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Automotive vocabulary · Transmission and Drivetrain

All-wheel drive

Meaning in automotive, with examples

nounCommon term

In automotive, all-wheel drive means: A drive system that can send engine or motor power to all four wheels, usually controlled automatically to improve grip on wet, icy or loose roads.

In Turkish: dört tekerlekten çekiş, dört çeker, AWD

How it is used

Shortened to AWD and compared with front-wheel drive (FWD) and rear-wheel drive (RWD). It is also used as an adjective: an all-wheel-drive SUV. Many electric cars get AWD by adding a second motor on the other axle.

Example sentences

  1. The all-wheel drive version is popular with customers in the eastern provinces.

  2. The dual-motor model has all-wheel drive and a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds.

Common collocations

  • all-wheel-drive system
  • permanent all-wheel drive
  • AWD version
  • front-wheel drive
  • differentialA gear set on a driven axle that lets the left and right wheels turn at different speeds when the car goes around a corner, while still sending power to both.
  • driveshaftA rotating shaft that carries torque from the gearbox towards the wheels. In rear-drive cars it is the long shaft to the rear axle; in front-drive cars short driveshafts run to each front wheel.
  • traction motorThe electric motor that drives the wheels of an electric or hybrid vehicle. Most modern cars use permanent magnet synchronous motors, though induction motors are also used.
  • axleA shaft or beam on which a pair of wheels is mounted. A drive axle also transmits power to the wheels; a non-driven axle only carries the weight.

More terms: Transmission and Drivetrain

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