All-Wheel Drive (AWD)

All-wheel drive /all-wheel dryve/ noun (uncountable)

All-wheel drive is a powertrain system that transmits power from the engine to all four wheels, a concept that for years was associated with muddy-faced farmers and soldiers. The idea of using it for high-performance road cars surfaced briefly in the 1960s with the Jensen FF, but was considered too complex and expensive to catch on. It took until the 1980s for it to be properly repurposed as the ultimate tool for deploying ludicrous horsepower on a damp, greasy road without flying sideways into a hedge. It offered a promise of unshakeable traction, an engineering get-out-of-jail-free card for the masses. The British, ever the purists who believed a car should be steered with the throttle and a healthy dose of fear, were initially sceptical. Then they saw what the Audi Quattro could do on a wet Welsh rally stage and promptly changed their minds.

The Full Story of All-Wheel Drive

The idea of powering every wheel is nearly as old as the car itself, but for decades it was strictly for utility. The Land Rover and the Willys Jeep gave four-wheel drive its reputation as a system of rugged, selectable gears for conquering the wilderness. It was about slow, deliberate progress over impossible terrain, not about being the fastest car in the pub car park.

The notion of applying this traction to a high-performance road car came from a small West Bromwich firm with ideas above its station. The 1966 Jensen FF, equipped with Tony Rolt and Fred Dixon's Ferguson Formula all-wheel-drive system, became the first production sports car to send power to all four wheels. It even had anti-lock brakes, a technology so advanced that most of Jensen's customers didn't understand what they were for. The grand tourer offered a level of security at speed that was simply unheard of, but at nearly £6,000, it cost twice what a Jaguar E-Type did. The market wasn't ready for brilliant, expensive, and complicated. Jensen had shown what was possible, then demonstrated that nobody particularly wanted it yet.

The technology's breakthrough came with the Audi Quattro in 1980. Unleashed upon the World Rally Championship, the Quattro was so effective it seemed almost unsporting. In 1981, Hannu Mikkola drove one to victory in the San Remo Rally, winning on mud-slicked Italian mountain roads where his rear-drive rivals were skating off like drunken ice dancers. The system's ability to claw for grip and accelerate where rivals could only spin their wheels rendered two-wheel-drive rally cars obsolete overnight.

This motorsport dominance filtered down to the showroom. Ford, having learned its lessons in rallying, created the Sierra RS Cosworth and Escort RS Cosworth. These became heroes of British car culture, turbocharged working-class icons whose 227 bhp could embarrass a contemporary Ferrari 328 on a damp British B-road. Their all-wheel-drive systems made outrageous performance accessible, turning ordinary drivers into legends.

Today's systems bear little resemblance to those mechanical brutes. A modern BMW X5 has seventeen sensors constantly shuffling torque between wheels in milliseconds. Most run as sensible front-wheel-drive cars until the moment you get a bit carried away, at which point the rear wheels quietly engage to save you from yourself. The technology has become the automotive equivalent of a warm blanket: reassuring, unobtrusive, and something your mother would approve of.

For The Record

What is the difference between all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive?

Four-wheel drive (4WD) is typically a part-time system with selectable low-range gearing, designed for serious off-road work where you need maximum traction at low speeds. You engage it when needed, then disengage it for normal road driving. All-wheel drive (AWD) is a full-time system designed for on-road use, providing constant traction in slippery conditions without the driver needing to do anything. Today, the terms are used interchangeably by marketing departments, rendering the distinction increasingly meaningless.

Was the Jensen FF really the first?

It was the first production sports car to feature all-wheel drive. The technology had existed for decades in military and farm vehicles. Jensen's great innovation was seeing its potential for high-speed, on-road safety, a piece of foresight that was both brilliant and commercially disastrous.

Does all-wheel drive make a car handle better?

It makes a car easier to drive quickly, which is not the same thing. A purist will tell you that it adds weight and can lead to understeer, dulling the responses of a finely balanced rear-wheel-drive chassis. A person who has just driven home in a blizzard will tell you it's the best invention since the self-cancelling indicator.

What is a centre differential?

It's a box of gears that allows the front and rear axles to rotate at different speeds when you go around a corner. Without it, the drivetrain would bind up, and the car would handle with all the grace of a supermarket trolley with a locked wheel.

Why do some people prefer rear-wheel drive?

Because it's more fun. Driving enthusiasts often prefer the purity and challenge of a rear-wheel-drive car. The separation of steering and propulsion can lead to a more nuanced steering feel and the ability to adjust the car's attitude with the throttle. It rewards skill and punishes incompetence, which is all part of the charm.