all-wheel drive

all-wheel drive (countable and uncountable, plural all-wheel drives)

1. A wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously, particularly where power is directed to the wheels with the best contact with the ground.
   • 2012, L.B. Gregg, Men of Smithfield: Mark and Tony, page 123:

     The brave German car's all-wheel drive tackled and spun through almost eight inches of loosely plowed snow.

   • 2014 February 21, Lawrence Ulrich, “Get Your $50,000 Hatchback Here”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 22 February 2014:

     So BMW has conjured a tweener — a roomier hatchback on platform shoes, with standard all-wheel drive — to attract customers who crave the 3 Series’ performance but need more utility to close the deal.

As well as 4x4 vehicles, the term also applies to 6x6 and 8x8 vehicles.

• two-wheel drive
• four-wheel drive