AWD = all wheel drive
4wd = four wheel drive

There are four wheels/tires on a four wheeler

What's the difference between 4wd and AWD, then? I thought AWD was some yuppie suburbanite term they used to describe their foreign SUV.

 

Ask Subaru or Audi they would love to tell ya!!!! All I can tell you there is that Jeep Wranglers have 4wheel dr and Forester's don't! LOL

 

My Jeep has AWD.

 

Ok you got me all fixed now. Wranglers you know the last real 4x4's next to the Power wagon If you have a Jeep with AWD on it it is not a Jeep it is what we mechanics refer to as a "Mall Crawlers".

 

What about the purist's that want to get out in the mud and lock the front hub's. Not me, shift on the fly!

 

Or in Polaris plastic collar ring no shift at all Don't hate just having some fun with you all. I will still let you ride with me.

 

OK, we'll wait for you!!

 

Is that to come back and winch you out or do I need to bring my tools????

 

The term four-wheel drive describes truck-like vehicles that may allow the driver to manually switch (sometimes with an automatic option) between two-wheel drive mode (if available) for streets and four-wheel drive mode for low traction conditions such as ice, mud, snow, slippery surfaces, or loose gravel.

All-wheel drive (AWD) is often used to describe a "full time" 4WD that may be used on dry pavement without damaging the differentials, although the term may be abused when marketing a vehicle. AWD can be used on dry pavement because it employs a center differential, which allows each axle to rotate at a different speed. ("Full-Time" 4WD can be disengaged and the center differential can be locked, essentially turning it into regular 4WD. On the other hand, AWD cannot be disengaged and differentials cannot be locked.) This eliminates driveline binding, wheel hop, and other driveline issues associated with the use of 4WD on dry pavement. For vehicles with more than four wheels, AWD means all wheels drive the vehicle, to varying degrees of engagement, while 4WD means only four of the wheels drive the vehicle continuously. For example, an AWD vehicle with six wheels is often described as a 6x6, the M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck being one of the best-known examples (dual wheels on the rear axles are not counted as additional drive wheels).

 

I know back when I had my Popo 600 it had True 4x4 written on it now they say AWD. I am very familiar with Polaris's "AWD" system and know how it works abut neither of these names really work in naming it what it rely is "limited rear wheel slip"