I just swapped my 2019 Expedition for a 2020 Explorer, and apparently the AWD can’t be turned off, which has me scratching my head a bit. No, none of the other driving modes turn it off, either.
My Wifes Subaru Ascent is the same as was her last Outback. I think it just makes it easier overall to design systems that are generally trying to take away bad input from a driver from the system.
Many cars have AWD as standard. Some people need it, some don’t. Many don’t understand the difference between 4x4 and AWD. What is a car company to do? Probably cheaper for some models, at least to just go with AWD.