₦airaland Forum

Good points Siena (although my headache's getting worse  )

Hmm. I'm not sure of the bit in your post about AWD & 4WD being the same though. Do you mean that in basic form, these two are the same until other stuff (extras like centre differentials, low & high range gears etc.) is thrown into the mix? If we had to get down to the practical bits in choosing SUVs with significant off-road ability (e.g. can ford deep water and get through deep sand & mud/snow) what do we need to look out for?

I drive a Toyota RAV4 (autobox) which i initially thought was 4WD (some RAV4s do come with a 4WD badge on the rear). From my limited knowledge of how the car works, (i hope i've got my facts right  ) pulling power is largely routed to the front wheels in normal driving conditions (i don't have the percentage distribution figures though). Once road conditions deteriorate and the front wheels start losing traction, then more power is routed to the rear wheels to improve grip (all without any input from the driver). The only time the driver has a role to play is if he/she decides to split torque evenly between the front and rear axle (the story goes that a 50:50 split is best) and this can be done via a differential lock switch on the dash. But in practice, i'm not really sure if the diff lock isn't redundant. Several times i've been in challenging situations and the car's done fine on its own without my using the diff lock.

But that's it for the RAV4. No auxiliary gears, low range, etc. Nothing. To the best of my knowledge, there isn't a centre diff either. But there's clearly a difference between the hardware underpinning my humble car and that of big beasts like Toyota Landcruisers, Range Rovers, etc. So what does one need to look out for if one needs an off-roader which will be able to tackle almost anything you throw at it?

Gr8animash - yeah, i'm a big fan of the volvo s60 (2001 to 2004/5 model). I think the styling of that model was exceptionally beautiful. Unfortunately, i don't have one  , and have never driven any. Maybe someday.

Siena has never hidden his love for all things VW/AUDI.  . I'm not a VW/AUDI fan myself, but i've seen a few you-tube videos which made me sit up and take notice. Don't know if the road tests on these videos were 'rigged'   (Naija elections style) but a late model Audi Allroad (probably early 2000s model?) in that road test had the kind of traction in deep snow that all 4WD vehicles SHOULD have. The other cars in the test (BMW 5 series, Nissan Patrol, Volvo etc.) all came to a halt at a point, but the audi just kept going! Don't know how or why - one time i thought it was the centre diff that made the difference but other car makers have models with centre diffs, so that couldn't be it, could it?

Good points Gr8Animash - your post got in just before mine so there was some overlap btw some of your points and mine. I don't think all Audi quattros have auxiliary (low & high range) gears though - it seems most (if not all) of them are AWD (although they are some of the best AWDs on the market it seems). I do not know if Audi's QX7 has low range gears? Perhaps anyone familiar with them could let us know. The VW Touareg does have low range, but i'm not sure if it shares the same platform with the QX7.

Another example of the point i was making earlier on about each carmaker doing its own thing has been confirmed by Siena's list of vehicles. As can be seen from his list, Fiat markets its Panda (in Europe i am told) as a 4x4. But i am not aware of this model having low range gearing, which i guess means its AWD, and not 4WD or 4x4.

Good topic all,

For so long i have tried to get a bombproof definition of what 2WD, AWD & 4WD all mean and the differences among them but it just gets more confusing every time

My major headache is the difference between AWD & 4WD. My headache before now was decoding the difference between part time and full time 4WD. Only for me to then find out that there's also "permanent" 4WD. Its all enough to give one a migraine.

Sadly, there's no industry standard for these concepts as such, so any car maker can pretty much call its system by any name it wants to, AWD, 4WD or whatever. Unfortunately, for some of us here in Naija, getting the drivetrain right and knowing exactly what you are buying is actually a very serious matter. The chances are, in Nigeria, regardless of where you live, work and play you WILL go "off road" at some point, whether you like it or not. Happy and content is the man (or woman) who understands that the lines between 'on road' & 'off road' are quite thin here, and are heavily tilted towards the 'off' part, There are some parts of Lagos that could hold their own against any sand dunes that the Gulf States could offer . And then there are the rivers, bogs and swamps that the 'roads' turn into (once the rainy season starts).


Those who know more should correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't think AWD and 4WD are one and the same. I think there is a key difference between them - true 4WD vehicles MUST have a low range gear (which must be engaged by the driver in the vehicle, either through a 2nd gearshift/lever or through a dial/switch/knob on the centre console) while AWD vehicles do not have low range gears. It is the low range gears that enables true 4WD vehicles to power through really rough terrain (deep mud, etc) that would cripple AWD vehicles. This low range gear is not the same thing as the differential lock switch which a number of AWD vehicles come equipped with these days.

Why is this important? Well, the true 4WDs with low range gears (Toyota Prados, Sequoias & Landcruisers, Range Rovers, Nissan Pathfinders, Land Rovers, Mitsubishi Pajeros etc) tend to deliver when the going gets tough. Its quite entertaining watching them navigate a notorious stretch of quicksand along the coast of the Atlantic between Victoria Island and Epe, this is something I have seen a number of times - these 4WDs usually power through the sand without problems. Unfortunately, the 'pretenders to the throne' (i.e. the likes of the Toyota Highlander, the Honda CRV, the Lexus RX 350, the Hyundai Santa Fe/Tucson etc) usually bite the dust when they try to navigate the same stretch, and the unfortunate drivers of these cars have to shell out a king's ransom to area boys for their cars to be pushed to safety. And there's often a '4WD' badge prominently displayed on the rear of these cars, but they just don't have the drivetrain and the ground clearance to do the job,

This is not to say that the 4WDs mentioned above are invincible. Far from it. On that same stretch i have seen the Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover Sport, and the Toyota Prado succumb to the sand. Surprisingly, a number of Jeeps also beached themselves, despite that marque's formidable off-road reputation, Huge disappointment to the owners of all these cars who were rushing to work early in the morning. Which makes things even more confusing - we'd all be better off going to work on horseback or the camel express. At least with horses and camels, you know where you stand. Feed them and water them and you are good to go,

bluetooth,

Stop the violence.

You have managed to call me a hypocrite and a large mouthed trash talker. You have also told me to 'go siddon for gutter'. All of this in a two-line reply to my post.

But you have not addressed or attacked the substance of my post. I am yet to see what link there is between my post and your comments about films involving the british monarchy, government, army and all that. Please educate me. Are you by any chance saying that the Nigerian government erred by granting theroux and friends permission to make their documentary? Was the government coerced into doing so? Was the Harry 'film'a documentary or pure fiction? What exactly is your point?

Your response to my post is exactly what i'm talking about. Frothing at the mouth and calling me names will not alter the awful truth: Lagos and some of Nigeria's other big cities do NOT work properly. And that's putting it mildly.

Be bold enough to speak the truth. If we spent half the time we spend on soft targets (like theroux and co) on getting real answers from our governments, i assure you Lagos and other Nigerian cities would not be in the shape they are. As things stand, our cities are little better than wastelands. The question is: do we admit there's a problem and confront it or we keep playing the ostrich?


Bluetooth, over to you.

My dear fellow Nigerians, so predictable,

Very emotional responses to the thread topic. As usual,

Tis a pity. We could move mountains (Yes, even the mountains of rubbish strewn over our major (and minor!) cities) if we directed our righteous indignation at the right targets. Why are we angry with the BBC? Why? We have failed to create cities that work. That is the truth. And yet we are angry when this is pointed out to us. How dare those leftist BBC ‘liberals’ come here and tell us what to do? How dare they?

Instead of asking the hard questions (such as how the government (of a city of so-called ’educated and enlightened’ individuals) could fail so miserably), we sharply criticize the BBC for daring to point out our unclothedness.

The BBC owes us nothing. If Lagos is a mess, it will be reported by the press. Slaying the messenger while ignoring the message will do us no good. Rather than putting our governments (state & federal) to task for their failure to deliver, some of us have picked a fight with news corporations for telling it like it is. It is the same woolly thinking that leads to misguided demands by Nigerians that transnational corporations must build infrastructure, while our governments (and their officials) are on holiday 365 days in a year.

Who’s fooling who?

tkb417 my other friend ,

Its not stated that GEJ watched the show. But that does not absolve him of responsibility in this matter. Go through my post to netotse to see why i say so.

The part of my statement in bold which you alluded to is my take on matters like this BB affair - when high public officials buy into the cult of media driven celebrity like BB (whether out of true love for trash tv or for cynical political reasons) then we are all in serious trouble. Correct me if i am wrong, but either Mr. Kevin Pam or Miss Ofunneka (Nigeria's 'representatives' in BBs past) were granted audience by your Senate President. That, sir, says it all. There are thousands of people in this Republic more deserving of recognition by state officials and yet BB 'winners' and 'also-rans' are what we get?

Should we be surprised we are where we are?

You made a comment: "If the program is good enough to be aired on TV, the President of the country is not out of place to condemn, chastise, admonish or praise anybody who participated."

Very good point you made sir. And i put it to you that the only response BB should have attracted from presidency officials should have been condemnation, chastisement, etc. Or silence. But certainly not praise.

netotse my friend ,

I have committed no faux pas sir. Its really quite simple. There are only 2 possibilities here:
(1) Mr. Jonathan's aides indeed watched the BB show and decided in their wisdom to issue a statement on behalf of their principal, congratulating the 'winner', or
(2) Mr. Jonathan's aides did NOT watch the BB show but simply jumped on the congratulatory bandwagon to support the boy 'who done his country proud'.

Both of the 2 options above show errors of judgement. The first option shows that the aides lack an appreciation or understanding of exactly what achievements deserve presidential approval or support. The second option simply shows negligence on the part of the aides - congratulating Mr. Uti without knowing exactly WHAT he did.

The key point i want you to understand is that BB does NOT deserve a millisecond of presidential approval. That is the crux of the matter. And please do not hide under the "GEJ did not watch the show, he was only 'briefed' by his aides" excuse. He is ultimately responsible. If indeed this whole thing was the work of some misguided aides, then why have these aides who misled their principal not been relieved of their positions?

On the issue of BB demographics and their voting choices, i have carried out my own survey (very unscientific, i must add  ) and MOST of the 'respondents' did not vote in the last two elections in '07 and '03 - they simply could not be bothered. Sir, you will admit you know of the apathy (to the things that REALLY matter) of a lot of those who are obsessed with BB. This is something which is crystal clear.

So netotse, have i 'buried myself' deeply enough   yet?

One last thing sir,, i want an education on the 'conjectures' you accused me of throwing all over the place, if there is something i do not want, it is to be accused of negation of principles ,

I've gone through some of the posts/replies on this thread and i don't know what to to think anymore. Honestly. I hope to God that those who 'commended' Mr. Jonathan (for 'congratulating' Mr Uti) were only trying to be provocative, trying to get people to say something about the topic. Because if indeed so many people truly believe there's nothing wrong with Mr. Jonathan (or his aides or whoever) spending valuable time on Big Brother (instead of getting down to serious business), then we are truly 'men (and women) without a country'.

It is sad that there are people who cannot be bothered to vote in any LG, State or Federal elections, and yet these same people campaigned feverishly for the 'candidates' in this big brother nonsense. These people can recite from memory all the inanities that Uti and friends kept mouthing from day 1 of the BB series. Yet they do not have the slightest idea what any of the candidates for elections in Nigeria stand for, their party manifestos etc. And what's worse, these people do not care.

But they can be excused. They are the expendables. The real danger is when a country's elite has lost its way. When the winners of shows like BB are getting appointments with senate presidents, presidential congratulations, etc., then its clear the end isn't far off. There's a disturbing trend here. I was very alarmed when a few years ago, Beyonce Knowles & Calvin Broadus (aka Snoop Dogg) came to Nigeria to perform, and the then senate president (and other members of Nigeria's power and business elite) were among the adoring fans.

Nigeria has very serious problems. Her politicians should fix them instead of cavorting with misguided youths. Its the least they can do to justify their overinflated wages. Time is running out. Enough Said.