Back in the day, 4-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were niche features. Unless you had a truck or an oddball vehicle like an Eagle wagon or Audi 4000, your vehicle was two-wheel drive.
Now, with crossovers and SUVs supplanting sedans as the default choice for everyday transportation, it’s common for any given vehicle to sport a quartet of driven wheels. But that doesn’t mean all systems are created equal.
Unless you have a fully automatic all-wheel-drive system, there will be at least two drive configurations you can choose to maximize your vehicle’s capability in a given situation. If you drive an SUV with an off-road bent, like a Toyota Land Cruiser, then you’ll have more complicated choices—high range, low range, locked or unlocked center differential.
Read more: Popular Mechanics
