How 4X4 came into being

Having a vehicle, with all four wheels powered by the engine, grew from an agricultural need for increased grip on wet fields. Therefore, 4x4 tractors existed long before Holland’s only car-maker of the time, Spyker, produced the 60/80HP racer, the first single-engined all-wheel-drive car. Combustion engines were not the sole preserve in these early days of 4x4, either. Germany's Lohner-Porsche debuted an advanced racing car in the early 1900s that boasted four in-wheel-mounted electric motors.

What are the origins of the Chelsea Tractor?

Pending hostilities meant that AWD had to take on a more pressing role Subsequently, the most influential off-road vehicle came from Willys, with its 1941 MB ('Jeep'). Developed for the US Army, this all-terrain reconnaissance vehicle was light enough to be parachuted behind enemy lines and, post-war, its longitudinally-mounted mechanical components were used as a blueprint for many other civilian vehicles that followed, including the first Land Rover of 1948.

As the original ‘Landy’ was not intended to be solely an off-road vehicle, the British car had the later provision of having drive disconnected from its front wheels. This enhanced fuel economy and raised power, while reducing noise, tyre wear and driver fatigue.

While the original Series One Land Rover developed steadily into the Defender model, the post-war desire for a more comfortable ride and a refined on-road experience were several reasons why the iconic Range Rover was developed, a vehicle that many people view as heralding the demonised ‘Chelsea Tractor’, much to the later chagrin of its development engineer, ‘Spen’ King. Aside from the fascinating commercial failure of the clever Ferguson 4x4 transmission-equipped

Jensen FF sports car (1966-1971), far-eastern manufacturers took advantage of Land Rover’s complacency of not updating its products. In particular, the Japanese introduced competitors that were cheaper, more powerful, reliable, more fuel efficient and possessed superior load-carrying abilities.

From the 1970s, numerous less expensive and lighter AWD passenger vehicles appeared, including Lada’s Niva and Suzuki’s LJ (‘Light Jeep’) and ‘SJ’ (‘Suzuki Jeep’) series. Carmakers also started to fit their road cars with AWD transmissions, which resulted in interesting oddities that included the Subaru Leone (in estate form), Fiat Panda 4x4, the Alfa Romeo 33 4x4 and Citroën’s BX GTI 4x4 – and many more besides, all of which were interesting but niche sellers.

While AWD revolutionised the rallying scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s, especially with the Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution models, its popularity exploded by the end of the 1990s, with the arrival of much larger Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) many of which possessed separate chassis. ‘Crossover’ vehicles followed, looking like SUVs but having more car-like methods of monocoque construction and front-wheel-drive biased all-wheel-drive transmissions, which bridged the gap between an SUV and a hatchback car.

Much to car manufacturers' delight, SUVs and crossovers have become so fashionable that they outsold many less profitable hatchbacks and estates. Yet, this is not the fault of 4x4 technology. Many high-performance models produce outputs that exceed the traction capabilities of a single driven axle, meaning that many of these vehicles, from ‘blue collar’ Fords to exotic Ferraris, require complex transmissions that can shift power seamlessly and swiftly to all four wheels within milliseconds. The same is also true of high-performance electric cars, such as those where each axle is powered by a single electric motor.

Should you be in the market for a 4x4 car, our next blog will explain the different types that you may encounter, especially on the used car scene.

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