With many drivers almost religiously defending their choice in vehicle transmission, it s become something of a raging debate in automotive circles. But has any particular drivetrain actually proven to be functionally superior to the others, or is the typical road user merely going on hearsay? Do people rely on hard facts when having to choose a car as E Type Jaguar For Sale?
For the driving purist, a rear wheel drive (RWD) configuration will always be the one most desired. RWD is what Henry Ford had in mind when birthing the very first combustion engine propelled passenger vehicle. And its merits can still be seen, burning up the tracks in the high stakes world of Formula One Racing, for example. So why has the public been gradually shifting towards front wheel drive (FWD) and all wheel drive (AWD) vehicles instead?
And while, to some, it may appear to be an overnight success, the FWD engine has actually been gaining steady recognition of its merits for around seventy years already. The auto manufacturer Mini first introduced the FWD to the world in the 1950s. Treated as little more than a novelty at the time, improvements in technology and rising fuel costs have made FWD vehicles a staple of modern highways.
And like Honda with their preference for making affordable FWD production vehicles, most other manufacturers also stick to one kind of transmission when designing their full range of vehicles. Which might sound like laziness on the part of their design teams, but their actual motivations are purely economical. Vehicle manufacturers have a limited amount of resources for investing into new engine designs. It makes more financial sense for them to keep expanding on the automotive traditions they ve already established, than to, almost literally, try reinventing the wheel.
But with FWDs accounting for more than 50% of all cars bought, AWDs claiming around 30% of the market, and sales of RWDs only representing a miniscule 10%, is it any wonder a world renowned RWD manufacturer like BMW would be willing to shift gears to developing models with FWD transmissions? It would ve been foolish for them to do otherwise.
In addition to cost effectiveness, it seems efficiency is the average road user s primary concern when choosing a car for day to day usage. FWDs are cheaper to develop and engineer. Hence, the prevalence of that format on most entry level automobiles. Their smaller size also makes them lighter and, therefore, more fuel efficient than other drivetrain systems.
On the contrary, with its engine being expected to power four wheels at a time, AWDs have many more components included in their constructions. Making AWDs relatively overweight when compared to their FWD and RWD competitors. This additional weight is felt in terms of the additional fuel it burns. Which equates to higher costs at purchase and aftermarket. But with manufacturers making constant improvements to their day to day functionality and fuel efficiency, AWDs are fast becoming the vehicle of choice for a growing number of motorists.
Ultimately, when choosing the most suitable drivetrain, it s your daily routine and weather conditions encountered that become the biggest determining factors. So long as you re willing to fork out for a set of snow tires in winter, choosing a FWD vehicle over an AWD one makes negligible difference in a long run. But when compared to a RWD, front wheel drives and all wheel drives still come up trumps for handling well under adverse weather conditions, like in snow or rain.
For the driving purist, a rear wheel drive (RWD) configuration will always be the one most desired. RWD is what Henry Ford had in mind when birthing the very first combustion engine propelled passenger vehicle. And its merits can still be seen, burning up the tracks in the high stakes world of Formula One Racing, for example. So why has the public been gradually shifting towards front wheel drive (FWD) and all wheel drive (AWD) vehicles instead?
And while, to some, it may appear to be an overnight success, the FWD engine has actually been gaining steady recognition of its merits for around seventy years already. The auto manufacturer Mini first introduced the FWD to the world in the 1950s. Treated as little more than a novelty at the time, improvements in technology and rising fuel costs have made FWD vehicles a staple of modern highways.
And like Honda with their preference for making affordable FWD production vehicles, most other manufacturers also stick to one kind of transmission when designing their full range of vehicles. Which might sound like laziness on the part of their design teams, but their actual motivations are purely economical. Vehicle manufacturers have a limited amount of resources for investing into new engine designs. It makes more financial sense for them to keep expanding on the automotive traditions they ve already established, than to, almost literally, try reinventing the wheel.
But with FWDs accounting for more than 50% of all cars bought, AWDs claiming around 30% of the market, and sales of RWDs only representing a miniscule 10%, is it any wonder a world renowned RWD manufacturer like BMW would be willing to shift gears to developing models with FWD transmissions? It would ve been foolish for them to do otherwise.
In addition to cost effectiveness, it seems efficiency is the average road user s primary concern when choosing a car for day to day usage. FWDs are cheaper to develop and engineer. Hence, the prevalence of that format on most entry level automobiles. Their smaller size also makes them lighter and, therefore, more fuel efficient than other drivetrain systems.
On the contrary, with its engine being expected to power four wheels at a time, AWDs have many more components included in their constructions. Making AWDs relatively overweight when compared to their FWD and RWD competitors. This additional weight is felt in terms of the additional fuel it burns. Which equates to higher costs at purchase and aftermarket. But with manufacturers making constant improvements to their day to day functionality and fuel efficiency, AWDs are fast becoming the vehicle of choice for a growing number of motorists.
Ultimately, when choosing the most suitable drivetrain, it s your daily routine and weather conditions encountered that become the biggest determining factors. So long as you re willing to fork out for a set of snow tires in winter, choosing a FWD vehicle over an AWD one makes negligible difference in a long run. But when compared to a RWD, front wheel drives and all wheel drives still come up trumps for handling well under adverse weather conditions, like in snow or rain.
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