what’s the difference between 4-wheel drive and all-wheel drive?
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Typically a AWD car will lack what is called ‘locking center differential’ whereas a selectable ‘4WD’ car will be equipped with one.
Obviously we can quibble about the fact that a torsen diff’d Quattro system is *literally* 4WD, and some Subarus with manual transmissions offer a locking center differential; in most applications vehicles marked “AWD” the differentials ‘lock’ via an electronic clutch-pack and are not manually selectable. In low speed and low traction situations a locking center diff is a handy tool to have. In a regular road car a locked center diff would be a disaster.
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