VW Confirms ID Buzz for USA in 2023

[Isaac Zachary]

RWD does have better traction under acceleration (e.g. hill climbing) and AWD is even better. But there is also an advantage of having a FWD with less traction under acceleration, especially for a novice driver: it does a better job of reminding the driver that it's slick.

For an example, a FWD, RWD and AWD take off from a stop light on an icy road. The AWD might not even spin a single tire. The RWD will take off faster than the FWD. But the driver in the FWD will know that it's slicker than snot on a doorknob. When all three make it to the next red light, the AWD driver will naturally tend to try to stop as if the roads were dry. The RWD driver will naturally tend to slow down a bit earlier. But the FWD driver will likely be the most cautious as he or she approaches the next stop, all things being equal.

I actually have some friends that moved here a couple years ago and went and "made the mistake" of buying an AWD. Riding with them during the winter, they would wait until the last minute to slow down and stop and complain that there was a problem with the brakes. I put them in my car with FWD and violà! They tended to drive slower and take it easier coming to stop lights and signs.

[freebeard]

Four-wheel drive really comes into it's own climbing boulder-sized rocks. Short of that, it's just a matter of having the weight over the driven axle.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Why do many EV's come in RWD or AWD? What about good ol' FWD? I would be more likely to buy a Tesla if they came in the FWD format. And I don't mean just tiny sub-compact cars. I mean FWD station wagons, minivans, mid and full sized sedans, etc. What's happened to good ol' practicality?

We didn't get FWD because it was better.

The majority of cars switched a transverse engine with a transaxle because is more compact, lighter, and more fuel efficient than a longitudinal engine layout with rear axle. The engine went into the front of the car because FWD is easier to package close to the radiator and putting the engine in the front leaves the rear open for luggage.


In EVs the packaging is easier and automakers can convert back to the better driving dynamics of RWD.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Four-wheel drive really comes into it's own climbing boulder-sized rocks. Short of that, it's just a matter of having the weight over the driven axle.

This is one thing I've noticed, that 2WD on modern cars also has certain drawbacks. The ol' rear engine VW's and older FWD cars did excellent in the snow without traction control. This was because the weight distribution was snowing like 40:60, which is better for acceleration as long as the drive wheels are under the heavier axle. But in modern cars the weight distribution is closer to 50:50, which is better for braking and steering.

I'm still not sold on RWD being better in every case though. It would be nice for Engineering Explained, Mithbusters, Scotty Kilmer or someone else to do a real side by side comparison.

But who knows. If I can get over my qualms, I might consider a Tesla or a VW ID-Buzz in the future. It looks pretty good overall. But how well VW's electric drive reliability and cost to own in the long run is still speculation. I would prefer a minivan right now over anything else.

[JSH]

The optimal weight distribution for a RWD car is between 45/55 and 40/60 Front to Rear. Look at any purpose built race car where the chassis is a blank slate and that is what you will find. The rear bias helps with acceleration AND with braking. When you brake weight transfers to the front of the car with the extreme being 100% front. When you start with a rear weight bias the front axle isn't as overloaded under hard braking.

You also what weight concentrated between the axles for a low polar moment of inertia. That is why purpose built race cars a mid-engine.

Purpose built EVs have the benefit of having most of their weight centrally located and low in the chassis.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

The optimal weight distribution for a RWD car is between 45/55 and 40/60 Front to Rear. Look at any purpose built race car where the chassis is a blank slate and that is what you will find. The rear bias helps with acceleration AND with braking. When you brake weight transfers to the front of the car with the extreme being 100% front. When you start with a rear weight bias the front axle isn't as overloaded under hard braking.

You also what weight concentrated between the axles for a low polar moment of inertia. That is why purpose built race cars a mid-engine.

Purpose built EVs have the benefit of having most of their weight centrally located and low in the chassis.

More weight on the rear axle is asking for trouble, especially with an inexperienced driver.

Yes, centrally concentrated weight will help. But more weight over a certain axle still causes it to have more inertia. More inertia over one axle than the other causes oversteer (when the rear is heaver) or understeer (when the front is heaver). More weight over the rear means that going a bit fast for a corner the rear will start to break traction first. If you know how to countersteer a little oversteer can actually help you turn corners faster. This is the idea behind drifting. But most drivers don't have the expertise to do that. Purpose built race cars in snow and ice with novice drivers is a recipe for disaster.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by samwichse

With RWD, torquey electric motors don't cause torque steer

Not every FWD is so much more prone to torque-steer than their RWD counterparts actually.

the VW bus was R-R layout originally, so it's more authentic

As a matter of tradition, even the so-called New Beetle deserved RWD. When it comes to Beetles and Kombis, such layout provided a better off-road performance than many FWD and even front-engined RWD cars of a more modern design.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

More weight on the rear axle is asking for trouble, especially with an inexperienced driver.

Yes, centrally concentrated weight will help. But more weight over a certain axle still causes it to have more inertia. More inertia over one axle than the other causes oversteer (when the rear is heaver) or understeer (when the front is heaver). More weight over the rear means that going a bit fast for a corner the rear will start to break traction first. If you know how to countersteer a little oversteer can actually help you turn corners faster. This is the idea behind drifting. But most drivers don't have the expertise to do that. Purpose built race cars in snow and ice with novice drivers is a recipe for disaster.

Purpose built race cars don't have ABS and stability control to brake individual corners as needed specifically designed to help novice drivers.

There is more to driving than going around corners. A car with rear axle bias has more braking power in a straight line.

Yes, learning to drive a RWD car properly is different than driving a FWD car properly. People used to know how to drive RWD cars because that is all we had. A few sessions in a snowing parking lot does wonders for learning how to control oversteer and even how to steer with the throttle. I learned to drive in RWD vehicles and I will take oversteer over understeer any day.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by JSH

Purpose built race cars don't have ABS and stability control to brake individual corners as needed specifically designed to help novice drivers.

There is more to driving than going around corners. A car with rear axle bias has more braking power in a straight line.

Yes, learning to drive a RWD car properly is different than driving a FWD car properly. People used to know how to drive RWD cars because that is all we had. A few sessions in a snowing parking lot does wonders for learning how to control oversteer and even how to steer with the throttle. I learned to drive in RWD vehicles and I will take oversteer over understeer any day.

Purpose built race cars aren't built for novice drivers. They're built for professionals. Whether they have stability control or not depends on the rules off each particular race. That also aren't usually driven on snow and ice unless built for that.

Braking in a straight line only works if you have a straight line to brake in. Usually you brake hard because there's an obstacle that your may need to swerve to avoid. Plus o lot of roads where I live are windy mountainous passes with tight switchbacks. It's kind of hard to brake in a straight line going around tight switchbacks.

I wouldnt mind a RWD if it were just for myself. But that doesn't mean I'm getting a car that can do 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds for my teenagers nor do I think my wife would be able to get around as well putting around town in the snow in a vehicle that can't steer the drive wheels.

[freebeard]

I learned driving sideways on gravel.