What Does 4D Mean On A Car? (And Is It Same As 4WD?)
There's a lot of terminology out there to help better describe the functionality and features of a specific car model. It can get a bit confusing, especially when so many of them use the number "four." What does it mean when someone refers to a car as 4D, and is it the same as 4WD?
Depending on the context of the discussion about a particular car model, 4D has two popular meanings. First, 4D is often a shorthand way to say or write "four door." This means 4D could describe a car that has four doors (an SUV or sedan) versus two doors (a coupe, although there are some four-door coupes out there).
The second meaning of 4D relates to an automatic car's transmission. There are two transmission types: automatic and manual. Cars with automatic transmissions sometimes have a gear position that's referred to as "4D." This is known as the overdrive gear on your car, which reduces the engine load to improve efficiency, keeping you at a constant speed after the car reaches peak velocity. Most often, people use 4D when driving up a steep hill or towing a heavy trailer, depending on the car model.
4D vs. 4WD: What's the difference?
It's easy to see how some people mix up 4D and 4WD when they are such similar shorthand — even Dodge just uses a single "4" on its cars with four-wheel drive. But 4D and 4WD don't mean the same thing and aren't interchangeable.
4D, as explained above, refers to either four-door vehicles or the 4D gear (overdrive). Meanwhile, 4WD is short for four-wheel drive, which means power is delivered to all four wheels simultaneously, ensuring that torque is being delivered to at least one wheel. Most four-wheel drive vehicles are used for off-roading or tough weather since they have better traction — think trucks and rugged SUVs. To make things a little bit more confusing, there's also all-wheel drive, or AWD. This is not the same as 4WD, instead referring to road-focused high-performance cars that use this mode's power and balance to tackle harsh conditions. 4D will not give you that same ability.