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 hydraulic clutch, an electromagnetic one, or something else entirely? Is it engaged using levers, twisting a dial, pushing a button, or does it simply magically show up when needed?
In the late '80s, four-wheel-drive vehicles were simpler machines, often owned by hunters, farmers, and ranchers who didn't mind putting a knee in the dirt to twist their truck's hubs to lock the front axle, but the increased popularity of SUVs and crossovers has led to the democratization of all-wheel drive, giving laypeople the ability to tackle tough terrain as well as the IKEA parking lot.
Funny, considering the purpose-built roots of these drivetrains. |
