4x4 AWD SUV Cars in India. Cars for Off road Usage for Macho Road Presence

4x4 Wheel Drive and All Wheel Drive SUV Cars List from 10 Lakh to 35 Lakh Price in India. Engine Specs, Transmission Choice as Manual or Automatic, Price List for Off Road Experience

4x4 SUV Cars in India - Updated in 2023

You might have been hearing a term from your friend, family or Auto Expert that SUV is a SUV if its 4x4 or All Wheel Drive in India. The Macho Drive Output, Handling and Off Terrain Conditions Drive improves Multifold, if the Car you buying is what a 4x4 Wheel Drive Car.

What is 4x4 Wheel Drive and how is it different from 4x2

The Basic Principle of 4x4 and 4x2 Wheel Drive is the transmission of Power Output to the Wheels of the Vehicle

Here First 4 - represents number of Wheels, and Second 4 or 2 - represents number of wheels where Power is Flown to. In Layman Terms -

• 2x1 Wheel Drive: In Bike - Power Flows to the One Wheel which keeps the bike moving. Its known as 2x1

• 4x2 Wheel Drive: While in Cars - Most of the Vehicles Sold in India are Front Wheel Driven or Rear Wheel Driven. It means - Power flows to either Front Wheels / Rear Wheels - which keeps the car moving. These Cars are known as 4x2 Cars. Like Honda City is a 4x2 Front Wheel Drive while Mahindra Scorpio and Toyota Innova Crysta are 4x2 Rear Wheel Drive.

• 4x4 Wheel Drive: However - 4x4 Cars are those where Power Flows across all 4 Wheels Simultaneously. Here once the driver engages in 4x4 Wheel mode - power is automatically sent in almost 50:50 or 60:40 to all the 4 wheels. The 4x4 Cars are better on Off road dynamics as the driver can lock in 4x4 mode and can also use in differential lock in extreme conditions. Unlike All Wheel Drive Cars which have center differential, 4x4 Wheel Drive cars comes with differential lock on both Axles for Off roading experience.

Importance of Differential Lock in 4 Wheel Drive SUV: Essentially to be used only for Off Roads - Here differential lock plays much more advantage as it provides 50% Power to each wheel to take car away from slush / muddy road.

Like say if you driving a car without differential lock and taking on left corner, then differential will give more Power to Left wheel as it consider that its having less resistance and right wheel will need a longer travel. Now in event of car been stuck due to mud while taking left turn - due to differential the left wheel will continue spinning and right wheel will have no Power

But what differential lock do is that as name suggest that it locks the differential so that equal power is send to both wheels. Now with the help of Differential lock when you engage in 4L (Low Mode) can take the car easily from such mud or slush roads.

There are different Mode in 4x4 Cars effectively used

• 2H (High) - Flat Roads like Driving in City or Regular Traffic Condition where only Rear Wheel are Used

• 4H (High) - One can use in 4H for Gravel roads, under construction roads so as to drive easily at Moderate Speed 

• 4L (Low) - Used when the SUV is Stuck. Like when driving on Muddy, Slush Road then use in 4L 

Also for Controlling Car effectively on Hill Drive comes with

• Hill Hold Assist (HA) - When driving on Hill Drive, A Feature where car will Automatically hold the Vehicle for 2 Seconds to let it go back and give time to driver to control

• DownHill Assist Control (DAC) - When going Downhill, then this feature when enabled will help in providing control to driver to prevent wheel lock up when brakes applied 

All Wheel Drive: There is another concept of All Wheel Drive (AWD) in which one can gain the best of 2 Wheel Drive and 4 Wheel Drive. Here effectively a car drives most of the times in regular 4x2 Wheel drive, and once due to road conditions, off road, muddy slush road - the car sensor depicts that one of the wheels is having lesser traction due to Wet Road / Muddy road - the car sensor depicts and send more power to wheels on other side.

Like if front wheel have less traction then rear wheels gets more power so that the car can come out of the bad road. Its like the other wheel gets a more traction to help in taking off the car from such road.

By Default All Wheel Drive cars runs on 2 Wheel Drive, one can choose in Auto Mode where  the car sensor if depicts that one of the wheels is having lesser traction due to mud / bad road - the car sensor depicts and send more power to wheels on other side.

Also is 4 Wheel Drive Lock system available in All Wheel Drive SUV which is recommended to use only in case of slow controlled speed for off roading or taking car out from slush, mud as Power is delivered to Front and Rear Wheel at same time

Most of the All Wheel Drive Cars / 4x4 Cars in India are Part Time, means vehicle will drive on 2 Wheel Drive and one can also choose in Auto Mode where when the Front Wheel lose traction, the power delivery automatically shifts to rear wheel or one may choose in 4 Wheel Drive system for experiencing off road drive

Effectively, the difference

» All Wheel Drive send Power to both wheels on

• Front and Rear as required
• or Increase Power to either Front Wheel or Rear Wheel to help Car gain Traction  

» While in 4x4 the Power Flow is done through Differential on even

• Left Side or
• Right Side or
• Front or
• Rear or
• Both front and Rear as required

for higher torque. For Off roading is what 4x4 System an advantage, as Power Flow is better to either Side of Wheel 

Other than Off Road - Advantage of All Wheel Drive over Rear Wheel Drive 

Add on USP is that there is no Torque steer and the Car looks even better planted on high speed drive in terms of drive-ability aspect vis a vis Front or Rear Wheel Driver Cars

4x4 Wheel Drive SUV Cars in India - Updated in 2023

Care for off road check out

• Mahindra Bolero Neo - from 10.75 Lakh onwards 
• Mahindra Thar Rear Wheel Drive - cost Rs 11.5 Lakh Onwards (On road Price Delhi)

Below is Range of 4x4 Wheel Drive and All Wheel Drive SUV Cars in India starting from Rs 10 Lakh to Budget of 50 Lakh in India for very best of driving Experience.