Q: What is all-wheel drive?

A: All-wheel drive (AWD) is a system designed to help maximize traction on various types of road conditions, including wet, snowy, rough or dry. The key component in the system is a viscous coupler. The viscous coupler is used to link the back wheels to the front wheels so that if the front wheels start to slip, power will be transferred to the rear wheels, thus providing additional traction.

Q: How does the Suzuki AWD system work?

A: Suzuki AWD models use a transfer case with a viscous coupler to determine the power split between the front and rear wheels. The viscous coupler has two sets of plates inside a sealed housing that is filled with a thick fluid (high viscosity silicone). One set of plates is connected to the front wheels, the other to the rear wheels. Under normal conditions (good road traction), both sets of plates and the viscous fluid spin at the same speed. When the front set of wheels starts to spin at a faster rate, perhaps because of lost traction on the road, the set of plates corresponding to the front wheels spin at a faster rate than the plates corresponding to the rear wheels. The viscous fluid, stuck between the plates, heats up and expands, thereby dragging the slower plates along. This transfers more power to the slower moving wheels — the rear wheels that are not slipping — until they reach the maximum front and rear axle torque split of 50/50. The faster the plates are spinning relative to each other, the more power the viscous coupling transfers. As the front wheels continue to spin, additional power is diverted to the rear wheels with traction.

Q: What are the benefits of AWD and the viscous coupling design?

A: AWD helps maximize traction on various types of road conditions, including wet, snowy, rough, or dry.

A: AWD helps provide more neutral handling on slippery surfaces, helping reduce oversteer and understeer.

A: Suzuki's viscous coupling is compact and lightweight.

A: On wet, snowy, slippery or rough roads, the SX4 Crossover's AWD system puts all four tires to work, grabbing the best traction available for the conditions.

Q: What is the Warranty Coverage?

A: The AWD components are covered under Suzuki's 100,000-mile/ 7-year powertrain limited warranty.

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