All-Wheel Drive vs Four-Wheel Drive: What’s The Difference?

All-Wheel Drive
All-wheel drive is engineered to provide great traction on well-paved surfaces. When you are driving on the road, these maintain traction even on extremely slippery surfaces. It can transfer power to all the tyres of the vehicle while it also decides which wheel should receive more power and which should receive less.

It is better than the front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. It will help you get out of snow-covered roads or rain-slicked terrains Many all-wheel drives also can switch between 2WD and 4WD. For instance, when you are going through a slippery surface, the engine will provide power to all-wheels and as you get out of it and the brakes and tyres come back to normal, it will switch back to either front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive to enhance fuel-efficiency.
Most of the modern SUVs come equipped with an all-wheel drivetrain system. You can even find it in some sedans and pick-up trucks. While it is a bit complicated to understand, AWD is user-friendly and easy to operate. It does not require any human input as the system is automated and the computer decides which wheel should receive more power.

Advantages of 4WD:
• Offers great traction under all road conditions
• You don’t need to turn it on manually

Disadvantages of 4WD:

• It increases fuel consumption
• While it works fine in less severe off-road conditions, it is not ideal for extremely rough and rugged conditions

Four-Wheel Drive (4WD)
Four-wheel drive often called 4×4 or four by four is a system that distributes power to all four wheels equally. This system is primarily designed to offer traction on rough terrains. These are mostly found on large and mid-sized SUVs and rugged trucks. The four-wheel drive sends acceleration to all four wheels without controlling the division of power. The power goes from engine and transmission into the transfer case — a device that equally divides power between all the wheels.

The equal distribution of power between all wheels gives 4WD the capability to go through low traction situations and soft terrains. The downside is, these 4×4 cars are not reliable on well-paved roads and highways. The ride quality is compromised on roads and the cabin is a little noisy. Turning through compact streets is also a struggle.

Most modern SUVs come with a part-time 4×4, which means you can turn it on and off when needed. When you are driving in normal conditions, you can keep the standard two-wheel drive on and as you enter off-road conditions, you can turn it off by flicking a switch or pushing a button.
Some 4WD cars come with a transfer case that gives you the option to switch between 4-low and 4-high.
4-low or four-wheel drive with a low-range is used to get the maximum power available. For instance, if you get stuck in mud or you want to crawl large rocks, you turn on 4-low to send maximum power to wheels as you move in low speed.

4-high mode restricts the available power and is best to use when you are in stable high speed and are moving through a slippery surface.
To avoid any breakdown or inconvenience, never increase the speed when you are using the 4-low mode. Manufacturers have now started to design vehicles which come with automatic 4-low deactivation and as a vehicle achieves a certain speed, 4-high is turned on automatically.

Advantages of 4WD:
• Ideal traction and grip to handle the unpaved wilderness
• You can turn it off and switch to 2WD to improve fuel economy

Disadvantages of 4WD:
• You have to compromise comfort on roads and highways
• Adds weight to the vehicle and is more expensive than 2WD
Summary

An all-wheel-drive is perfect for a driver who is looking for safe driving in extreme weather conditions. Honda Egypt offers an all-wheel drive in its modern SUV, Honda CR-V — a compact SUV.
Honda Pilot — a mid-size SUV, is another mid-size SUV by Honda that can be equipped with AWD. While the expensive trims have AWD standard, you can also get it on lower trims by paying an additional amount.
If you are looking for a vehicle which can crawl over large rocks, go over deep mud or navigate through the hot sand, then you definitely need to consider a four-wheel drivetrain system.