As you’ve read with our Four Wheeler and Pickup Truck of the Year competitions, modern 4x4s are downright impressive right out of the box. While comfort and fuel economy seem to be the focus these days, some OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) are installing key features intended to attract off-road enthusiasts. Items such as mud-terrain tires, off-road-oriented suspensions, and our personal favorite, selectable differential lockers. Jeep, Ram, Ford, Toyota, and Land Rover all have new 4x4s that offer at least one (typically rear) selectable locking differential.

What do all of these traction aids have in common? They are all electronically actuated. That’s right. No air, no cables, no special levers—just a simple press of a button and the locker is engaged. And since selectable Elockers offer the best balance of on-road invisibility and off-road performance, it’s a no-brainer why they are the only locker option offered in a factory 4x4. Like many of you, we spend thousands of miles of on-road time behind the wheel of our 4x4. Living in the Southeast, we also get a broad range of winter conditions, which often benefit from having an open differential over an automatic locker. Needing some traction aids for our ’04 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, we took a play from the OEM playbook and decided to go with an electronically actuated locker set from Eaton.