Why AWD is not the same as 4WD
All-wheel drive and four-wheel drive both put power at more than two tires. They are not the same hardware, and the badges are not interchangeable.
AWD is usually a car or crossover system. It can stay on all the time, or it can wake a second axle when the first one slips. There is rarely a low range. You do not get out and turn a hub. The point is a wet on-ramp, a snowy street, or a gravel driveway.
4WD is the transfer-case layout on trucks and body-on-frame SUVs. You pick 2H, 4H, or 4L. Low range multiplies torque for a boat ramp, a rutted two-track, or a steep dirt grade. Many part-time boxes should not run in 4H on dry pavement.
A winter storm does not turn AWD into 4L. Both help you launch. Neither shortens a stop. Tires still do that work.
If a listing says “4WD” on a car with no transfer-case lever or mode dial that names 4H and 4L, read it as AWD until you see the hardware. The badge on the hatch is marketing. The case under the floor is the system.