THE JOY OF FRONT WHEEL DRIVE
HOW A DRIVEN FRONT AXLE CAN SPICE UP YOUR LIFE. BY BEN BARRY
Some call front-wheel drive wrong-wheel drive. It ousted rear-drive in the mainstream because it’s cheaper, lighter and provides more spacious interiors, and its fondness for gentle understeer is safer than oversteer if you’re greedy with the power. Boring? Hardly. Look no further than ’60s rally and touring-car Minis, or today’s 300bhp monsters with limited-slip di erentials and foolproof electronics.
To drive, the key di erence to RWD is that the power goes to wheels that also steer – so power can tug the tyres about (torque steer), leading to flightiness over cambered roads when driven aggressively, especially with steering lock applied. Some cars manage this really well (previous Renault Megane RS), others less so (the still-brilliant Mk1 Ford Focus RS). And when the nose lifts under acceleration, a frontdriver’s front tyres are more prone to scrabble. Applying power with straighter steering and carrying a lot of momentum into a corner, o -throttle, are good ways to overcome this (not that the reverse is true of RWD). But FWD also gives the secure feeling of pulling you from the corner, and a good limited-slip di provides a rollercoaster swoop through the apex. Manic at times, FWD is also confidence-inspiring.
Properly sorted, a hot hatch will bite hard at the front and let its light rear oversteer under braking or o -throttle.
Use this lift-o oversteer gratuitously or to help turn the car and get it straighter before accelerating.
At its best you have an agile, light car with a compact footprint, throttle-adjustable chassis and a grippy front end that only ever pulls you to safety – and the speed to give rear-drive giants nightmares.