If limited to those two options (don’t say “buy a WRX”), what would you guys prefer to have to live with both as a DD and for spirited corner carving?
I think I prefer shifting my own gears over the ability to oversteer at will. But I’m just curious if there’s strong feelings either way toward one or the other.
(sorry if this is too trivial a topic for you guys)
RWD and auto because DD and stick don't go together for me
FWD can be made to over steer while RWD can push. depends.
If you live in cold country, fwd is the better choice.
iceracer said:FWD can be made to over steer while RWD can push. depends.
If you live in cold country, fwd is the better choice.
I was really talking about pedal-induced oversteer not so much bringing the rear around under braking.
Depends on the car, but I went from rwd with a stick to fwd with a stick (and a lot more power) and I don't have any regrets. I only miss having rwd in the rain as it's a lot more fun.
If there's anything I've learned from this forum it's that a person can have fun driving anything if they really want to. Cars are what you make of them. Or what you make them into.
I just put insurance and a set of studded Chinese winter tires on my 94 Sentra. I'm enjoying it more than my XC90 for my daily commute, mostly because an SR20, 5 speed and a worn lsd are great fun.
So, fwd and stick is my vote.
Automatic gearboxes belong on the racetrack, not on the street. Sounds like Honda time to me.
With FWD it seems like the rear two tires are just there for the ride. I read something about using the rear tires for acceleration and using the front tires only for braking and steering gives more total traction. But with FWD that torque is directional with steering and the whole driveline can be pretty stout and compact. No long driveshaft or torque arm, differential built into the transmission. Unless your grocery getter needs to do wheelies 
I love overpowered FWD hot hatches. So that gets my vote.
Normally I get more enjoyment out of the manual rather than RWD. Factor in snow driving and I double down on that.
Hmm. I guess I dislike FWD more than automatics but really, I'd need more info to make a choice.
I went from an e30 5spd to a Matrix XRS 6spd. No regrets. The car is a hoot.
RWD. If I'm hell bent enough, I can swap in a manual. FWD will always be FWD without extreme surgery.
Tough question. I've never owned a front wheel drive car, but I also haven't owned a car with an automatic transmission for 20 years.
Fwd manual. Ive been that way for dailys for 10years with a 110mile commute until recently. Now my commute is now like 30 most of the time
Depends on the commute. If its 90% normal driving then FWD manual, if there is any stop and go traffic involved regularly than automatic
I find that FWD manual is more fun between those two. If it's set up properly, you get oversteer on demand by turning sharply on deceleration.
Years ago I had a first gen Eclipse. FWD, stick shift, zippy engine, decent handling. And every day I drove it I thought how much better it would have been in RWD.
Later I had an Explorer Sport 2wd in automatic. It was excellent. RWD FTW!
Assuming, say a $30k price cap, I'd pick FWD/manual over RWD/auto, though. For daily driving, having an automatic would bore me to death, and for daily driving, I really don't need the fun-factor that RWD provides, since I'm not going to be at the track. As that's coming from someone who hasn't owned a FWD car for almost a decade.
Let's put it this way: I'd much rather drive a new Civic Si (with stick) daily than, for similar price, a base-model 1-series BMW with an automatic.
That said, I have a WRX as my daily, so there's my actual answer............
Based on my commute, I'd go with whatever has the manual transmission because it will be more engaging to drive. If I commuted in crappy big city traffic I'd probably go with the automatic transmission due to the stop & go traffic.
RWD > FWD, all day, every day.
Transmission? Eh, at this point in my life, IDGF about it, but for a DD, gimme auto.
I sold a P71 and bought a V70 T5M. In hindsight, I wish I had kept the P71. There are plenty of objective pro's and con's, but at the end of the day I prefer RWD.
It all depends on the car. My current daily driver and kid hauler is an old Mercedes 260E. Big, RWD sedan with auto transmission. Not exactly the most engaging car in the world to drive. I’m not sure it really benefits from being RWD dynamically.
The only FWD car I’ve owned in the last 25 years or so was my Peugeot 405 Mi16. One of the sweetest handling cars I’ve ever driven. Fantastic 5-speed gearbox, excellent steering feel and ergonomics. Very playful chassis. No comparison.
My .02
it depends on where you live. I live in the city and there is 0 interest in going manual as I'd spend more time shifting than enjoying my drive. I also have to deal with inclement weather so I'd go FWD A/T (which is what I typically drive).
Ill always chose rear wheel drive. Regardless of transmission because its my personal prefrence. Even in the snowy season.
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