The terms four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive are fairly familiar at this point, but many of us would struggle to explain the difference if asked. Some would even be surprised that there was a difference. But there is and it’s worth understanding to make sure your next car is the right one for your needs. Below we’ve laid out the broad details and how they affect your driving experience.
4×4
Your classical 4x4is actually only a 4×4 part of the time—there’s a switch, button, or lever that toggles whether the car is distributing torque to all four wheels or just one axle. This is because driving the wheels this way causes rapid degradation at high speeds, the kind you’ll likely push your car to while driving on tarmac. These vehicles are ultimately built for off-roading.
Some more modern 4x4s instead have ‘high’ and ‘low’ settings, the former being meant for more extreme terrain, along with systems that can automatically adjust for on-road driving and reduce the strain on the vehicle.
As to whether a 4×4 is right for you, you need to consider what use you’ll put the car to. If you plan to do a significant amount of driving on rougher terrain, it’s ideal. You’ll also want a 4×4 if you’re hoping for a larger vehicle, since this type of drive is usually used in SUVs, trucks, and other more sizeable machines. They do tend to be more expensive overall, though even newer models are affordable used through dealers like Shelbourne.
AWD
You’re much more likely to see all-wheel drive, or AWD, on smaller, more traditionally car-like machines. This means it can’t match four-wheel drive for low-speed traction, nor robustness, but that’s not really what it is meant for.
AWD is always on and responds dynamically to road conditions, distributing torque among the wheels accordingly. This means that it can be the ideal system if you’re thinking about getting a 4×4 just to make driving in wet or icy conditions more bearable, because it comes in smaller, more affordable cars (though you can also find it in expensive models like the Audi A4) that are often easier to handle and maintain than a full 4×4. If you want the performance of an SUV for urban and motorway driving, AWD is the way to go.
