AWD makes many people feel safer, including those living in areas with no snow. Chrysler can't force or otherwise convince the masses to buy FWD over AWD, so many purchase a Toyota van to obtain AWD. If you go to northern Canada and Alaska you will see many competent drivers piloting rear wheel drive and front wheel drive vehicles around on snowy roads without a care in the world. For them, AWD and 4WD is totally unnecessary and wasteful for most street use.
You'd actually be surprised. The take rate for AWD on the Sienna is not that high. AWD in a minivan has definitely been a niche thing, thats why Chrysler had abandoned it and Honda has decided not to explore it despite the Odyssey being on the same platform and having the same powertrain as the Pilot. It will be interesting to see how many Pacificas are AWD.
Bear in mind you're talking to someone who drives a RWD car himself in the winter. As for plenty of people piloting around FWD and RWD vehicles in the snow without a care in the world in northern Canada and Alaska, thats true...but that doesnt change the fact that AWD would make the cars they are driving better. Those drivers are also typically using winter tires and not making do on all seasons like people in more mild/variable climates are, and they have far, far more experience driving cars in winter weather. Having had the same car I have now thats RWD in AWD and driving both in winter conditions. The RWD does better than older ones I've had, but its no replacement for AWD. The AWD car was just better.
Front wheel drive vans do not accelerate quite as well on snow or ice as a FWD car, but they are far better than RWD.
Depends on the traction and skid control aids in the RWD car. MY FWD van does not accelerate as well in the snow as MY RWD car. Thats purely a function of the technology in the RWD car though which has dramatically improved its snow performance over older versions of the same car I've had in RWD. Absent any traction or driving aids I would agree a FWD van will accelerate better from a stop than a RWD car.
Car weigh distribution is roughly 60F/40R while passenger vans are much closer to 50/50.
Pacifica weight distribution is 55/45.
I am a performance driving instructor, ex-SCCA driver and have 45+ years experience driving FWD, RWD, AWD and 4WD in the snow of Pennsylvania. I strongly disagree with virtually everything in your post. AWD provides greatest benefit for average drivers in snow or icy conditions when driving up hill or accelerating hard (in a straight line). Driven wheels are seldom under power when the "typical driver" is struggling to turn in slippery snow or wet conditions. If tires are sliding in a corner, they are braking late or entered too fast and overcooked it. They will not be on the throttle under that scenario. Drivers are generally coasting or on the brakes in corners, and gently feathering the throttle when exiting the turn. Corner slip understeer UNDER THROTTLE is reduced with AWD as you say, but I see that as a driving error. Don't accelerate so hard to cause slip lol. Dynamic traction limitations in a corner can ALWAYS be managed by reducing throttle application, unless you are churning up a steep hill while turning. Momentum will get a vehicle with proper velocity thru a sharp corner. Average drivers with AWD don't apply hard throttle at the apex to improve cornering under slippery conditions. AWD and 4WD will encourage a car in a turn to go in a straight line under heavier throttle. AWD/4WD is indeed great for 4 wheel drifting. This allows the advanced driver to use a throttle-induced elevated rear slip rate to repoint the nose, but this technique is illegal for public roads can sometimes puts cars into guide rail or upside down.
Even when not applying throttle a FWD car with a more nose heavy weight distribution is more prone to understeer in the first place in the scenarios I outlined in my post. You're looking at this through the lens of a professional driver, the vast majority of drivers are not professional drivers. Its about what makes a common driver safest in the snow, and the propensity for a FWD car to lose traction when entering a turn too quickly in slick conditions vs a RWD or AWD car that is more evenly balanced is absolutely a fact. The real negative for RWD vehicles is their propensity for oversteer which is hard for an inexperienced driver to correct for, that issue has been largely negated by standard yaw control systems in cars. Skid control is less effective at combating understeer than it is overseer. You also have the added problem as you mentioned of losing the ability to steer when accelerating up an incline, etc. Of course its driver error. but nearly every cause of a collision in those sorts of driving conditions is going to be driver error. Its about what platform is the most forgiving of driver error and the easiest for someone ...and thats AWD.
I'm not saying a FWD car can't be driven safely in the snow, of course it can. Millions and millions of them are, they are just dynamic limitations people don't realize.
The low ground clearance on Pacifica limits it's deep snow potential with AWD.
The AWD Pacifica does have 1 inch higher ground clearance, but again its not about deep snow. I had both an AWD Lexus sedan and a 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee at the same time. In snow less than 5-6 inches, I preferred to drive the AWD Lexus despite the Jeep having much more ground clearance. Of course in deeper snow the Jeep was much better. Just because a Pacifica can't plow through a foot of snow like a Jeep doesnt mean the AWD doesn't have value. Its pretty rare you encounter a public road with a foot of snow on it, even during a heavy snowstorm because the roads are tamped down, plowed periodically etc to keep the snow depth down. For most people, an AWD car or van will serve them very well in winter weather despite not having more than 6 inches of ground clearance.
AWD will make the Pacifica more satisfying and safer to drive in a variety of conditions, and increase the van's utility a ton. Take off from a stop on a rainy day with anything but the lightest of throttle in both a FWD and an AWD Pacifica...you're going to want the AWD.
