One of the main debates in the car enthusiast realm is that of forward vs rear wheel drive. If you are a part of the community, you know that most enthusiasts despise the FWD. But many are not fans of the RWD either. Some cling to the utility of 4-wheel drives or at least all-wheel drives, yet they former are out of the question when it comes to more sporty cars.

But let’s say that you are ready to get yourself a new car. You may have even researched your car shipping options. What is the best decision for you right now – an FWD or RWD vehicle? Do you even know the difference? Maybe you fall into one of the camps, but you do not even know why. Today we are going to look into the pros and cons of each, so you can better decide which one to pick!

The Pros Of Rear-wheel Drives

First and foremost, RWD are inherently simpler. The front wheels are for steering, and the rear ones to give you the acceleration and momentum you need. They should (at least theoretically) excel at each tasks much better.

But what does that mean for you? How practical is it? Some enthusiasts claim that the car has much better handling (especially in turns) with a rear-wheel drive. Yet that is not always the case, especially with inexperienced drivers. If you have no experience in handling turns on a RWD, and you do not know the proper techniques, you cannot really make much use of the system.

Of course, RWD are a staple on sports cars, because their target audience should (again theoretically) have more experience with accelerating through corners. That being said, if they are not professional racers, I doubt they can make much use of the RWD, no matter how much they love to brag about it with their BMW.

The Advantages of FWD

The majority of vehicles on the market are FWD. If you have a regular everyday driver, it is likely a FWD, or maybe an AWD (for the more expensive models). That being said, most people have no idea how significant this is, and how much utility it actually has.
Firstly, you get to have more space inside the car. That may not do much for the function of the vehicle, but is crucial for a vehicle that is going to be used as a regular driver. Additionally, since the engine sits on top of the wheels (thus weighing directly above them), this gives them better traction. If you do not know why this is good, just google RWD cars in snowy conditions and you will see why it matters.

Oh, did I also mention that they tend to be more fuel efficient as well? While German luxury cars are awesome, they are known to be quite taxing on your wallet when it comes to gas. This may not be a problem if you can afford them in the first place, but it makes them have much less utility nonetheless.

So, yes, it is up to you to decide whether all the hype around RWD makes these vehicles worth it. In my opinion, if you need a vehicle to get the job done, they are not!