the delay for the awd "turning on" can be overcome by either temperatures being below 7, wipers on, or the driver turning the dial to snow...
... so if you are in snow... but don't turn the dial to snow... and then the snow makes you slide because the awd was a touch too slow to react... that is hardly the cars fault. the way i describe it is like a rally car... they could still get around a course with just a driver, but a navigator telling them what to expect ahead really helps them be in the right position. be the navigator to the awd system and warn it if you are going to need it to do something...