What Is an Intelligent Four-Wheel Drive?
by Tom Johnson
An intelligent four-wheel drive system is designed to adjust your car's drive mode for optimal driving, depending on the conditions of the road on which you are driving.
Significance
Despite its name, intelligent four-wheel drive is just a different name for an Automatic All-Wheel Drive system, which is actually an advanced two-wheel drive system. Intelligent four-wheel drive doesn't power all four wheels all of the time. Instead, it shifts the amount of power used on each axle, depending on the driving conditions.
Function
Intelligent four-wheel drive systems primarily power one axle at a time, which means you are usually driving in two-wheel drive. However, when the car senses a loss of traction on the main axle, it shifts some of the power to the other axle. This effectively gives your car temporary four-wheel drive. When the main axle gains traction again, the system shifts back to two-wheel drive.
Considerations
Intelligent four-wheel drive is usually far less capable than a full-time four-wheel drive system under off-road conditions, and serves almost no purpose when not on pavement. However, for everyday driving situations, the intelligent four-wheel drive system can cope with a variety of standard road conditions, ranging from gravel to ice.
References
Writer Bio
Tom Johnson has served as the lead writer of his copywriting business since 2008. He has extensive backgrounds in psychology and marketing. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Guam, and a Level II teaching certification in language arts from the Guam Department of Education.
