Four-wheel Drive? Who Cares?

[StrikE]

awd all the way, had the fwd & rwd sports before this car blows socks off.

You cant beat them in the corners..... period

[mikeyb13]

But yeah - for the fundamental benefits of increased traction brought about by 4WD - high performance saloons like the Impreza and the EVO are essentially 'easy' cars to drive fast, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it... very safe when driven within reasonable limits, but dangerously confidence-inspiring for the less experienced driver!

I would say the Impreza takes a lot more ability to drive than an Evo. But I cant help feel that 4wd is now so developed that you just dont need to learn to drive well.

Reminds me of this TopGear video (4.23)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YAUXvnuN00

Do miss the fwd when its wet.

Your never over confident when your head is the same height as a 206's rear bumper

[andyf]

After the winter we had in Aberdeen and the fact that the civic type r I had was useless, 4x4 was a definate factor in choosing to go back to a impreza. I've had a 4x4 cossie and a golf R32 in the past and both were great in the snow as well so 4x4 for me every time.

[Gorbash12346]

i've owned fwd cars all the time before and working in a bmw main dealer workshop i drive the supposed ultimate driving machine rwd variants (i'm talking the m's and the twin turbos etc here as the 116's and crap like that don't count) and honestly i think in terms of how you drive it

front wheel drive (pick a good hot hatch their eaiser to drive hard and on the limit if you've got the brains not to lift off when you think your going to fast round a corner) but ultimately putting any decent amount of power down is harder

rear drive, generally only talking from experience of bmw's

better at putting power down in a straight line than fwd's and generally easier to get launched off the line than 4wd but not quicker

more fluid feeling steering no feeling of driveshafts moving about during hard cornering but require more attention being payed when bringing the power in during a corner

the 4wd is easier to hustle than the rwd but not as much as a good fwd car however accelerative grip is generally never an issue (well at least not with my power level anyways lol)

put simply i had a choice between e46 m3 and my hawk sti uk and i chose the impreza because i drive the A70 langwhang road for my commute and were i to drive the M3 along it in the winter i'd most likely be found in a ditch

[maddogsx]

I'd always had FWD cars, till i got (a year or so ago now lol) a Capri then that was it,, RWD all the way, 2wd saffie cossies then a bit of a driving ban, got my lic back after about 6 years and started back in a bertone styled astra coupe...got bored within a week, then got an old s13...... and several other ones an s14 a 300zx twin turbo job, then got an evo..loved the 4wd, and now i've got the impreza i genuinely wouldn't go back willingly to a FWD or rvrn an evo it's def got more driveability then the evo and although less bhp by a good number the scooby is quicker along most roads i use regularly. I've got a FWD at the moment as well, but it's excusable...i think? it's a wee almera N15 2.0 which i built into a rally car....which will hopefully make an appearance at the galloway hills for this years event!

[mystery machine]

I think the reason people swapped to other cars was nothing to do with the drive setup. People have been swapping to things that aren't as powerful/fun etc. For me it was simple - I'd had my fun and the running costs and future maintenance were outweighing the enjoyment by a large factor at the end.

The bad winter we had was one of the reason I would have stayed Subaru when I was weighing it up! I certainly didn't change because of 4wd.

Hi Stephen.

I wasn't so much suggesting that people were trading cars because of the drivetrain in either new or old... just that I'm left slightly bemused when I hear someone announce that they've replaced their Scooby with, say, a FWD hot hatch and then go on to suggest that it's "just as good a car in every way" (paraphrasing). This tells me that:

a. They didn't have much appreciation for the benefits of 4WD in the first place (fair enough - it doesn't float everyone's boat).

or

b. They're lying

So I'm certainly not looking to bash anyone who's gotten rid of their Scooby for perhaps very valid personal reasons, or imply that a good FWD car can't be a lot of fun too. Really the point was to stimulate some chat on Scooby 4WD, which I find quite interesting

[mystery machine]

But I cant help feel that 4wd is now so developed that you just dont need to learn to drive well.

Reminds me of this TopGear video (4.23)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YAUXvnuN00

Nice clip... that Lambo sounds so good it brings a tear to my eye

Your never over confident when your head is the same height as a 206's rear bumper

Indeed - and you can call me a big feartie if you want, but this is the very trait that put me off going for an Elise/Exige (and I really fancied one too!). I'd be too paranoid that some twonk in an Asda lorry would fail to see me and just run right across the top...

Hugely desirable cars though - saw an Elise today and felt the urge again

Edited August 11, 2010 by Mystery Machine

[mystery machine]

I'd always had FWD cars, till i got (a year or so ago now lol) a Capri

I loved Capris when I was a lad, and then went off them during the nineties when they became unfashionable... (not as unfashionable as the 'Probe' is today, mind ).

But now, on the odd occasion that I see one, I can't help but feel a little envious... and RWD has to be part of the reason! Don't get me wrong, I'm not harbouring any misapprehension that yer average Capri is going to handle anything like as well as yer average Scooby - RWD or not - so I suppose nostalgia is the biggest part of the appeal for me in this case

[mystery machine]

put simply i had a choice between e46 m3 and my hawk sti uk and i chose the impreza because i drive the A70 langwhang road for my commute and were i to drive the M3 along it in the winter i'd most likely be found in a ditch

Interesting. A few weeks back I was on the verge of flogging my Hawk STI for an E46 M3... decided to hang onto the Scooby though - couldn't face trading it for an older car with more miles.

Decided the answer was to stick some KW coilovers on the Hawk - hoping that will help hold its appeal a bit longer