Which Automobile Layout Would You Prefer?
Cars in Pakistan are mostly Front-wheel-drive. But if you had the choice of buying a Rear Wheel Drive or an All-Wheel Drive, Which one would you go for? To be able to make a choice, you need to know about the Pros and Cons of having a RWD, FWD and AWD.
Rear Wheel Drive
There are two advantages of a RWD. The first is that it gives your car a better balance. Because the Axle is behind, it balances up with the weight of the engine. Giving the car, a better weight distribution. This is why most sports cars are RWD. The second advantage of a RWD is that it requires less repair, and is more durable. For example, if you run over a huge pothole on a RWD, you probably won’t break anything. But on a FWD, the odds of getting the axle damaged are higher. Most German cars are rear wheel drive and they are known for being balanced.
The disadvantage of a RWD is that if the drive shaft and propeller get damaged easily and it costs a lot of money to get them fixed, especially because RWD parts and RWD cars are not so common in Pakistan. RWD easily lose traction in rain and in snow. The engine’s power is transferred to the back wheels (RWD push the car from behind), causing the back wheels to skid and lose traction.
Front Wheel Drive
Front wheel drive are the most common in Pakistan. The major reason being, they are cheaper to build and it’s less expensive to repair them. Since there are no propeller shafts and heavy differentials like the ones in RWD cars, FWD tend to be lighter. Because FWD are light, it makes them more fuel efficient when compared to RWDs. Traction in snow and rain is improved, because the weight of the engine and transaxle are in front, improving the grip of the car on road.
The bad side of FWD is that they are nose-heavy, which means they are not optimal for handling, especially at high speeds. Front wheels drive pull the car and at the same time steer it. This is not ideal for high performance cars/sports cars. The FWD may tend to steer left or right (torque steer) when given full acceleration. This is why very few performance cars are front wheel drives. The other downside is that front wheel drive are not as durable as RWD because their CV joints and axle can easily get damaged.
All-wheel Drive
All-Wheel drive gives the car the advantage of both RWD and FWD, minimizing the disadvantages. The biggest advantage of an AWD is that it has excellent traction on both dry and wet conditions. This is the reason AWD is preferred by performance minded car enthusiasts as well as the people who don’t want to get stuck in the snow. AWD balance performance with handling and perform better in bad weather.
The downside of AWD is that it is expensive and heavy. AWD cars weigh more and this makes them use more fuel. It costs more money to maintain an AWD car, because there are more components and more things will need servicing.
If you were to choose between FWDs, RWDs and AWDs, which one would you prefer? Do give us a feedback.