The Many Flavours of Lexus AWD

For 2023, almost every Lexus car, crossover or SUV can be had with AWD, and that’s a big accomplishment in itself and hugely important for Canadians enduring Canadian winters.

That may not be news to some, but even for folks that are in-the-know, it may come as a surprise that while almost every Lexus model can be had with AWD or 4WD, there are differences in how certain Lexus vehicles employ their AWD systems. The varying AWD systems available from Lexus could well determine which vehicle you opt for.

Take the popular NX and RX crossovers, for example. In gas-powered form (as opposed to hybrid), they receive an on-demand hybrid system. That means that by default, only the front axle gets power. However: depending on what’s required (taking into consideration driving style and conditions), up to 50 per cent of available power can be sent to the rear axle via a mechanical driveshaft. These vehicles are all about providing driving confidence and assuredness in adverse conditions.

Switching to a performance model like the IS sedan, for example, provides a more rear-biased driving feel with a minimum 70 per cent of torque being delivered to the rear wheels. Like the on-demand system, up to 50 per cent of power can be sent to the front wheels, if the situations dictates – think of it as kind of the reverse of what happens in the NX and RX.

While AWD is available in many Lexus products, a hybrid powertrain is available in almost as many Lexus products and with it, we find yet another twist in the AWD game.

You see, in order to fit all that hybrid running gear – namely, the battery pack – there’s less room within the vehicle to run a space-using part…like a driveshaft to the rear wheels. So, what Lexus has done is use an EV motor to power the rear wheels in a hybrid, and that’s how you achieve AWD. Since there’s no mechanical driveshaft to worry about, the transition from FWD to AWD happens very quickly in this configuration.

The final piece of the AWD puzzle at Lexus is actually the 4WD puzzle because both the GX and LX Series SUVs come with a mechanical, locking four-wheel-drive system that makes use of transfer cases and gearsets. These are the rear go-anywhere vehicle, able to clamber up most any surface and in most any condition as all four wheels get put to the test.