Is it labelled "AWD" because people can't count to four these days? Or is the term "4WD" just too old-fashioned for the advertising dept.?
Technically, they are slightly different things:
All-Wheel Drive (AWD): A drivetrain that employs a front, rear and center differential to provide power to all four wheels of a vehicle.
Four-Wheel Drive (4WD): A drivetrain that employs two differentials and a transfer case to provide power to all four wheels of a vehicle.
For example, my Wife's Jeep Wrangler is 4WD because she has to choose to engage the transfer box, whereas my GLA is AWD because the centre diff apportions the torque continuously between all four driven wheels. Confusingly, the GLA is labelled 4-matic, go figure....
