A system designed to give power to all four wheels of the vehicle to give it traction in adverse conditions (such as in a blizzard, or off road).

A common misconception is that a 4x4, loud, large and guzzles gas, this is not true. There have been vehicles in the history of 4x4s that are tiny, like the Suzuki Samurai.

Some urbanized areas will have 4x4 vehicles that are never actually used in the conditions that they were designed for.

The first practical 4x4 vehicle was the Willy's Jeep, created by the United States in World War 2. It was powered by a Ford flathead inline four engine. Later variations, like the Land Rover soon followed in it's path, sharing it's chassis.

Without Willy's Overland, Ford and the need for a smaller, faster all wheel driven vehicle, the 4x4 would not have been built in a manner that small vehicles can use it.

A simple maths equation that equals 16.

Badass vehicles that can go anywhere, including mud, ponds, or anywhere off road. For some reason usually puchased by suburbians that will never need them. Even though usually with poor gas mileage, still useful when you live off county roads or moving large amounts of livestock feed.

The ultimate explanation of why hell would be crowded if it actually existed.

Vehicle owned by gullible and stupid people in the mistaken belief that one day supermarkets will only be built with mountainous unmettalled car parks with heards of wilderbeast roaming across them. The ownership of 4x4's is inversely proprotional to the roughness of terrain, the incidence of proper mettalled roads, and the amount of urbanisation - i.e the flatter the county and the better the roads and the less countryside, the more 4x4's there will be (see Surrey). 99.9% of a 4x4's life is taken up with only four activities;

1. Driving to the supermarket / shops / retail park;

2. Driving to and from a School to pick up / drop off 4x4's owner's offspring;

3. Parked in a Railway Station car park (see Oxted railway station);

4. Putting dents in other people's car doors (see 1 and 3 above).

Even though a 4x4 is supposed to give the impression of a tough, rugged all purpose, all terrain vehicle, owners will often adorn them with additional fittings such as bull-bars to ensure that any school children bounce off them without scratching the paintwork and humourous spare wheel covers with animals humping each other to ensure the spare wheel stays nice and clean.

Modern 4x4s are decended from Landrovers used by farming folk who needed a vehicle that could traverse rough ground in all weather, but the modern counterparts are not likely to be...

a vehicle that if drivien makes you better than any tree hugging fucker

pronounced "four-be-four"

The type of woman who has four children from four different partners, e.g. Ulrika Jonsson.

A legendary sandwich from the secret menu of the great In-N-Out Burger chain. 4 all-beef patties, 4 slices of cheese.

Bonus: Don't forget to try "Animal Style"