Are they not the same thing? Does and all wheel drive apply to vehicles with more or less than 4 wheels?
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4×4, or 4WD, is a mode that can be activated and deactivated when needed. It ensures that all wheels rotate at the same speed, and all wheels are independently a driving force for the car. This improves traction, but introduces stresses to the wheels/tires/drive system when turning.
AWD is an always active system that diverts some of the power from the drive wheels to the other wheels. This helps with traction and stability, but doesn’t “lock” the wheels into synchronous rotation. It’s basically a halfway point between FWD and 4WD that’s a compromise on the benefits of each.
at the simplest it can be
AWD: All Wheels Drive (constantly)
4×4: Two wheels drive but you can activate all four (for example when going through rough terrain)
AWD is permanently on and distributes power differently depending on the situation, and is better in conditions such as snow, ice, paved roads and higher speeds
4WD is able to be toggled and provides the same amount of power to each wheel, such as 25% to each tire, and is better for lower speed rugged terrain , such as rock crawling, mud, slippery inclines, or pulling weight
In Australia there are a lot of warning signs to tell stupid people that the following {road, beach, whatever} is high clearance 4×4 only and not suitable to AWD.
This is because a lot of morons get stuck and go “but my car is AWD” – there’s a difference, 4×4 used to mean “off road” but because you get latte sipping wine connoisseurs arguing that AWD == 4×4, you get a lot of stuck people needing a rescue out on the trails or on the islands.
It’s semantics. They both have (or have the option of) all four wheels driving the vehicle.
You’ll get some people stating oversimplified definitions such as being able to select 2 or 4 wheel drive or having locking differentials. But these are only features that might be more likely on a vehicle marketed as 4WD.
The actual truth is that there isn’t a set in stone difference. Select a vehicle based on the characteristics or features you need, not the terminology selected by the marketing department.
Generally speaking, AWD is permanently engaged. It’s safe drive with it engaged all the time because there’s some mechanism that allows the front and rear driveshaft to spin at slightly different speeds when turning, such as a center differential, or a clutch pack that really only engages the second axle when it detects wheel spin.
4×4 or four wheel drive is manually selectable. If selected, both driveshafts to the front and rear will be driven at the same speeds. It’s not safe to drive with this engaged on a hard surfaces because the drivelines will need to spin at slightly different speeds when turning. The front driveline will need to spin slightly slower than the rear when turning. If the surface is slippery, the tires will slip just enough to keep the driveshafts from binding. If you drive with 4×4 engaged on a hard surface, turning will bind the front and rear drivelines at the collar in the transfer case, and could cause damage or weird driving characteristics.
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