Control method for four-wheel drive vehicle and drive force control method for four-wheel drive vehicle

According to a first aspect of the invention, a control method for a four-wheel drive vehicle includes the steps of detecting a braking operation, detecting an accelerator opening or throttle opening greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and regarding the operational condition of the vehicle as the absence of a braking signal in the case that the accelerator opening or throttle opening greater than the predetermined value is detected simultaneously with the detection of the braking operation. According to a second aspect of the invention, in a drive force control method for a four-wheel drive vehicle using an estimated drive torque for the control, a delay element is added to a value for the estimated drive torque at the trailing edge thereof. With this control, the behavior of the four-wheel drive vehicle is stabilized when a depression force applied to an accelerator pedal is removed.