What does 4wdauto mean?
2 Answers
4wdauto means four-wheel drive, which refers to all four wheels having driving force. In the early years, four-wheel drive was mainly used in hardcore off-road vehicles, but now it is also used in urban SUVs, and many mid-to-high-end sedans and luxury sports cars also adopt four-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive distributes the engine's output torque to the wheels in different proportions according to road conditions to achieve optimal control and traction. The following are the classifications of four-wheel drive: 1. Full-time four-wheel drive: The vehicle is always driven by all four wheels independently at any time. 2. Part-time four-wheel drive: The driver manually switches between two-wheel drive mode and four-wheel drive mode by engaging or disengaging the transfer case based on road conditions. 3. On-demand four-wheel drive: The system automatically switches between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive according to driving conditions, converting to four-wheel drive only when appropriate, while remaining in two-wheel drive under other circumstances.
Last time I drove my friend's new SUV, I noticed this button on the dashboard and looked into it. 4WDAuto stands for automatic four-wheel drive mode. During normal driving, it defaults to two-wheel drive for fuel efficiency, but as soon as it detects wheel slip—like when driving through puddles on rainy days or starting on icy roads—it automatically switches to four-wheel drive to improve traction. This design is really smart, unlike old-school hardcore off-road vehicles that require manual switching, which can be a hassle. However, for truly challenging off-road conditions, it's recommended to use manual four-wheel drive mode, as the automatic mode has a slight delay of a few tenths of a second. This feature is most suitable for daily commuting, offering both safety and fuel efficiency.
