'AWD vs 4WD: What's the Real Difference? 🚙💨'

All-Wheel Drive (AWD) continuously powers both the front and rear wheels, providing excellent traction in everyday driving and varying weather conditions. It's commonly used in SUVs and passenger vehicles. However, AWD can’t handle extreme off-road conditions well and tends to have higher fuel consumption since the power distribution is controlled automatically by the vehicle's system.

Four-Wheel Drive (4WD), on the other hand, is designed for off-road use and lets the driver manually control the power distribution between the front and rear wheels. It excels in rough terrains and uses less fuel but is less practical for regular road driving or normal weather conditions.

[cristianandrei]

4x4 have an extra transfer case with extra gears( usually 4L, 4H and 2H)and yes, the rear and front axle output shafts are locked together. The vehicle can function as a real weel drive one in 2H, as an AWD in 4H and with a reduced gearing ratio in 4L. It usually has extra lockable differentials engaged or disengaged manually or electricaly by a button.
AWD usually has the power transfered to the front weels via cv axles and to the back weels via an output shaft and differential. The diff can be lockable or lsd but that's irrelevant. It doesn't allow extra low gears. The front wheels can be disengaged and the car functions as a RWD in some cars. Of course ECU's can play a role into power output to each wheel in cars that have traction control.
Awd is more common, it's less complex, lighter and less expensive. Except from heavy off roading it's functionally as good as 4x4 since you don't need extra low gears and an overall bulkier transmission.
4x4 is used in heavy off roading as I said. The extra low gear helps on steep slopes, overcoming obstacles or slippery terrains. Same with diff lock, it's only used when is required, like when you get stuck in mud and need all wheels to turn to dig into the mud until one grips for exemple. It affects handling a lot. Also, 4x4 seems to be more overbuilt since the forces applied on it's components are higher.

[rubyonrail]

1. This guys is talking non-sense
2. That dude with car flipping sticked his arm out thinking he was gonna push back...Feel bad for his arm. probably broken.

[attnielthomas]

Lots of misinformation here even in the comments. Both systems are far more complex now blurring the lines of one from the other. There is permanent 4WD, 4WD, and AWD. There is even locking action in 4WD. Without getting too indepth as there is not enough room. One big shortfall of AWD is it often sends power/ drive in modern systems to the wheels w/ grip which could work against you if that tire(s) are buried in snow or mud. 4WD now has permanent and regular so to speak. Bottom line a low gear transfercase is common among conventional 4WD and not permanent 4WD or AWD in most cases. Too much to go into locking and open differentials among 4WD. Best wishes to all. I am now an AWDer.

[TrainboyEJR]

Uhh… every manufacturer has their own naming scheme, most 4x4 don’t have locking differential, AWD is now just a blanket term for anything that as all 4 wheels connected to the drive shaft whether or not it is even capable of moving a tire that has grip if one tire lacks traction, sometimes things aren’t even consistent between trim levels of same vehicle. Only way to test is to have 3 of the 4 wheels on rollers and see if the 4th wheel can move the vehicle off the rollers, tested for each tire.

The vehicle I drive, Suzuki SX4, has a switch for 2wd, AWD Auto (only good for for getting started from a stop in snow/ice), AWD Lock necessary for mud or any sort of soft ground because Auto requires a rotation or two of wheel spin before it will activate for like 2 seconds. Lock is fully locked, absolutely awesome if you want to maintain a power slide in snow, trying to drive in a tight circle in a few inches of snow with Auto is wildly inconsistent as “AWD” is constantly activating and deactivating. As long as you know what setting to use and when, it’s great.

[rafaga]

Even they call AWD ... some vehicles send power front or rear as needed... the system isn't working all the time ... except Subaru simetrical AWD ... this works all time

[lbnsypc]

Thank goodness we have another video with a voice-over explaining.

[grandad]

Your Spreading Misinformation, Check Your Facts a off roader Mode 4x4 engages Diff locks Between The Left and Right Wheels On The SAME AxLE So When One Side Lift's Of The Ground and Doesn't Free Spins ALL The Power, Instead The Opposite Side Continue's To Rotate. The Second Is For When All 4 Remain On The Ground And Limited Slip Diff Or A Elrctronic Equivelant Lowers The Power To Most Lost Traction.

[gregoryrobinson]

This guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

The "manual" AWD 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS, as a 50/50 torque split (50% power front, 50% power back). The ECU does not transmit power from front and back, like the automatic version does.

So yeah, some AWD cars you know exactly how much power is at certain wheels.

But that's just a minor difference, others here have already stated what the difference between 4WD and AWD is.

[Geosbudy]

Silence for the one who broke his arm😅

[barbarafleece]

A four-wheel-drive vehicle has a slightly lower gear ratio in the front differential than the rear differential of the vehicle. This in turn causes the front wheels to spin slightly faster than the rear wheels when the transfer case is locked in four-wheel-drive. In soft sand or deep snow the vehicle will have a tendency to be able to climb out of the loose sand or snow. Conversely, with an all-wheel-drive vehicle, both front and rear differentials have the same gear ratio.. if you get them in mud or soft sand or deep snow, they will bury themselves. All wheel drive vehicles are best for slippery surfaces that are firm like a road that has a slight amount of snow or ice on it. They are not designed for off-road use for this reason. They are very good on dry surface roads with performance oriented vehicles on a race track. Many newer cars with all wheel drive have the capability to shut the system off when not needed to save fuel. Such as Toyota, for example.

[Rod]

When he said all wheel drive are bad in off road condition he lost me🤷🏾‍♂️🤣

[observingrogue]

I always thought the best option, other than an electric motor at each wheel, is an All Wheel Drive system, with strong Limited Slip Differentials front & rear.
But diff locks offroad are just amazing.
So much so, if I can't limit wheel speed electrically, with motors at each wheel, then I'd rather just have 1 or more motors at the beginning of a 4x4 transmission. At the clutch or flywheel, if I was to make a homemade electric car from a conversion kit.

[fauzanriez]

If its full time 4x4, its called permanent four drive.

Part time 4wd means drive can engage or disengage the system manually or on demand.

All wheel drive means the system can switch either 2wd or 4wd depending on traction. Or lack of it.

[АлександрВайчукунс]

The thing that you say is 4wd is actually differential lock:
it locks all wheels that are powered and they both spin.
foe example if one wheel is in the air and other on the ground, they will both spin

[robertkarp]

I think people are giving answers according to the make of automobiles they are familiar with. Standards might even be different within the same automakers when comparing older model vehicles with newer model vehicles.

[connor]

They are the same on a 4 wheeled vehicle. There is full time 4wd with center diff, full time without center diff with clutch that computer controls when needed/when wheel spin detected, part time 4wd with no center diff, and jeep had mechanical full time 4wd where if rear driveshaft spun faster than the front, it spun a pump which applied pressure to a clutch pack, it was found on WJ's and possibly some other jeep models. They also had oil-pump type lockers on the quadradrive WJ's

[-zerxvil-]

Imagine one day you've got an idea 💡, and decides to share in YouTube whatever theory concocted.

[jameshathaway]

Since nobody saw fit to mention it the true difference is simple. AWD has an extra differential or other uncoupling method to allow the front and rear wheels some difference in speed so it can be utilized on pavement. 4wd systems don't have this so driving on dry pavement with 4wd engaged will create wheel hop and axle wrap when turning. While turning all 4 wheels of a vehicle are moving at different speeds so you need a differential in each axle plus one or something similar between the front and rear. There are true center differentials, viscous fluid couplers and all different manner of devices to fill this center differential role.

[adrianvasile]

Very poor explanation. I know very well how it works and I don't understand the explanation.

[salimserin]

The part the car was going straight up made me lose brain cells 😂