Front wheel drive vs Rear wheel drive. Which one is better?

While buying a car we are always confused between terms like front wheel or rear wheel drive mechanism and which one is preferable. So let’s understand these terms from the basics, first of all the term drive suggests that on which wheels the power produced by the engine is delivered.

Front Wheel Drive

In front wheel drive automobiles (FWD) the power produced by the engine is provided to the front wheels of the automobile. It acts as a pulling action for the automobile. The design and the manufacturing cost of the FWD system are also easier and lower and it gives better mileage as the FWD system is having lesser weight. The power produced on the front wheels and the engine is also mounted on the front part of the automobile results in better traction.

Rear Wheel Drive

In rear wheel drive automobiles (RWD) the power produced by the engine is provided to the rear wheels of the automobile. It acts as a pushing force to the automobile. RWD automobiles provide more stability but the traction offered is not too good especially on wet or snowy roads. But if more traction is required then by putting weights to the rear wheel this problem can be solved.

As above mentioned FWD comes with the small or city condition automobiles like hatchback cars where mileage and budget friendly conditions are required and the RWD comes with the larger automobiles like trucks, buses, pickup trucks where stability is required and also used in a sedan where overall comfort is required.

Which one is better: FWD or RWD?

If fuel economy or budget is your concern or else your driving conditions are on snowy or wet roads then FWD is a better choice. However performance or handling/stability is your concern then RWD is a better option. Generally modern cars come up with a FWD system but there are some cars which also give the RWD as well. There is a drive which is called all wheel drive or 4X4 cars which is the combination of the FWD and RWD. In this kind of car, the power produced by the engine is provided to all four wheels of the car which gives good traction as well as good stability but it also costs more than the FWD and RWD.

Written by: Ruchit Shah(Instagram: @rjshah_02)

Vociferous Writers (Instagram: @vociferouswriters)