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Date: Sun, 06 Oct 2002 11:28:18 +0100
From: Johannes H Andersen <johsnopsamanytime.co.uk>
Subject: Re: RWD.


Leif Tangen wrote: > > cn <nonenopsam.com> wrote: > > > Does anyone know why saab doesnt switch to Rear Wheel Drive? I like my > > saab, but I hate Front wheel drive. I know they have made leaps and > > bounds with the new generation 9-3 to fix the torque steer... but if > > they want to compete with the likes of BMW, Audi, merc then it seems to > > me that RWD would make a big difference. Most people that review cars, > > and I would go so far as to say most people prefer rear wheel drive > > cars, and rear wheel drive is seen as more luxurious/sporty > > > > Am I wrong in my assumptions? > > When it comes to the popularity of RWD, you're dead wrong. You must be > poorly informed about European cars. Audi has been Europe's leading > producer of FWD cars since the 30's through famous brand names like > Horch and DKW. Mercedes-Benz have started the switch to FWD with their > A-series. Volvo completed the transition when their last RWD model 940 > went off production some years ago. Even some Jags are FWD these days. To be fair, the A-class is about packaging, the design wouldn't allow it to be RWD. The A-class isn't renowned for it's handling in particular, it is about practicality. > > Being the odd one out among the Europeans, the BMW range is a > conservative if not totally old-fashioned concept which we soon will see > the end of, hopefully. By most people these cars are considered useless > if not outright dangerous on the surface we have for six months of the > year in Scandinavia. The snob value is considerable, though. I don't agree entirely, RWD has some merits on the race track where you can powerslide the car. In saloon car racing, the BMWs carry extra load to even out the field. However, this style of driving is hardly relevant for road use. > You may be right in assuming that most people in the US prefer rear > wheel drive, though. RWD is fine if you drive in a straght line on a dry > surface at 55 mph. Quite, under such conditions nobody would know the difference. > By the way, Saabs FWD advertising campaign on the introduction of the 99 > in the late sixties showed a photo of a horse and sledge - with the > horse harnessed _behind_ the sledge - to show people how stupid it would > be to apply the propulsion at the rear of a vehicle (like, for instance, > in a car with RWD).... No, I wouldn't imagine it would work, although the principle works fine for rockets. :) Johannes

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