were/are no answers, only preferences ... lol.

[rowiebowie]

I'd bet the take rate for a 2-3 inch lift would be higher than the take rate for 4 wheel drive. Of course, lift is often a side benefit of 4x4.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by Sensfan

A rough tally of member responses to the original question confirmed a diversity of individual member wants or needs:
8 did not imply a preference for or against a 4X4 Class B;
7 did not support a 4x4 Class B;
4 supported a 4x4 Class B; and,
3 supported AWD.

The logical conclusion: There were/are no answers, only preferences ... lol.

That's a pretty fair take. With this kind of question you're only going to get preferences, because there is no definitive answer.

[Davydd]

You can get the same factory lift of 2” in a Sprinter the same as the 4x4. It was beneficial to me to get it as the extra height definitely clears the side nerf bars over curbs at 8.5” clear. I just couldn’t go the 4x4 route because keeping it at a 2500 chassis. I have more upfitted weight than any short van I have reviewed including the 3500 dually chassis. Money was no problem nor factor in my decision.

It seems most short Sprinters are getting promoted as 4x4s from the mass produced Winnebago Revel to the many small upfitters that seem to do 4x4s.

That video above says AWD will not save you from bad decisions. I had a 4x4 pickup truck and once slid off a loose gravel road embankment giving way exploring a new housing development and had to get pulled out.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Davydd

You can get the same factory lift of 2” in a Sprinter the same as the 4x4. It was beneficial to me to get it as the extra height definitely clears the side nerf bars over curbs at 8.5” clear. I just couldn’t go the 4x4 route because keeping it at a 2500 chassis. I have more upfitted weight than any short van I have reviewed including the 3500 dually chassis. Money was no problem nor factor in my decision.

It seems most short Sprinters are getting promoted as 4x4s from the mass produced Winnebago Revel to the many small upfitters that seem to do 4x4s.

That video above says AWD will not save you from bad decisions. I had a 4x4 pickup truck and once slid off a loose gravel road embankment giving way exploring a new housing development and had to get pulled out.

Yes, 4x4 is does not make a vehicle invincible. In another post, you mentioned driving (or actually not driving) on the beach. There are many places in S. Texas beaches where you could easily do that. But like you, I would not try it in my class b since the areas where driving is safe (packed sand) and the areas where you can get instantly stuck (soft sand) are not clearly delineated. I live only 15 minutes from several drivable stretches of beach, but only drive it a 3500 lb. car. Much easier to push or pull out (if needed) than a neary 5 ton van.

[jrobe]

Here in the upper midwest on a snowy or icy day, it is inevitable that the 4x4 trucks are the first ones in the ditch. They are also the ones that pass on the freeway driving the exact same speed an in the summer feeling invincible. I will give them credit though. They definitely get much further into the ditch than the smaller cars.

[rowiebowie]

As I mentioned previously, any road surface that requires 4x4 I usually find too rough to drive any distance on in my class b. But my lift is useful for speed humps, steep driveways, and the occassional unavoidable pot hole. Even with cautious driving, it's a miracle I never bottomed or scraped anything before the lift.

[BillsPaseo]

Originally Posted by Davydd

For Sprinters 4x4 is a factory option but AWD isn’t. Transits have an AWD option. 4x4 option? I haven’t enquired. Promasters are only front 2WD? I have never explored non-factory options.

I drove in January 4-5,000 miles on all roads in snow of all kinds down to blizzards where you couldn’t see the vehicle in front of you. At my daughter’s new house in the Pittsburgh suburbs I was apprehensive about driving up the steep about 40 ft. approach in the snow of her driveway. I made it. I used to live with a 300 ft. 12% slope driveway in Minnesota and never failed to get up or down it in the snow. I go to the winter Freezeout in Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan’s UP in January and have never failed with two 2WD Sprinters to negotiate the snow. Yeah, I know AWD and 4x4 would be better but with my snow experience I don’t think it will be a game changer for me.

True 4x4 is available for the Transit, but it is aftermarket. Quigley does a 4x4 conversion using F150 parts, and it is a very high quality conversion, but runs about $12K. They are an authorized Ford upfitter, and their conversion is available through Ford dealerships (at least it was a few years ago before Ford started offering AWD, maybe that is no longer true).