Does My Vehicle Have 4WD or AWD?

Posted on May 15, 2020 in Useful Tips & Info

We hear this question a lot! These terms are often used interchanegably but there is a fundamental difference between the two. Jason from the Engineering Explained YouTube channel has an excellent video breaking down the two drivetrains, so we will let him do the talking on this one:

Cliff Notes: a 4WD vehicle uses mechanical gears to lock the front and rear axles at matching speeds. An AWD vehicle has the ability to delegate power where it's needed to individual axles/wheels.

Cars that have AWD systems:	Cars that have 4WD systems:
Audi TT	BMW M5
Subaru Forester	Jeep Wrangler
Ford Explorer	Ford Expedition
Honda Pilot	Chevy Tahoe
Lexus IS300	Toyota Land Cruiser
Audi A3	Toyota Tacoma
Infiniti QX60	Nissan Frontier
Audi Q5	Chevy Suburban