First, I don't agree with the author that all "Front wheel drives suck". They don't.
Some are a real blast to drive, and they do have a lot of very real advantages, I know that. This article just articulates so well the reasons I always feel more comfortable driving a RWD over any FWD I've ever driven.

Any thoughts?


http://www.slate.com/id/2081194/

You cant really put 4x4 as an option in the poll. All 4x4 vehicles have one drive mode when not in 4x4 which is usually RWD.

Posted by big dave You cant really put 4x4 as an option in the poll. All 4x4 vehicles have one drive mode when not in 4x4 which is usually RWD.

talk to anyone who has ever owned a mid 70s 4x4 gm pickup and you will know that is not true. My 75 gmc sierra i had had 5 spots on the transfer case. 4x4 hi, 4x4 low, neutral 4x4 high lock, 4x4 low lock, 2 wheel drive was a mythical creature i had heard about in movies. But i had a rock solid np203 transfer case!

now back to front/rear. I learned to drive in a rear drive aerostar Ive always loved rear drive and if more are available i would consider it. With a well maintained limited slip even up here in snowy canada you dont get stuck all that much

rear wheel drive is a blast.
fwd isn't bad as long as the car has a competent suspension. A shitty handling FWD is about as much fun as a rubber dick in a sweaty sock.
AWD is meh... i never had much need for it, but I'm not bagging on it.
4x4 is a whole book in the library of automotive yahoo.

As much shit as my car has given me over the months that I have owned it, It still managed to get through foot and a half of snow, No problem.

Unlike my mom Mitsubishi's eclipse..

RWD.

I came from a fwd drive car with a decent suspension and thought I knew how to drive pretty well, but it takes skill to handle a rwd car at the limit without spinning out or understeering off of a cliff. Learning that skill has been a ton of fun.

AWD is nice, but the constraints involved are not worth my time nor trouble.

But it really all boils down to suspension and tires. My M3 with snow tires does better in the snow than my friend's A4 with all seasons.

Posted by Caligula As much shit as my car has given me over the months that I have owned it, It still managed to get through foot and a half of snow, No problem. Unlike my mom Mitsubishi's eclipse..

my GM W-bodies go places AWD Subies fear to tread!

My A4 AWD Quattro was amazing. It allowed for enough "playing" in snow and ice that I could drive at a ridiculous angle down a snowy road without fear of it breaking loose. My Hummer and my Dad's Sequoia traction control kicks in so fast there's no fun to be had.

I still vote AWD as long as it's not overly controlled by electronic ridiculousness

Posted by oddspot I still vote AWD as long as it's not overly controlled by electronic ridiculousness

I've never really driven one but, I've heard the electronic control on a AWD can be a real kill-joy.

Posted by CaptOrbit I've never really driven one but, I've heard the electronic control on a AWD can be a real kill-joy.

It can absolutely!! OR... it can be amazing!! AWD SUV's BOOOOO
AWD in Audi or Subaru or something..... DROOL!!

edit: add on

In driving different rides i've noticed a big difference between say an Audi AWD and a Benz or BMW all wheel drive. Benz and BMWs felt sluggish, and what I was told is that with those cars you're adapting an AWD system to a normally RWD car, so the distribution isn't very good. With an Audi it's adapting to a FWD so it's more balanced. Makes sense to me .... does it sound right to anyone else?

back in the day, GM made one car with AWD that was really odd... it was an A-body, the Pontiac 6000STE. It was a 2.8LMPFI Gen II V6 driving through an automatic transaxle to all four wheels. It would sit and do donuts like no ones' business.
Alas, I have only see ONE.

Posted by oddspot It can absolutely!! OR... it can be amazing!! AWD SUV's BOOOOO AWD in Audi or Subaru or something..... DROOL!! edit: add on In driving different rides i've noticed a big difference between say an Audi AWD and a Benz or BMW all wheel drive. Benz and BMWs felt sluggish, and what I was told is that with those cars you're adapting an AWD system to a normally RWD car, so the distribution isn't very good. With an Audi it's adapting to a FWD so it's more balanced. Makes sense to me .... does it sound right to anyone else?

Go drive a BMW 325iX. Not a 325Xi, but a 325iX. It is the best awd system I've yet to experience.

Posted by Sinister Crayon Go drive a BMW 325iX. Not a 325Xi, but a 325iX. It is the best awd system I've yet to experience.

i've never really driven AWD. it always seemed like more trouble than it was worth.

Posted by Samurai back in the day, GM made one car with AWD that was really odd... it was an A-body, the Pontiac 6000STE. It was a 2.8LMPFI Gen II V6 driving through an automatic transaxle to all four wheels. It would sit and do donuts like no ones' business. Alas, I have only see ONE.

Didn't the Pontiac Montana have a model offered with AWD?

Posted by Agent Skelly Didn't the Pontiac Montana have a model offered with AWD?

it was available across the minivan and crossover lines...

Seeing how popular RWD is here I suppose I should have added a do you prefer "A live axle, (solid axle)" or "Independent suspension".

Posted by CaptOrbit Seeing how popular RWD is here I suppose I should have added a do you prefer "A live axle, (solid axle)" or "Independent suspension".

oooh that's just harping on the fudge.
i had a Merkur XR4Ti that had an IRS... i had a Mercury Capri RS 5.0L and that had a solid axle... they were both fun in their own ways.
there's nothing like a solid axle 8.8 or GM 10 bolt out back for smoke shows.
(10 bolt's a wee fragile, though)

Independent rear ftw... I absolutely love mine.

The vette c4 IRS is very nice too. I know of a guy who swapped the entire vette setup into his car to put the power down better and it still handles quite well.

Posted by Samurai oooh that's just harping on the fudge.

Yeah, I know, but it makes for an interesting discussion.

What RWD domestics are there now, and what has been out recently? I know a lot of them, but I was trying to find an online list but couldn't.