Quote:
Originally Posted by samwichse
Counterpoint:
With RWD you get the entire front of the car to be a crumple zone, giving better crash safety ratings
With RWD and the ease of making a nearly perfect 50-50 F-R balance, you get the best driving dynamics.
With RWD, torquey electric motors don't cause torque steer
With RWD, you don't lose traction on acceleration from front->rear weight transfer, you gain it. Same goes from climbing an icy hill
With RWD electric, you get advanced stability/traction control features pretty much free with the drive electronics, negating all your handling concerns
Finally: the VW bus was R-R layout originally, so it's more authentic  |
Good points. Of course since these are AWD optional, I wonder if there's a difference in front crumple zones between AWD and RWD layouts.
Your points are probably all true, but I don't have any experience in one. The main thing is 50:50 weight distribution and modern stability and traction controls should relieve pretty much any such problems. But I haven't driven one. It's like telling someone that they can drive a diesel that's nearly silent when all the diesels they've ever driven are noisy. Add to that that all the ice and snow reviews are always done in the AWD versions. So sure, people say new electric RWD is probably pretty good, but how can I know for sure when FWD has worked so well for me for so long?
I still think FWD would be better than RWD for once you're stuck in the snow.