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Re: is FWD dying Posted by Justin VanAbrahams [Email]  (#32) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Justin VanAbrahams) on Fri, 9 Aug 2002 16:58:14
In Reply to: is FWD dying, mark, Fri, 9 Aug 2002 16:26:49 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I'm not entirely certain of that. Most cars - by a large majority - are FWD. GM manufactures, for example, exactly two RWD vehicles save their trucks. That would be the Camaro/Firebird and the Corvette. One of those is being abandoned. Chrysler manufactures the same number aside from trucks - one being the Viper and the other being the now-discontinued Prowler. Ford makes a few more - they still sell RWD boats under the Lincoln badge, but actual Ford-branded products are limited to two as well - the Mustang and the Crown Vic. Take a look - most "mainstream" manufacturers are selling FWD with only a couple exceptions.
I think what we're seeing is marketing at work. There is a notion in the market that luxury cars and performance cars need to be RWD. I can see the performance angle, but don't quite understand luxury angle. It may simply be that luxury cars tend to have big motors, and we all know what kind of vehicle dynamics result when you try to put too much power through the front wheels. Most luxury car buyers want point-and-squirt driving, and RWD with tons of supplementary electronics deliver it.
As for AWD, I think it's a fad more than anything. I understand the merits of AWD, but for your average driver powering an extra two wheels and lugging around 200+ pounds of extra mechanicals doesn't make much sense. Despite living near snow, there are more FWD Audis on the roads around here (by my count) than Quatto models 2:1. With the exception of Subaru, you can't buy an AWD car for under $24k in the US, which is the median price-point for new vehicles sold last year. That tells me that *most* people don't care enough to spend the extra.
What we're seeing with AWD is similar to RWD - luxury and performance cars. Same argument, both situations. They both need more ways of getting reliable power to the ground. The AWD approach gives you traction in otherwise traction-less situations at the expense of weight, complexity, and cabin space and the RWD approach gives you tons of electronics and the nifty ability to get yourself into a very nasty situation. Back in the '80s and for most of the '90s, 200hp was a LOT. Few cars on the road hit 300hp. These days, EVERYTHING has 200hp. You can buy 200hp Civics and 300hp Cadillacs! Back then, FWD was probably adequate. These days, it's probably not.
What it comes down to mostly, I think, is marketing. BMW will tell you that the Ultimate Driving Machine needs only two wheels powered (and the current M3 is damn good evidence of that!) and Audi will tell you that AWD gives you performance without compromising safety (and the RS4 is damn good evidence of that!). Consumers make the choice, in the end, and by my reckoning there is room for both concepts in this marketplace.
posted by 64.166.4...
, Sat, 10 Aug 2002 17:07:00, Fri, 9 Aug 2002 16:58:14 <-- Viewing This Message, Sat, 10 Aug 2002 17:48:44
, Fri, 9 Aug 2002 21:37:17
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