For a layman chatting to a mechanic or gearhead, automotive jargon can seem like a foreign language. To the average person on the street, terms like torque vectoring, locking differentials, pinion ...

There are a lot of misconceptions regarding all-wheel drive (AWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD). Some say they are the exact same thing; others argue that they are completely different, and one is a much ...

When cars first gained popularity, rear-wheel drive (RWD) was the preferred method of propulsion. It also happened to be the only choice. But front-wheel drive (FWD) later took over the mainstream ...

Which is it: four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive? The answer is more complicated than you might expect. Is the system part-time, full-time, or on-demand? Reactive or predictive? Does it use a ...

When we talk about vehicles that can handle inclement weather or off-road use, many folks turn to cars with all-wheel drive (AWD) or four-wheel drive (4WD, or sometimes 4×4). AWD is a system or mode ...

Traditional 4WD and modern AWD are built on fundamentally different mechanical principles, and mixing up which one you need can cost you thousands in repairs. The preference for 4WD among older truck ...