It’s cold on the East Coast. Like, really cold. We’re in Florida, the state that’s supposed to stay frost-free, and this past Friday morning, Feb. 20, had a wind chill of 29 degrees thanks to what the Weather Channel calls the “Siberian Express.“
So, that means the roads are still stuck in winter-weather-mode, and your car needs to be, too. Though we’re in Florida now, decades were cumulatively spent by our staff living north of the Mason Dixon, in New Jersey, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and so on and so forth.
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So trust us when we say that nothing can quite come close to the added grip of snow tires, but without all-wheel drive, those snow tires won’t do much to help your car stick to the road. But just because a car has a good grip doesn’t mean it can’t be good-looking. In fact, there are quite a few models that are just as comfortable topless in summer as they are on ice in the winter.
Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of our 10 Best AWD Sports Cars with that all-too-necessary drivetrain. Can you think of any others that we might have missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Ferrari SF90 Stradale
Ferrari’s new SF90 Stradale was unveiled as the most powerful car from the Italian automaker. Powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine and an electric motor, the SF90 Stradale’s powertrain sends 986 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels.
Porsche 911 Turbo S
One of the most popular and exciting cars in Porsche’s lineup is none other than the 911 Turbo S. This AWD sports car can lay down supercar numbers like a 0 to 60 mph time of 2.6 seconds and a top speed of 205 mph. There’s a reason why the 911 Turbo S has been a must-have for many collectors.
Nissan GT-R
An electronically controlled AWD system in the GT-R offers something few AWD drivetrains can. Traditionally, AWD splits torque 50/50 between the front and rear wheels, but in the GT-R, 100 percent of the torque is available to the rear, while the front has access to 50 percent. This means you can trust in the AWD when hitting slippery spots, but can also enjoy a rear-wheel drive feeling on drier days.
Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
While the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ wasn’t the final Aventador Model, it most certainly is the most extreme. With an AWD setup that has 770 hp and 530 lb-ft of torque running through it, this supercar is a force to be reckoned with.
Rimac Nevera
The Rimac Nevera stepped into the record books when it broke the quarter-mile time for a production car. This kind of feat was made possible thanks to its enormous output of 1,914 horsepower and the fact that this power comes from four separate motors. With power being pushed to each wheel independently, the Nevera can rocket across drag strips and circuits.
Audi quattro
Though it might not appear to be much from the outside, when the Audi quattro was introduced at the 1980 Geneva International Motor Show, it was the first to bring an AWD drivetrain to the world of mainstream and supercar production models. Without the quattro, it’s possible none of the cars on this list would be here. And now, Audi is looking to resurrect the quattro.
Audi R8
The Audi R8 is developed and produced entirely by quattro GmbH, the high performance private subsidiary of Audi AG. The name “quattro,” Italian for “four,” comes from the 1980 Audi Quattro, or the Ur-Quattro, which was the first to introduce AWD to the mass market. But while the Quattro was the first to offer Audi’s quattro drivetrain, the R8 is the impressive result of 35 years of development.
Porsche 918 Spyder
It’s the latest hypercar from one of history’s most successful automotive brands. It’s a hybrid. It has a 4.6-liter 8 cylinder thatproduces 887 hp and 944 lb-ft. And it has an AWD option, as well as front-wheel and rear-wheel drive modes. There isn’t anything about this car that lends itself to an ordinary driving experience, only an extraordinary one.
Bugatti Chiron
As the successor to the Veyron, another truly remarkable AWD hypercar, the Chiron has been a shining star in the automotive world thanks to its abilities. Take the Super Sport 300+, for example. This AWD hypercar was the first of its kind to exceed 300 mph. That’s downright incredible.
Acura NSX
Acura may be sunsetting the NSX, a fantastic AWD sports car, but they’re at least they’re letting it go out with a bang. That bang is the NSX Type S, the most powerful NSX to ever be created. What’s more, it also features Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®).
