Although seemingly the same as four-wheel drive (4WD), the term all-wheel drive (AWD) is generally used in reference to vehicles that are not designed to be driven off-road or over harsh terrain.

AWD vehicles typically drive only two wheels most of the time and only engage the other two wheels “on-demand” – in other words, when the road is slippery and the on-board computer detects tyre slip.

‘Proper’ 4WD vehicles, on the other hand, can be manually switched to 4WD mode and come with a low-range gear function, or transfer case, for off-road driving.