All wheel drive (AWD), also referred to as 4-wheel drive, is exactly as it sounds. All four tires are used to put the power of the engine to the ground. AWD can be used in three ways, either part time (where the driver has the choice to use either 2-wheel drive or AWD), full time (where the vehicle is always using all four wheels), or Automatic AWD (where the vehicle, sensing changes in the road surface, decides to move from 2-wheel drive to AWD).
Why should I care? AWD is best for off-road vehicles, or optimum driving control in any weather, especially snow. But beware, AWD systems can add significant weight to a vehicle, affecting its power to weight ratio. See also: Front Wheel Drive, Rear Wheel Drive
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Without getting in to the nitty-gritty, it’s safe to say that a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) doesn’t have specific gears like the traditional transmission. Instead, using a series of pulleys and belts (literally), it drives the amount of torque (or power) to the wheels.
Why should I care? Over a traditional transmission, the CVT gives you a feeling of smooth, consistent power as you accelerate—no jerking or ‘shift shock’ between gears. And, it constantly searches for optimum power and engine efficiency—most often resulting in improved gas mileage.
Double-Wishbone Suspension
The ‘double-wishbone’ portion of this term literally refers to the shape of the ‘arm’, or piece of metal, that connect the wheel to the body of the vehicle. And it’s considered ‘double’ because there’s typically two of those wish-bone shaped pieces of metal, an upper and a lower wish-bone.
Why should I care? This double-wishbone is going to give you added durability and enhanced steering control, especially over rugged terrain. See also: Independent Suspension, Suspension Settings
Engine Size (e.g. 3.2L, 2.0L 3.5L)
This one involves math, but no worries we’ll leave that part out. All you need to know is that engine ‘size’ is also interchangeable with ‘engine displacement’, and is typically measured (for automobiles) in Liters. When you see ‘3.2L’ engine or ‘2.0L engine’, all that’s referring to is the volume of air and fuel mixture an engine draws in one full stroke. Therefore, the number of liters an engine draws in one stroke, is indicative of how large (or powerful) the engine may be.
Why should I care? You really don’t need to care about this engine statistic individually. The engine’s horsepower and torque, as well as the vehicle’s power to weight ratio, along with this engine size/displacement, all come together to form the powerful (or not so powerful) feel of the engine. See also: I4, V6, V8
Front Wheel Drive
Front wheel drive (FWD) literally means that: the two front wheels do all the driving. Responsible for both putting the power of the engine to the road, and steering the vehicle, the rear wheels follow the direction of the front wheels, taking on a passive role.
Why should I care? Front wheel drive vehicles have several advantages:
Front wheel drive vehicles provide better traction in inclement weather such as snow and rain
It allows for more interior space within the given space of the vehicle (you can have a flatter floor between the front two passengers)
Front wheel drive has reduced weight over rear wheel drive vehicles, enhancing the vehicle’s power to weight ratio
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets standards for testing each new vehicle for ‘City’ and ‘Highway’ fuel economy. These tests determine estimated city and highway fuel efficiency, with identical tests conducted for each vehicle, for all manufacturers.
Why should I care? In today’s environmentally driven society, fuel efficiency is the name of the game.
Horsepower
Think of it this way, if torque is what gets you going, then horsepower is what keeps you going. The horsepower rating is a quick indication of how powerful the car’s engine is, the higher the number, the stronger the engine.
Why should I care? If you’re looking for a fast, sporty, pass-everyone-up-on-the-freeway drive experience, then go for a car with fairly high horsepower numbers…but if you want to beat everyone ‘off the line’ at the green light, you’ve got to balance out high horsepower numbers with high torque numbers. Plus your engine’s torque and horsepower are going to give you the vital power needed to get on freeway on-ramps and avoid accidents. See also: Super-Charger, Torque, Turbo-Charger
I4
When people say ‘I4’ engine, or refer to a ‘V6’, they’re referring to the number cylinders within the engine, and the way those cylinders are arranged. If all of the cylinders are arranged in one long row, one in front of the other, then the engine is considered an ‘Inline’ engine, and therefore the number of cylinders is preceded by an ‘I’, such as ‘I4’. Therefore, and I4 engine has four cylinders arranged in one long row.
Why should I care? You really don’t have to. But it makes you sound like you know what you’re talking about at parties. Try and remember this too when you’re spouting out car knowledge at your next soiree:
4-cylinder engines are always inline
5-cylinder engines (although more rare these days) are always inline
6-cylinder engines are almost always in the ‘V’ formation (mostly for space conservation, the V6 is more common than an I6)
8-cylinders are almost always in the ‘V’ formation (same deal, for space conservation, the V8 fits better under most hoods, whereas an inline 8 would make for a very long hood)
10 and 12-cylindars can be both, but if inline, it’s either an exaggeration found in a concept vehicle, or a Deusenberg from the 1930’s…
The ‘independent’ portion of this term means that each wheel independently receives the bumps and jolts of the road, not effecting any other wheel of car
Why should I care? If they weren’t independent, then if the left front wheel received shock from running over a pothole, the then right wheel would receive the jolt as well, sending a double-dose of jolt to you in the car. Nowadays, most front suspensions are independent, whereas most rear suspensions are ‘solid’. See also: Double-Wishbone Suspension
Manual Shift Mode
(aka. Electronic Shift Control, Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), etc.)
Just like with a manual transmission, in ‘manual shift mode’ of an automatic transmission, you can actually down-shift or shift up gears, but you do it without having to use a clutch. Early ‘manual shift’ systems were actually referred to as ‘clutch-less shifting’.
Why should I care? The beauty of a manual transmission is that you have ultimate control over the transmission gear, therefore controlling how much ‘power’ you have to pass the car in front of your, or zip around the slow guy driving in the fast lane. But, manipulating a clutch in packed city traffic, or with four kids screaming at you from the back seat, just isn’t everyone’s favorite option. So if a vehicle has manual shift mode, then you can glide through traffic in automatic, or with just a flick of a button on your steering wheel, or by sliding your shifter over to the right or left, choose manual mode, and then you’re free to down shift gears and take that cloverleaf on-ramp at a heart thumping speed—no clutch needed.
Power-to-Weight Ratio
This is why all marathon runners are as thin as a rail—a high power to low weight ratio makes for a much faster race. For example, if two cars have the same horsepower, but one vehicle is lighter than the other, the lighter car will feel more powerful—the engine has less weight to pull, therefore the vehicle is/feels faster.
Why should I care? If you’re looking for a fun, sporty drive experience, or if you’re concerned about freeway on-ramp acceleration or quickly avoiding an impending accident, then a high power to low weight ratio is important—because it affects the power/speedy feel of your vehicle.
Rear Wheel Drive
Rear wheel drive (RWD) vehicles get their power from the rear wheels. The rear wheels put the power of the engine to the road, and the front wheels are used to steer the vehicle.
Why should I care? Rear wheel drive is preferred for sports cars, and is a better choice for trucks and SUV’s
RWD distributes weight more evenly between the front and the rear of the vehicle, and allows for more precise handling and steering as well as increased road feedback (this is why it’s most popular with sports cars)
Braking force can be stronger with RWD vehicles (more force can be applied to the rear wheels than to the front wheels)
But some space will be lost on the floor between the front seat and back seat passengers, because engine power has to be delivered down the lower center of the vehicle to get the power to the rear wheels
Usually found in truck or SUV's, having a solid rear axle means that the springs of your suspension sit directly on top of the frame rails of your vehicle.
Why should I care? Solid rear axles increase durability and strength of the rear suspension, especially important in trucks or SUV’s that you plan on loading with tons of cargo, or use for hauling/towing. But, because of its ‘solid’ nature, some ride comfort may be compromised (you may feel a few more bumps in the road than you’d like).
Summer Tires
Typically found on sportier vehicles, sometimes manufacturers choose to place summer tires instead of all-season tires on their vehicle, as summer tires are made of softer, ‘stickier’ rubber, which promotes better grip between the tire and the road.
Why should I care? Sports cars are going to get better ‘off-the-line’ results with summer tires, which means that when your stomping on the gas as the light turns green, you’re going to get more grip between you and the road, and get ‘off the line’ faster (less smoke off the tires, more instant speed). But be careful! Summer tires wear very quickly, and are often more expensive to replace. And, they're not ideal for inclement weather driving, like rain or snow.
Super-Charger
All you need to know here is that a super-charger forces more air in to the engine to create a more powerful combustion (and therefore more powerful engine). The super-charger is hooked in directly to major engine components, working symbiotically with the vehicle’s engine to produce greater power.
Why should I care? A super-charger can help boost engine power output with minimal effect on fuel economy. And, only very sensitive drivers can feel the effects of a super-charger. See also: Horsepower
Suspension Settings
Some vehicles offer the option to choose your ‘suspension setting’, such as a ‘Comfort’ or ‘Sport’ suspension. These setting options will adjust the amount of stiffness, or road feedback you feel as you drive. A 'sport' settings mean you’re going to feel more of the road as you drive--‘stiffer’ suspension will give you greater control as you take those tight turns. Whereas the comfort setting will back off on the road feedback, allowing you to more comfortably glide over all those breaks in the road or speed bumps.
Why should I care? Because sometimes you feel like a nut (who wants to zip around those mountain curves at 50 miles an hour, feeling all the grooves and jolts of the road as you speed over them), and sometimes you don’t. See also: Double-Wishbone Suspension
Torque
If horsepower is what keeps you going, then torque is what gets you going. The torque number (measured in ‘foot-pounds’) tells you how quickly you’ll jump ahead of everyone when the light turns green. The higher the foot-pounds number, the faster you take off at that green light.
Why should I care? If you’re looking for a fast, sporty, pass-everyone-up-on-the-freeway drive experience, then go for a car with fairly high horsepower numbers…but if you want to beat everyone ‘off the line’ at the green light, you’ve got to balance out high horsepower numbers with high torque numbers. Plus your engine’s torque and horsepower are going to give you the vital power needed to get on freeway on-ramps and avoid accidents.
Also keep in mind, if you’re buying a truck, SUV, or even a minivan you plan on loading a bunch of stuff in, you’ll want more torque to get you going when you press the accelerator—so the higher the torque numbers, typically the more you can tow, haul or load in your car, without sacrificing speed. See also: Horsepower
Turbo-Charger
All you need to know here is that a turbo-charger forces more air in to the engine to create a more powerful combustion (and therefore more powerful engine). The turbo-charger works symbiotically with the vehicle’s engine, driven by the engine exhaust, and takes a bit to ‘get going’ in the beginning, but produces a boost to engine power.
Why should I care? A turbo-charger can help boost engine power output with minimal effect on fuel economy. But, turbo-charged engines often suffer from what’s called ‘turbo-lag’. Because it takes time to ‘wind up’, a turbo-charger can delay, or create a ‘lag’, in the responsiveness of the engine’s boosted power. See also: Horsepower
V6
When people say ‘I4’ engine, or refer to a ‘V6’, they’re referring to the number cylinders within the engine, and the way those cylinders are arranged. If the cylinders are lined up side by side, with half of the cylinders on one side, and half on the other, and they’re angled with the bottom of the cylinders nearer to each other (forming a “V” shape when viewed from the front), then the number of cylinders is preceded by the letter ‘V’, such as V6 or V8. Therefore, a V6 has six cylinders arranged in a ‘V’ shape, with three cylinders on one side and three on the other.
Why should I care? You really don’t have to. But it makes you sound like you know what you’re talking about at parties. Try and remember this too when you’re spouting out car knowledge at your next soiree:
4-cylinder engines are always inline
5-cylinder engines (although more rare these days) are always inline
6-cylinder engines are almost always in the ‘V’ formation (mostly for space conservation, the V6 is more common than an I6)
8-cylinders are almost always in the ‘V’ formation (same deal, for space conservation, the V8 fits better under most hoods, whereas an inline 8 would make for a very long hood)
10 and 12-cylindars can be both, but if inline, it’s either an exaggeration found in a concept vehicle, or a Deusenberg from the 1930’s…
When people say ‘I4’ engine, or refer to a ‘V6’, they’re referring to the number cylinders within the engine, and the way those cylinders are arranged. If the cylinders are lined up side by side, with half of the cylinders on one side, and half on the other, and they’re angled with the bottom of the cylinders nearer to each other (forming a “V” shape when viewed from the front), then the number of cylinders is preceded by the letter ‘V’, such as V6 or V8. Therefore, a V8 has eight cylinders arranged in a ‘V’ formation, with four cylinders on one side, and four on the other.
Why should I care? You really don’t have to. But it makes you sound like you know what you’re talking about at parties. Try and remember this too when you’re spouting out car knowledge at your next soiree:
4-cylinder engines are always inline
5-cylinder engines (although more rare these days) are always inline
6-cylinder engines are almost always in the ‘V’ formation (mostly for space conservation, the V6 is more common than an I6)
8-cylinders are almost always in the ‘V’ formation (same deal, for space conservation, the V8 fits better under most hoods, whereas an inline 8 would make for a very long hood)
10 and 12-cylindars can be both, but if inline, it’s either an exaggeration found in a concept vehicle, or a Deusenberg from the 1930’s…