Incidentally, I once owned a Subaru from the 1980s which had a lockable center differential and separate high/low gearshift, which was synchronized and could be shifted in motion. It was not designed for serious off-road use, illustrating the folly of relying on criteria like these.
> High Clearance Four-Wheel-Drive (4WD) Vehicles
> A Jeep, sport utility vehicle (SUV), or truck type with at least 15-inch tire rims and at least eight inches of clearance from the lowest point of the frame, body, suspension, or differential to the ground. Four wheel drive vehicles have a driveshaft that can directly power each wheel at the same time and a transfer case that can shift between powering two wheel or four wheels in low or high gear. All wheel drive (AWD) vehicles do not meet this definition.
I completely agree they'll use their discretion, but either way, that definition is specifically a part time 4WD system with low range.
Does the Porsche Cayenne qualify as 4WD? Because as far as I know, at least the early models have both, even though I think Porsche calls it AWD.