The engine, transmission and differential are all in the front and was first seen in 1959 Austin Mini and thereafter there was no looking back.
There are innumerable cars in India that are front-wheel drive and most automobile manufacturers tend to keep it that way due to major advantages that front-wheel drive have over rear-wheel-drive variants. The latter being more complicated as the engine is placed in the front but all the power has to be transmitted to the rear wheels with the help of a propeller shaft making it a complicated juncture.
The power is then transmitted via this shaft to the rear wheels which further require a separate rear differential. Whereas in the front-wheel-drive cars there is no need for such complicated parts because the engine is in the front and only the front wheels are being driven.
Due to less mechanical components used, friend-wheel drive cars cost remarkable less as compared to rear-wheel-drive cars. The parts are quite high in cost and even assembling is a complicated task. As the front-wheel-drive cars cost less to make, the manufacturers can place them in the market at a much more affordable price and competitively which is beneficial for the buyers.
Over the years space has been a critical issue amongst major automobile manufacturers. It has been observed that the huge transmission takes maximum space at the rear and takes a lot of foot space. Most luxury automobiles have the rear-wheel-drive but most front-wheel-drive cars don’t require a transmission tunnel because of no propeller shaft.
This creates a good amount of space inside the cabin and three passengers can easily be accommodated in the middle seat. Also, the front-wheel-drive cars come with a transversely mounted engine which helps in keeping the hood of the car small and freeing up space in the front half of the cabin.
Due to lack of propeller shaft and too many complications, the fuel economy of front-wheel-drive cars is much more than its rear-wheel-drive counterparts. This happens because some power is lost at the propeller shaft and rear differential which decreases the overall efficiency of the engine in rear-wheel-drive cars. Also, the front-wheel-drive cars have fewer mechanical parts which help in reducing their weight. Less weight means better fuel economy.
Yes, the rear-wheel-drive cars can be more fun but manufacturers have proved that the front-wheel-drive cars can also be fun. The Honda Civic Type R, Volkswagen GTI, Skoda Octavia RS, and the Ford Fiesta ST are some of the famous examples that are front-wheel drive and immense fun to drive.
