4WD vs AWD

Compare New Car Prices from Dealers Near You!   4WD vs AWD: What's The Diff? Life used to be so simple. Pickups looked like pickups. SUVs looked like SUVs. Everything else was a car. And when it came to 4WD and AWD, one was serious, and the other was a gimmick. All that has changed. Today, there are so many fractured segments, subsegments, different styles, and looks that some people might consider a certain vehicle a car, while others call it a four-wheel drive, and still others think it's a crossover. And in one way or another, they could all be right. Here, we take a look at the basic assets and strengths of 4WD and AWD systems, discuss the major players in each category, and suggest what to keep in mind when using these systems to the best of their capabilities. In fact, the possibility exists that in the future our current naming choices won't be adequate to distinguish the different types of powertrain systems. Maybe simply calling something 4WD or AWD (or even 4x4) isn't good enough. Jeep's Grand Cherokee uses...        read full caption  Click to view Gallery Jeep's Grand Cherokee uses a full-time 4WD system with a dedicated transfer case that offers several terrain settings. Selec-Terrain has a setup similar to Ford (with Snow, Sand & Mud, Rock, and Normal) with an added Sport setting. This allows the Grand Cherokee to be a better, more spirited street driver and back-country explorer. 4WD The 4WD vehicles were simpler. The output shaft from the transmission went into a transfer case where the engine power was split between front and rear driveshafts. In 2WD, the rear driveshaft turned a pinion inside the rear differential, spinning a ring gear that turned the right and left axle shafts, eventually turning each wheel. With the transfer case lever engaged in 4High or 4Low, a fork would engage a chain drive, turning the front driveshaft and pinion (at the same speed as the rear driveshaft) in the front axle's differential, also turning the ring gear and right and left front axle shafts, then the wheels. This is also referred to as a "part-time" 4WD system because the 4WD had to be manually engaged, and without a center differential it could be used only on low-grip terrain or driving surfaces. Four-wheel-drive systems are more complicated now, but the principles are the same. As you might expect, there are more computers and advanced electrical sensors in most of today's 4WD systems, but there are still a few brand-new vehicles that aren't that different from the originals (such as the Jeep Wrangler and Ram HD Power Wagon).