4WD

• A vehicle with permanent 4WD consistently uses all four wheels to move the car. Some vehicles have part-time 4WD, which allows the driver to switch between standard and 4WD depending on road conditions.
  
  

4-High and 4-Low

• Vehicles with 4WD have two settings, 4-high and 4-low; 4-low allows the vehicle to create more torque, ideal for towing or navigating rough off-road terrain.
  
  

AWD

• All wheel drive is similar to 4WD, powering all four wheels at once. The difference is lack of a 4-low setting that offers more torque. This difference makes AWD vehicles less equipped for off-road driving than 4WD models.
  
  

Automatic AWD

• Automatic AWD is a variation. This primarily uses 2-wheel drive (2WD) but automatically switches when it senses the vehicle losing traction. As soon as proper traction is regained, 2WD is re-enabled. Automatic AWD is often confused with part-time 4WD due to the similar names, though they're not the same--automatic AWD is automatic and part-time 4WD is manual.