For most people, buying a car with all-wheel drive
or four-wheel drive isn't about this.
It's more about this.
I'm going to show you what you need
to know about all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive.
Because nothing feels better than making an informed
decision except maybe being warm and dry.
Guys.
That's more like it.
Hey, everybody.
I'm Desola from Edmunds, where we're
known as the car testing pros.
We've teamed up with the experts over at CarMax
to help you find your right vehicle.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
OK, so we can't really control the weather.
But when you buy a car, you're buying it
for all 12 months out of the year.
So hey, even if the sun is shining when you go shopping,
you just honestly never know when--
[STARTS RAINING] I see how it is.
We're going to have to have a talk.
If you appreciate me getting soaking wet to help you out,
why not like and subscribe?
OK.
Now to finish this video from the comforts of this toasty--
[STARTS RAINING] man, let's get into the car.
All-wheel drive is showing up in more vehicles like this Nissan
Altima.
It's really a great solution for keeping you
on the road in all sorts of conditions.
If you live with rain and snow, the problem
you're going to have to deal with is traction.
Cold, wet weather can make roads more slippery.
And the last thing you want is to get stuck.
A normal commuter sedan, like the regular version
of this Altima, sends power from the engine
to a single pair of wheels.
In this case, the front wheels.
If you've got some nasty weather and one of your wheels
can't get traction, your car is going
to have a hard time getting moving.
All wheel drive lets your car send some power
to all four wheels.
So you have more traction to work with.
So it's super easy.
In most all wheel drive vehicles,
the connection between the front wheels and the back wheels
isn't fixed.
That means when things get slippery, snowy,
or when you're going around a turn,
the car helps you out by changing where it sends power,
front or back.
Best of all, you don't have to do anything.
The car does the thinking for you.
When you're just cruising and you don't actually
need the extra help, your car will readjust to front wheel
drive and it will actually help improve fuel economy.
All-wheel drive is so easy and helpful that it's
available on tons of different types of vehicles, SUVs,
sedans, even some small pickup trucks too.
You have a lot of choices if you're searching
for an all-wheel drive vehicle.
But what if you want to get away from it all,
go out into nature, smell some fresh air, get
a little bit of sun in your face?
Wait, what the heck is that?
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Oh, I'm going to need something bigger.
The all-wheel drive on this CR-V works pretty much the same
as it does on the Altima.
But the CR-V is a little higher off the ground, which
is actually really good because it means that you can worry
less about things like small rocks
or a little bit of built-up snow.
So essentially, your all-wheel drive system
is solving the same problem, making
sure you don't get stuck, and keeping you moving
when there's less traction.
And believe me.
Some of them are really good.
Check out our video of the Subaru Crosstrek
to see what I mean.
All-wheel drive can get you pretty far.
But it still has its limits.
Now this is where I'm going to need a 4 by 4.
Like all-wheel drive, four-wheel drive
is about getting power to all the wheels.
But a four-wheel drive vehicle, or a 4 by 4,
does it a little differently.
4 by 4's like this Forerunner connect
the front and rear axles with a chunky piece of gear
called a transfer case.
This splits the power 50-50 between the front and the rear,
and makes both axles turn at the same speed.
By locking things up like that, a 4 by 4
doesn't have to do anything when the going gets tough.
It just powers right through, which
is actually really perfect for rugged terrain like this one.
The same goes for deeper snow too.
So it's actually really great if you live in an area
where the roads don't get plowed regularly.
And 4 by 4's can also have more tricks for off-road duty.
A taller suspension helps clear bigger obstacles.
And mechanical parts like low range gearboxes
and locking differentials help increase traction even more.
But all that stuff only matters if you're doing
serious off roading like this.
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For right now, all you need to know
is that all of that extra equipment
is strictly off road and low speeds only.
OK?
And that your vehicle is not going to do anything for you.
When I say none, I mean none.
You have to decide when you want to use it,
and you have to turn everything on and off yourself.
So just so you know.
What about on the road?
Well, first things first.
I'm going to switch it from four-wheel drive
to two-wheel drive.
Because remember when I said this?
This splits the power 50-50 between the front and the rear,
and makes both axles turn at the same speed.
But on asphalt, especially when it's dry,
you can wear your tires even faster.
And you can even damage our vehicle
for driving it in four-wheel drive.
So four wheel drive can help you get out of sticky situations.
But once you're up to speed and driving around town,
you definitely don't want it on.
Even if it's turned off, all that hardware
is bulky and heavy, which is why you mostly find it
on trucks and larger SUVs.
So if you are searching for a four-wheel drive,
just know that your model selection will be limited.
And whatever one you find will probably not
get the best gas mileage.
But on the plus side, they'll be way better
at towing heavy loads than all-wheel drive vehicles.
So keep that in mind.
Both all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive
are about getting power to all four wheels of your vehicle.
They just do it differently.
All-wheel drive is kind of like the nerd thinking things
through and calculating how to help you out,
which makes the four-wheel drive the jock.
You call the play, and it powers through.
Of course, you can find variations
on both of these systems and some that blur the lines.
But here's what you need to know if you're
choosing between an all-wheel drive vehicle and a 4 by 4.
If you do a lot of driving on the road
and you want something that can do well in the winter,
but you don't plan on doing any serious off roading,
then you're better off going with an all-wheel drive
vehicle.
Now if you do a lot of driving on the dirt, in deep snow,
and unplowed roads, if you just plan
on doing some more of those extreme off road obstacles,
or if you want to tow something heavy,
then you should definitely check out some 4 by 4s.
Now where's my cocoa?
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