I like to consider myself a pretty smart guy, but sometimes, there's cause to question this belief. After the first big snow we've received since moving to Maryland, I was (angirly) moving vehicles to shovel around them.
Amazingly, the E55 on summer tires crawled out of its space; the same as the recently-arrived 500E. The G500 and my wife's LX460 all moved out of their spaces with ease. The one exception? The truck that should be the most capable in any off-road conditions, the 1989 Isuzu Trooper RS. However, it was righteously stuck. Would not move. And man, did that rub me the wrong way.
Well, it occurred to me a few days later that the Isuzu has manual locking Aisin hubs (which, coincidentally, are fairly desirable as these pre-date the change from being made in Japan to countries like China.) So, if you wish to engage 4WD, you need to lock the hubs.
Yep. Not as smart as I'd like to believe.
The good news is, with the hubs locked, the Trooper is an absolute rock star in the rough stuff. It clawed and climbed its way through the modest snow-covered hill in my backyard. Now I'm absolutely craving some time in the genuine back country, along with an owner's manual on how to properly use four-wheel drive.