If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, you’re likely to see lots of car and truck makers touting the advantages of their 4-wheel drive (4WD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicles. But what exactly differentiates these systems from each other, or from 2-wheel-drive (2WD) systems? And how do you choose which transmission type is best for you?

To help you make more informed choices, let’s take a look at the basic mechanics of each system, its pros and cons, and the types of driving environment to which each is best suited.
 
4-Wheel Drive
Basically, 4WD distributes power to all four wheels […]