When buying a car, many people pay attention to the layout of the transmission, and most often the driver has to choose between front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive. The differences between them lie in which wheelset torque is transmitted when the engine is running: respectively, the front axle is considered to be the leading axle in front-wheel drive cars and the rear axle in the rear-wheel drive cars.

Depending on the type of transmission, the car may behave differently when driving, in the process of picking up speed and braking. Each type of drive has its advantages and disadvantages, which must be considered when choosing.

Advantages and disadvantages of front-wheel drive cars

The advantages of cars equipped with front-wheel drive include the following features:

• A simpler design, due to which the maintenance and repair of the assembly is much easier. The front-wheel drive device does not include the presence of the rear axle housing and the universal joint, and the box with the differential is under the same casing. For the same reason, front wheel drive cars are usually cheaper than rear wheel drive models.
• Less weight. Thanks to this, a front-wheel drive car accelerates better and slows down faster, and fuel consumption is lower than that of rear-wheel drive vehicles. Since the weight of the engine with the transmission rests on the drive axle, the quality of adhesion of tires to the road surface also improves, which gives the car an advantage in driving on slippery or wet asphalt.
• Compactness: the design of the front-wheel drive requires less space, due to which it is possible to expand the cabin space.

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The main disadvantages of front-wheel drive vehicles are:

• Insufficient controllability. The rear part of the front-wheel drive car is much easier, so when entering a sharp turn or driving along a track with a complex trajectory it becomes harder to keep the car in the right position at high speed.
• Increased load on the front tires, which contributes to their accelerated wear.

Pros and cons of rear wheel drive cars

The advantages of rear wheel drive are as follows:

• The minimum level of vibrations when the engine is running, thereby creating comfortable conditions for the driver and passengers in the cabin.
• During acceleration, the car behaves more confidently, and during braking, the driving wheelset slips less due to the natural weight distribution.
• The axial load is more harmonious, and the work of the wheels is distributed more competently: the rear ones perform a pushing action, and the front ones serve to turn. Thanks to this, the car gets greater directional stability, and tire wear occurs evenly.

The disadvantages of rear wheel drive cars:

• More expensive production and maintenance, and therefore the price of rear-wheel drive cars is usually higher, and repairs are more difficult.
• Fuel consumption, especially if the engine is located behind, will be higher.
• In the central part of the body of such machines there is a tunnel, because of which the volume of the cabin is reduced.
• The performance of the rear wheel drive cars is usually worse than that of analogs with front-wheel drive, so it is more difficult for them to overcome light off-road and snow drifts.

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Which car to choose?

If you are going to buy a car, you must take into account the operating conditions, driving style and intensity of use of the vehicle. Drivers who are more important dynamic, excellent handling and minimum acceleration time, you should pay attention to the model with rear-wheel drive, and those who value stability more, more front-wheel drive cars. When operating in urban environments, there will be no significant difference between the two options.