Back in the day, 4-wheel drive and all-wheel drive were niche features. Unless you had a truck or an oddball vehicle like an Eagle wagon or Audi 4000, your vehicle was two-wheel drive.

Now, with crossovers and SUVs supplanting sedans as the default choice for everyday transportation, it’s common for any given vehicle to sport a quartet of driven wheels. But that doesn’t mean all systems are created equal.

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Unless you have a fully automatic all-wheel-drive system, there will be at least two drive configurations you can choose to maximize your vehicle’s capability in a given situation. If you drive an SUV with an off-road bent, like a Toyota Land Cruiser, then you’ll have more complicated choices—high range, low range, locked or unlocked center differential.

Read more: Popular Mechanics