Quote:
Originally Posted by The Wind Breezes
AWD is actually the best drivetrain for driving enthusiasts. It grips, goes, and puts you in a thrilling situation that much more quickly.
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Thrilling situation? Guess it depends on your definition of thrilling
I think the key point in the AWD vs RWD debate is the implementation of AWD actually matters and no two systems are specifically equal. Not to mention how the car is designed to handle in terms of weight distribution and suspension setup. For example I often hear people cite that the Quattro system on less expensive Audi's tend to be much more front wheel drive biased and as a result the car has more tendency to understeer than say a RWD BMW. That is bad. Systems like those Audi's and Subaru WRX STI's for example can only send 60% of the total power to the rear wheels, no more. This presents challenges when steering or steering and braking because we all know its not good to ask the front wheels to do too many things at once.
However the AWD system in my Carrera 4S is clearly RWD biased. If I trust the computer display in most cases its 90% of the power to the rear and goes to a 50/50 split only in cases of extreme low traction and grip (presumably snow and ice on the road because not even rain caused the AWD to kick in) or under WOT acceleration. This means its basically RWD most of the time and AWD only when you really need it to be! Of course this comes at the cost of complexity and weight but its worth it. There are several videos online that show the Carrera 4S with AWD can still drift or wag the tail (I certainly did at the track last weekend!!). The steering becomes heavier I hear but I like it; its BMW hydraulic like even with an EPS rack! Point is other than massive grip at all times while driving I can't tell in any way if the AWD has taken away from RWD's driving dynamics in this case.
Its also clear from what I've seen and read that BMW put a lot of effort into ensuring their AWD in the M5 works well and does not take away fm the car's driving dynamics.
Check this video out and tell me a good implementation of AWD doesn't have benefits over RWD while still remaining fun! I don't see the 2S RWD Porsche as being fun to drive or own in this situation personally. Would just be giving me unnecessary heart palpations and forcing too much unnecessary driver focus beyond the point of enjoyment.