Drivetrains 101 _ Consumer Reports

The Different Superpowers of Cars: A Guide to Drivetrains

Hey, Jack. Welcome back track. Hey, Jake. How are you? So each one of these cars behind you has a different superpower. Each one has a different drivetrain. Drivetrain? What's that?

So, a drivetrain is how you get the power from the engine to the wheels. Oh, so what are the differences between these superpowers? We have a car here that's front-wheel drive, one with a rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and a four-by-four four-wheel drive system.

The first one is front-wheel drive, and that's kind of the most common one. And that's the best blend offuel economy and traction. Jake says it gets better fuel economy because it's lighter since it doesn't need a driveshaft and other components to power the rear wheels. And it gets better traction because the engine weight is over the drive wheels.

Jake, out of all these cars, I got my eye on this blue one. Well, you've got some great taste. That's definitely the sportiest one. But each one of these superpowers - they have a different advantage. The four-by-four? You can actually take that up a rock hill and go off-roading with it.

Before we do that, why don't we take you in the blue one where we can take it around the skid pad. Oh, yeah. A skid pad is a big circle of track like this one here. It's used to evaluate how well the car can grip while turning.

Most cars are front-wheel drive, and that works great. But if you really wants something performance-oriented, well, rear-wheel drive is where it's at. So what exactly is rear-wheel drive? That means all the power's going to the rear wheels, while the front wheels are going to steer the car in the direction you want to go.

And what you're gonna notice is, well, when I go on the corner and I give a little gas - Whoa. Oh! Oh! Woo. So what's happening is power to the rear wheels is helping us accelerate and gives me more control in the corners, which makes the car handle better in tight turns like this.

But since this drivetrain pushes the car rather than pulls it, it can be hard to maneuver in slippery conditions. Well, what do you think? Not bad, Jake. I really like the handling of this car.

Well, there's certainly a reason why more sports cars and racecars are rear-wheel drive because they have an advantage when it comes to accelerating and handling. But that's not going to be a top priority for everyday driving. We also have an all-wheel drive vehicle.

Now, this is really common in SUVs and can send power to each individual wheel. This is great forgetting your car moving on a slick surface like snow or ice. But one mistake people make is they think that all-wheel drive also means you're gonna have superior handling and stopping capabilities in those slippery situations, which is not the case.

For that, a good set of winter tires is your best bet. Next up, four-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive sounds a lot like, but here's what the difference is. I could actually take this into this low range gear, and that's gonna enable me to go down this really steep hill or go up the hills.

You can't do that with all-wheel drive. You can't do that with most luxury cars or SUVs. 2H is two-wheel drive - what most cars have. It works for fuel economy and everyday driving. But it's not good for off-road use.

The first one is front-wheel drive, and that's kind of the most common one. And that's the best blend offuel economy and traction. Jake says it gets better fuel economy because it's lighter since it doesn't need a driveshaft and other components to power the rear wheels. And it gets better traction because the engine weight is over the drive wheels.

Jake, out of all these cars, I got my eye on this blue one. Well, you've got some great taste. That's definitely the sportiest one. But each one of these superpowers - they have a different advantage. The four-by-four? You can actually take that up a rock hill and go off-roading with it.

Before we do that, why don't we take you in the blue one where we can take it around the skid pad. Oh, yeah. A skid pad is a big circle of track like this one here. It's used to evaluate how well the car can grip while turning.

Most cars are front-wheel drive, and that works great. But if you really wants something performance-oriented, well, rear-wheel drive is where it's at. So what exactly is rear-wheel drive? That means all the power's going to the rear wheels, while the front wheels are going to steer the car in the direction you want to go.

And what you're gonna notice is, well, when I go on the corner and I give a little gas - Whoa. Oh! Oh! Woo. So what's happening is power to the rear wheels is helping us accelerate and gives me more control in the corners, which makes the car handle better in tight turns like this.

But since this drivetrain pushes the car rather than pulls it, it can be hard to maneuver in slippery conditions. Well, what do you think? Not bad, Jake. I really like the handling of this car.

Well, there's certainly a reason why more sports cars and racecars are rear-wheel drive because they have an advantage when it comes to accelerating and handling. But that's not going to be a top priority for everyday driving. We also have an all-wheel drive vehicle.

Now, this is really common in SUVs and can send power to each individual wheel. This is great forgetting your car moving on a slick surface like snow or ice. But one mistake people make is they think that all-wheel drive also means you're gonna have superior handling and stopping capabilities in those slippery situations, which is not the case.

For that, a good set of winter tires is your best bet. Next up, four-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive sounds a lot like, but here's what the difference is. I could actually take this into this low range gear, and that's gonna enable me to go down this really steep hill or go up the hills.

You can't do that with all-wheel drive. You can't do that with most luxury cars or SUVs. 2H is two-wheel drive - what most cars have. It works for fuel economy and everyday driving. But it's not good for off-road use.

Jake, you read my mind. OK, I'm going up the mountain. Sow and steady is the way to do this. Let that four-wheel drive system and that low range gearing do its stuff. I can feel the power. Do you feel it? Yeah. Do you feel it? You found some grip. Whoa. Come on, you can do it. You got it. You got it. There we go. Nice job.

Oh, yeah. Thanks for the ride, Jake!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey, Jack.Welcome back track.Hey, Jake.How are you?So each one of these cars behindyou has a different superpower.Each one has adifferent drivetrain.Drivetrain?What's that?So a drivetrain ishow you get the powerfrom the engine to the wheels.Oh.So what are the differencesbetween these superpowers?We have a car here that'sfront-wheel drive, onewith a rear-wheeldrive, all-wheel drive,and a four-by-fourfour-wheel drive system.The first one isfront-wheel drive,and that's kind ofthe most common one.And that's the best blend offuel economy and traction.Jake says it gets better fueleconomy because it's lightersince it doesn't need a driveshaft and other componentsto power the rear wheels.And it gets better tractionbecause the engine weightis over the drive wheels.Jake, out of all these cars,I got my eye on this blue one.Well, you've gotsome great taste.That's definitelythe sportiest one.But each one ofthese superpowers--they have a different advantage.The four-by-four?You can actually takethat up a rock hilland go off-roading with it.Before we do that, why don'twe take you in the blue onewhere we can take itaround the skid pad.Oh, yeah.A skid pad is a big circleof track like this one here.It's used to evaluate how wellthe car can grip while turning.Now most cars are front-wheeldrive, and that works great.But if you really wantsomething performance-oriented,well, rear-wheel driveis where it's at.So what exactly isrear-wheel drive?That means all the power'sgoing to the rear wheels,while the front wheelsare going to steerthe car in the directionyou want to go.And what you're gonna notice is,well, when I go on the cornerand I give a little gas--Whoa.Oh!Oh!Woo.So what's happening ispower to the rear wheelsis helping usaccelerate and gives memore control inthe corners, whichmakes the car handle betterin tight turns like this.But since this drivetrain pushes the carrather than pullsit, it can be harderto maneuver inslippery conditions.Well, what do you think?Not bad, Jake.I really like thehandling of this car.Well, there's certainly a reasonwhy more sports cars and racecars are rear-wheeldrive because theyhave an advantage when it comesto accelerating and handling.But that's not going to be a toppriority for everyday driving.We also have anall-wheel drive vehicle.Now, this is real commonin SUVs and can send powereach individual wheel.This is great forgetting your carmoving on a slicksurface like snow or ice.But one mistake people make isthey think that all will drivealso means you're gonna havesuperior handling and stoppingcapabilities in those slipperysituations, which is notthe case.For that, a good set ofwinter tires is your best bet.Next up, four-wheel drive.Four-wheel drive and all-wheeldrive sounds a lot like,but here's whatthe difference is.I could actually take thisinto this low range gear,and that's gonna enable me togo down this really steep hillor go up the hills.You can't do thatwith all-wheel drive.You can't do that withmost luxury cars or SUVs.2H is two-wheel drive--what most cars have.It works for mostnormal driving.4H is four-wheel drive, highgear with maximum tractionfor snow and dirt.4L is four-wheel drive,low gear for goingup and down steep hills.You know, it's all about havingthe right tool for the job.So I actually have myfoot off the brake pedal.So this is the cardoing it automatically?This is the car in thelow range holding my speedso I can go down here safely.Like if you almosthad the brake on.It's almost likethat, but it's makingsure not locking up the tires,I'm not locking up the brakes.It's really designed for this.This is whatfour-wheel drive is.Four-wheel drive witha long range gearing.With the low range.And I'm actually in gear 1.You ready?Yeah, let's do it.So take me throughwhat the car is doing.So the car is tryingto put the power downand using all four wheelsto try to pull this truck upthis hill, and it's doinga pretty good job of it.You cannot do thiswith most little SUVs.The rear-wheel drivewon't work on this.Absolutely not.And you got to knowwhat you're doing.Don't try this at home for sure.Wow.That was fun, Jake.So after hearing about allthese different drivetrains,which superpowerwould you choose?Well, the rear-wheeldrive is awesome,but I don't go on aracetrack quite often.I like the four-wheeldrive too, but I don't uprock hills very often either.Most people don't.Jake says since front-wheeldrive is fuel efficientand handles well in bad weather,it's the best choice for me.That's why we testthese things to tryto give that informationso that consumerscan make the right choices.Since we're here andwe've got a rock hill,you want to try driving it?Jake, you read my mind.OK, I'm going up the mountain.Sow and steady isthe way to do this.Let that four-wheel drive systemand that low range gearingdo it's stuff.I can feel the power.Do you feel it?Yeah.Do you feel it Youfound some grip.Whoa.Come on, you can do it.You got it.You got it.There we go.Nice job.Oh, yeah.Thanks for the ride, Jake!\n"