FWD cars are mainly for non car people

[vt100]

One more "communist" car

This one doesn't even have an LSD I think. And it's a manual hybrid

[Davil]

Originally Posted by G30M

the best handling car i've ever driven is the current gen Suzuki Swift Sport (mine was a 6 speed manual, super close ratio - i can use all 6 gears on public roads unlike a Porsche you can drive in 1st and 2nd maybe 3rd the entire trip).

I have a Swift Sport in my fleet. Got it January 24. What a wonderful entertaining car. It was an instant buy after comparing all the other small cars on the market. The Polo was horrible, an absolute grandmas car. Not sure why you think the Swift isn’t safe? It has a 5 star ANCAP rating.

It is so light. Under 1000kg/2200lbs so doesn’t need much power.

FWD cars can be very fun. They can also be terrible. Just need to find a good one. They are out there.

Certainly not the best handling car in my fleet though. But lots of fun all the same.

[BroDoze]

Originally Posted by G MONEY

Volkswagen Corrado VR6 was a great car.

I had a 1992 VR6. Miss that thing bad. Loved it.

No turbos though. Even heavily modded with cams and Neuspeed galore, the Talons, Eclipses and Conquests would eat its lunch up here at 6,800ft.

[T.R.S.]

Originally Posted by Davil

I have a Swift Sport in my fleet. Got it January 24. What a wonderful entertaining car. It was an instant buy after comparing all the other small cars on the market. The Polo was horrible, an absolute grandmas car. Not sure why you think the Swift isn’t safe? It has a 5 star ANCAP rating.

It is so light. Under 1000kg/2200lbs so doesn’t need much power.

FWD cars can be very fun. They can also be terrible. Just need to find a good one. They are out there.

Certainly not the best handling car in my fleet though. But lots of fun all the same.

I still have a 2010 Suzuki SX4 Sportback that I bought new. It replaced a 2008 SX4 Hatchback that I rolled. I liked it so much and it protected me so well I got another. Japanese engineering wrapped in Italian design. Some mild suspension and engine mods, and decent tires, make it very go-cart like. Enjoy thrashing it around Chicagoland. Very compact and manuverable in town and up to tollway/expressway sprint duty. Thought about replacing it but nothing currently avilable compares. There was the Kona N and the GR Corolla but need something between the baseline and the high performance versions. Still low miles, but some day something will break and it'll be too expensive to fix since Suzuki left the North American market 10+ years ago.

When I want to stretch the legs, that's when my M240i xDrive comes in. A real car person can entertain themselves in pretty much any vehicle. It's about making the most of the tools available to you at the moment; finding that man/machine interface with neither abusing, both respecting, the other.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Davil

Not sure why you think the Swift isn’t safe? It has a 5 star ANCAP rating. .

it is 945kg and the panels are made of light metal. 5 star means it can crash front into a wall at 60kph and being t boned by a 1400kg thing at 60kph.

ANCAP does not test crashing at high speeds and does not test getting rear ended.

also does not test what happens if a Ford ranger (2.4 tons laden) t bones or front ends you at 60kph or higher.

it did not feel safe to me at highway speeds. in town is ok due to the lower speeds.

[G MONEY]

Originally Posted by BroDoze

I had a 1992 VR6. Miss that thing bad. Loved it.

No turbos though. Even heavily modded with cams and Neuspeed galore, the Talons, Eclipses and Conquests would eat its lunch up here at 6,800ft.

No doubt. I had a 300zx turbo. Jim Wolfe tune, intake/Greddy exhaust, Niche Wheels. Lol. Fun car!!! Always loved the Conquests

[UPSROD]

My 2010 Honda Accord V-6 coupe runs and drives very well!

[3798j]

Originally Posted by T.R.S.

A real car person can entertain themselves in pretty much any vehicle. It's about making the most of the tools available to you at the moment; finding that man/machine interface with neither abusing, both respecting, the other.

Well put.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by Davil

Not sure why you think the Swift isn’t safe? It has a 5 star ANCAP rating.

It is so light. Under 1000kg/2200lbs so doesn’t need much power.

.

it's now only got 1 star in 2025!

https://www.drivencarguide.co.nz/new...safety-rating/

[Davil]

Originally Posted by G30M

it's now only got 1 star in 2025!

https://www.drivencarguide.co.nz/news/suzuki-swift-hit-with-shock-1-star-ancap-safety-rating/

Different car. Not a huge fan of the new one.

[XMetal]

I'm OK being called a non car person in my daily decompression chamber ☺️

[G30M]

Originally Posted by XMetal

I'm OK being called a non car person in my daily decompression chamber ☺️

Is that a CTR FL5?

Looks stunning from that angle

[Brandoch]

I had a 1994 Mazda MX3 GS for 5 years in my mid 20s 1.8 L V6.
Still my second favorite car I have ever owned. (E93 M3 first)
Picture is not my car, just a Google image but same color.

[visionaut]

My only FWD was an ‘86 Dodge Shelby GLHS. (Goes Like Hell Squared)
It was the fastest 4-door in America that year - a turboed intercooled transverse-mounted inline 4. lol

That car was so much fun to drive - completely raw and unrefined (it WAS a Dodge Omni) that would torque-steer like crazy (make sure wheels are pointed forward when you dropped the clutch and mashed the go pedal!) — but as a sleeper streetlight-to-streetlight, backroads, or A/Xing it could more than hang. I used to complete in A/X against GTIs, Alfettas (my buddy’s), Fox-bodied Mustangs, and Porsche 944s and did quite well, to their surprise and dismay…

I’d still run the right FWD car for fun, but like the OP said, the FWD market is almost completely low-end non-performance nowadays. And I’m AWD addicted now anyways.

[chassis]

I am happy to say I have never daily-ed a FWD car.

We have owned 2 FWD cars over the years: 2000 Ford Windstar (ugh) and a 2002 RAV4 (a great little car).

I have owned 3 RWD cars: 1989 F-150 (ran it forever), 1995 MX-5 and a 2003 F-250 (diesel towing machine extraordinaire).

Everything else has been 4WD or AWD SUVs and crossovers, no station wagons or sedans.

The FWD cars did their jobs well. Just not for me as a daily!

[LH44]

Lot of dumb takes here.

A true driving enthusiast can find enjoyment across a variety of different experiences. Golden-era 90s Hondas provide some of the best driving experiences ever produced, full stop. They had double-wishbone front suspension which even my GT3s didn't have until very recently. There's a reason why pristine museum-quality ITRs cost just as much as one.

Just ask Misha Charoudin who's driven everything under the sun what his favorite cars to smash around The Ring are...

[freakystyly]

There were quite a few entry level-ish fun FWD cars from my generation. Probably forgetting a bunch.

Eagle Talon
Fiesta ST
Focus ST
Cobalt SS
Prelude
Celica
Civic SI / (R)
GTI
Sentra SE-R V
Eclipse
Lancer
Mazdaspeed3
RSX / Integra
Tiburon

[freakystyly]

Originally Posted by LH44

Lot of dumb takes here.

A true driving enthusiast can find enjoyment across a variety of different experiences. Golden-era 90s Hondas provide some of the best driving experiences ever produced, full stop. They had double-wishbone front suspension which even my GT3s didn't have until very recently. There's a reason why pristine museum-quality ITRs cost just as much as one.

late 80s - early 90s Prelude had 4 wheel steering which contributed greatly to their handing.. earlier version as what is found on 911s today.

[No one]

Originally Posted by LH44

Lot of dumb takes here.

A true driving enthusiast can find enjoyment across a variety of different experiences. Golden-era 90s Hondas provide some of the best driving experiences ever produced, full stop. They had double-wishbone front suspension which even my GT3s didn't have until very recently. There's a reason why pristine museum-quality ITRs cost just as much as one.

Just ask Misha Charoudin who's driven everything under the sun what his favorite cars to smash around The Ring are...

This one in particular.

Originally Posted by freakystyly

There were quite a few entry level-ish fun FWD cars from my generation.

Inability to afford (or appreciate: BMW introduced FWD after finding out many 1 Series owners thought it was FWD when it wasn't) a good RWD doesn't make FWD any attractive. It's like considering "sporty" SUVs (Honda makes it clear in the CR-V manual it's not a sporty car: "drive carefully"): you can deny laws of physics but you can't beat them.

[G30M]

Originally Posted by LH44

Just ask Misha Charoudin who's driven everything under the sun what his favorite cars to smash around The Ring are...

2001 civic R with a EK8 engine? how close was I?

[25 V8 IS]

My (long) list of FWD cars I've owned:
1986 VW Cabriolet
1995 Acura Integra GS-R
1999 Acura CL 3.0 (ugh)
2002 Nissan Maxima SE (shudder)
2005 Acura TSX
2009 VW GTI

[Pauly Wauly]

I had a 2010 Toyota Matrix XRS 2.4L, and a 2016 Ford Focus ST 2.0L turbo as winter beaters in the past, both had a manual transmission, and they were a blast to drive.