The most fun FWD cars?
Discussion
rtz62 said:
I'm going to throw my hat into the ring with the Alfa Romeo GT 3.2 24V
Why?
Well any car that can change direction in a straight line by simply flooring the loud pedal has to be near the top of this list.
And any car that, when, negotiating a corner, with the same injudicious prodding of the loud pedal goes straight on, surely has to be the best handling FWD in a comedy sense.
So, rewarding? Er, no.
But fun? Oh yes, in a homicidal maniac sort of way.....
The one you drove must not have been retro fitted with the Q2/Quaife front diff, a mod which is becoming essential for 147/156 GTAs and GT 3.2s, when fitted the traits you mention are banished however I would argue the fun quotient is increased not decreased. Why?
Well any car that can change direction in a straight line by simply flooring the loud pedal has to be near the top of this list.
And any car that, when, negotiating a corner, with the same injudicious prodding of the loud pedal goes straight on, surely has to be the best handling FWD in a comedy sense.
So, rewarding? Er, no.
But fun? Oh yes, in a homicidal maniac sort of way.....
I therefore nominate another contender, the Alfa 147 GTA with a Q2 diff, surely one of the best engines fitted to a FWD car, maybe with the exception of the Lancia Thema 8.32, so if noise equates to fun then these must be up there!
ImABitLongCars said:
Integra Type-R, every time. I've had 6 now I think. Soooooooooo good. This one is for sale if anyone wants it!
Slightly off topic, but I've never got this mentality: If they're so good, why not just buy one, look after it and keep it? Did you crash/knacker the other 5? Were they stolen? Or is there something else I'm not seeing?(Meant in good humour, ImABitLongCars. I'm just curious why you do it!)
Not one mention of a Vauxhall, are they no good?
No personal experience but thought the old gte might get a mention. Always thought the vectra Sri was rated, maybe I'm wrong. And how about the vxrs?? Anyone?
My wife has a puma 1.7;glad they have been mentioned, they seemed to be derided for a long time, but they are a cracking little car and so cheap.
No personal experience but thought the old gte might get a mention. Always thought the vectra Sri was rated, maybe I'm wrong. And how about the vxrs?? Anyone?
My wife has a puma 1.7;glad they have been mentioned, they seemed to be derided for a long time, but they are a cracking little car and so cheap.
Rangeroverover said:
205 GTi 1.9 or even more brilliant because you can have such fun in it due to multilink suspension is the Alfasud 1.5ti, the proper one not the shrunken gtv6 copy coupe thing
The most sporty moment I had with mine was when the right hand cylinder bank had an oil leak which found its way onto the front right inboard disc. Made it dead good at left handers, even if the road remained straight. The other quirk was in the winter while running demister, lights etc etc the lights would dim right down.
They are a hoot to drive, you can have fun while not going to warp speed, the "connected" feeling while braking and cornering never got dull.
+1The most sporty moment I had with mine was when the right hand cylinder bank had an oil leak which found its way onto the front right inboard disc. Made it dead good at left handers, even if the road remained straight. The other quirk was in the winter while running demister, lights etc etc the lights would dim right down.
They are a hoot to drive, you can have fun while not going to warp speed, the "connected" feeling while braking and cornering never got dull.
This is the car that started it all!! The forst front driver that handled well and was truly fun. Revolutionary. Had Alfa not totally f
ked up on the build quality this could have been the start of a resurgence for the marque instead of the begenning of the end..davo23 said:
Not one mention of a Vauxhall, are they no good?
No personal experience but thought the old gte might get a mention. Always thought the vectra Sri was rated, maybe I'm wrong. And how about the vxrs?? Anyone?
I think after 10 pages with almost every other car manufacturer mentioned the answer should be obvious. No personal experience but thought the old gte might get a mention. Always thought the vectra Sri was rated, maybe I'm wrong. And how about the vxrs?? Anyone?
My personal view is (some) fantastic engines ruined by meh handling and a distinct "designed by committee" feel.
Not a lot of love for the Fiat barchetta then? Is it because it's LHD only?
Owned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
Owned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
Edited by Draexin on Friday 2nd October 09:48
Draexin said:
Not a lot of love for the Fiat barchetta then?
Owned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
User 'iva barchetta' on here enjoys his a lotOwned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
For me (either owned or driven friend's cars) the definitive list in no particular order...
GTI6
CTR EP3
UK Starlet SR (on decent tyres, hilariously fun motors)
DC2 Integra
Megane R26
Focus RS Mk1
(flame suit on) Fabia VRS
Punto GT Turbo
Corolla AE82 (the AE86s FWD cousin, still a 4AGE lump)
GTI6
CTR EP3
UK Starlet SR (on decent tyres, hilariously fun motors)
DC2 Integra
Megane R26
Focus RS Mk1
(flame suit on) Fabia VRS
Punto GT Turbo
Corolla AE82 (the AE86s FWD cousin, still a 4AGE lump)
s3fella said:
In its day 1998, the original focus, all models but the zetec model was The one I had. Changed the rules on fwd hatch handling....
Good call actually- we had a Mk1 1.8 Zetec, a lovely thing to drive. For a 'base model' mass produced car it was as sweet as a nut, lovely direct steering and a nice balance- it just needed more grunt, which is where the RS came in I suppose.At the time, for driving feel it certainly knocked all other mass market FWD stuff into a cocked hat. Which makes the stodgy fare offered by the more recent Focuses (... Focii?) all the more dissappointing. jackpe said:
Rangeroverover said:
205 GTi 1.9 or even more brilliant because you can have such fun in it due to multilink suspension is the Alfasud 1.5ti, the proper one not the shrunken gtv6 copy coupe thing
The most sporty moment I had with mine was when the right hand cylinder bank had an oil leak which found its way onto the front right inboard disc. Made it dead good at left handers, even if the road remained straight. The other quirk was in the winter while running demister, lights etc etc the lights would dim right down.
They are a hoot to drive, you can have fun while not going to warp speed, the "connected" feeling while braking and cornering never got dull.
+1The most sporty moment I had with mine was when the right hand cylinder bank had an oil leak which found its way onto the front right inboard disc. Made it dead good at left handers, even if the road remained straight. The other quirk was in the winter while running demister, lights etc etc the lights would dim right down.
They are a hoot to drive, you can have fun while not going to warp speed, the "connected" feeling while braking and cornering never got dull.
This is the car that started it all!! The forst front driver that handled well and was truly fun. Revolutionary. Had Alfa not totally f
ked up on the build quality this could have been the start of a resurgence for the marque instead of the begenning of the end..I'd agree that the MK1 Focus is excellent...just a great all rounder to drive.
Owned one and driven many many versions in the trade. (sadly not the RS though!)
However....I'd still say the Puma is better. The Fiesta chassis as a base is just excellent and with the 1.7 engine, some extra grunt (relatively speaking)
The Focus was...to drive.....superbly accomplished...flatters the driver...does pretty much everything right.
But the Puma was just...more of the same. Beautiful to drive! (apart from the brakes, as mentioned!)
Owned one and driven many many versions in the trade. (sadly not the RS though!)
However....I'd still say the Puma is better. The Fiesta chassis as a base is just excellent and with the 1.7 engine, some extra grunt (relatively speaking)
The Focus was...to drive.....superbly accomplished...flatters the driver...does pretty much everything right.
But the Puma was just...more of the same. Beautiful to drive! (apart from the brakes, as mentioned!)
s3fella said:
In its day 1998, the original focus, all models but the zetec model was The one I had. Changed the rules on fwd hatch handling.
Did trackdays in that (co car!) and it embarrassed lots of quick German 4wd and rwd stuff.
How would it fare against the benchmark of 90s car "quickness", the 2015 320d ?Did trackdays in that (co car!) and it embarrassed lots of quick German 4wd and rwd stuff.
Some great suggestions and some I would never have thought of some of them myself.
A well sorted R53 Mini has always been one I wanted to try, They have a great strut/suspension setup.
Although, I guess I'm another 'blinkered' Honda Integra Type R DC2 Fan, The only real time it felt front wheel driven was when it broke traction in the wet, The front and rear balance of the car was in great proportion, Probably more biased towards oversteer than understeer. My 1999 JDM model had the F-25mm diameter ARB & R-24mm diameter ARB. With the limited slip I would plant my foot to the floor in 2nd gear before VTEC around some tight bends for fun and feel it grip and go with barely any hint of understeer.
Let's just say I wouldn't be so eager to try that in my FN2 civic.
For me at least, the DC2 is the pinnacle of FF car's taking in to account all aspects of driving. I think I would want to try something FR next as I don't think another FF would satisfy me in the way that DC2 did. The FN2 is just a sideways step for me and has taught me importance of F+R double wish bone suspension, Hydraulic driven power steering and a mechanical Limited slip differential.
A well sorted R53 Mini has always been one I wanted to try, They have a great strut/suspension setup.
Although, I guess I'm another 'blinkered' Honda Integra Type R DC2 Fan, The only real time it felt front wheel driven was when it broke traction in the wet, The front and rear balance of the car was in great proportion, Probably more biased towards oversteer than understeer. My 1999 JDM model had the F-25mm diameter ARB & R-24mm diameter ARB. With the limited slip I would plant my foot to the floor in 2nd gear before VTEC around some tight bends for fun and feel it grip and go with barely any hint of understeer.
Let's just say I wouldn't be so eager to try that in my FN2 civic.
For me at least, the DC2 is the pinnacle of FF car's taking in to account all aspects of driving. I think I would want to try something FR next as I don't think another FF would satisfy me in the way that DC2 did. The FN2 is just a sideways step for me and has taught me importance of F+R double wish bone suspension, Hydraulic driven power steering and a mechanical Limited slip differential.
Edited by krismccloy on Friday 2nd October 11:58
s m said:
Draexin said:
Not a lot of love for the Fiat barchetta then?
Owned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
User 'iva barchetta' on here enjoys his a lotOwned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
I thank you....
Iva Barchetta said:
s m said:
Draexin said:
Not a lot of love for the Fiat barchetta then?
Owned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
User 'iva barchetta' on here enjoys his a lotOwned one for 7 years, it isn't necessarily the absolute best FWD car of all time, but it ticked all the boxes for me.
The handling is brilliant, sticks to the road like glue and will only let go when pushing on and lifting off.
It's very communicative, decently quick (quicker than an MX-5) and the engine has loads of character.
Loves to rev and at high rpm really snarls and roars, even with the stock exhaust.
I know looks are subjective, but to me the design is spot on. Even now it looks good, not like a typical 90's car.
They're not expensive anymore so if you haven't tried one, go for it!
I thank you....
Always heard they were great FWD cars and an acquaintance had one and raved about it.
blearyeyedboy said:
ImABitLongCars said:
Integra Type-R, every time. I've had 6 now I think. Soooooooooo good. This one is for sale if anyone wants it!
Slightly off topic, but I've never got this mentality: If they're so good, why not just buy one, look after it and keep it? Did you crash/knacker the other 5? Were they stolen? Or is there something else I'm not seeing?(Meant in good humour, ImABitLongCars. I'm just curious why you do it!)
2. I have finally conceded that 5 cars in London is too much
3. new business
4. new baby
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