FWD cars are mainly for non car people

[M5Rick]

Liked this vid, at the end I assumed that non car people would generally go for a bland FWD a to b car while car people would keep with the RWD configuration.
Hardly a comparison here with a 3 cylinder Clio shopping car and a BMW E46 330Ci but the general u/steer and o/steer behaviours tell the main story.
Oh and reigning 4 times F1 champ Max Verstappen has a say on it too.

[cmyx6go]

I hate FWD cars!

Carry on....

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by cmyx6go

I hate FWD cars!

The classic case is a FWD car going uphill in conditions with minimal traction (ice, gravel, etc.).

[ZTK_M240i]

I totally agree. Which is why I only buy AWD and RWD cars.

The only FWD car I ever drove that I actually liked was the new Honda Civic Type R. I was surprised how good it was. BUT, I was also saying "man if only this thing was AWD, it would be even better".

[Sedoy]

Another classic opposite example: an FWD car trying to accelerate from a driveway with the wheels turned on a slightly damp surface = 0 traction for FWD, no issues with RWD.

Originally Posted by Llarry

The classic case is a FWD car going uphill in conditions with minimal traction (ice, gravel, etc.).

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Sedoy

Another classic opposite example: an FWD car trying to accelerate from a driveway with the wheels turned on a slightly damp surface = 0 traction for FWD, no issues with RWD.

Also the grip would progressively get worse as the front tyres wore more than on a RWD car, can tell a FWD's car screeching tyres from the lights hunting for grip.

[Chappers 71]

I’ve only had the one FWD car, a 1987 VW Jetta GTI 16v & the bloody thing tried to kill me

[Alfisti]

You can have a lot of fun with an Alfasud, just saying.

[G MONEY]

Originally Posted by ZTK_M240i

I totally agree. Which is why I only buy AWD and RWD cars.

The only FWD car I ever drove that I actually liked was the new Honda Civic Type R. I was surprised how good it was. BUT, I was also saying "man if only this thing was AWD, it would be even better".

Volkswagen Corrado VR6 was a great car.

[25 V8 IS]

I agree 100% with this statement...

However, my wife's CX-5 is the most practical, fuel efficient, get the every day job done car I've ever owned.

FWD cars serve some purposes. My IS500 serves everything else.

[ShocknAwe]

I've had fun in FWD cars. They were all Honda's.

[Mingwan]

Have had many instances where a FWD car was just plain more fun than a RWD car.

Something comical about torque steer.

[3798j]

Originally Posted by Mingwan

Have had many instances where a FWD car was just plain more fun than a RWD car.

Something comical about torque steer.

Must agree. Bought the wife the '78 Saab 99 Turbo (first year of the turbo, last year of the 99). Buckets of torque steer and turbo lag, it was a wonderful performing coupe. Almost all were burgundy (a very few were black) and all came with the "Inca" alloy wheels. Even today there's quite a following.
Photo is an identical one to ours that sold on BAT ($45,000).

[vt100]

Originally Posted by Mingwan

Have had many instances where a FWD car was just plain more fun than a RWD car.

Something comical about torque steer.

Yes, it all depends on implementation of a particular car in question.

There are lot of boring FWD car, there are lots of boring RWD cars too, and also lots of boring AWD cars

And there are some really fun2drive cars in any (of FWD/RWD/AWD) configuration.

PS: For instance I'd really prefer a FWD manual Civic Si or GTI to any modern BMW (perhaps excluding M manual cars) for a DD

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by vt100

Yes, it all depends on implementation of a particular car in question.

There are lot of boring FWD car, there are lots of boring RWD cars too, and also lots of boring AWD cars

And there are some really fun2drive cars in any (of FWD/RWD/AWD) configuration.

PS: For instance I'd really prefer a FWD manual Civic Si or GTI to any modern BMW (perhaps excluding M manual cars) for a DD

Save The Manuals

[stbm5]

i enjoyed my GTI, super fun to drive but mechanically it was a lemon.

[StradaRedlands]

My Mazda3 is blast to drive around town and pretty much won't die.
Not so pleasant on the highway but it's still okay there, just loud and buzzy.
MT of course!

[zx10guy]

My 2019 Toyota C-HR is fun to drive in the twisties. Just have to drive it appropriately with an anemic naturally aspirated 4 banger mated to another weak link CVT. The car has so much potential with the chassis and handling. Toyota really dropped the ball with not having a proper engine in this car. Would be awesome if the better engine is mated to a manual, but would be ok with the direct shift CVT.

A tuner took a standard production run C-HR and built it up with the appropriate powertrain (600HP), suspension, and brakes. They ran it at Willow Springs and got a 1:25.22 lap time showing the chassis was well engineered/designed. My car is approaching 180,000 miles. Still feels solid other than the expected creaking from the rubber bushings in the front end with the mileage of the car. No major issues. Just gas it and routine maintenance.

[Tejas1836]

FWD with manual & handbrake + snow/ice = a blast

[RM7]

Cars like the Type-R do pretty damn good at autocross, in addition with a variety of other FWD cars that have LSDs. It's pretty telling when they are faster than stuff like the STIs, etc. I agree they aren't optimal...but there's a lot of other sub-optimal stuff people are running like various types of AWD, various engine placements like Audis etc. The FWD often allows for good room in a hatchback and similar.

[Germanauto]

Understeer is a huge pet peeve of mine, I can only do RWD or AWD from a RWD based car.

[25 V8 IS]

Originally Posted by stbm5

i enjoyed my GTI, super fun to drive but mechanically it was a lemon.

I absolutely LOVED my 2009 GTI. One of the best FWD cars I've ever owned.

But yes, mechanically, it was a POS.