Do you prefer front or mid or rear engined cars?
Discussion
InformationSuperHighway said:
Depends on use case for me.
Sports / fun = Mid engined
GT = Front engined RWD
Family = Front engine AWD / 4x4
I really like that set up there. Sports / fun = Mid engined
GT = Front engined RWD
Family = Front engine AWD / 4x4
I can't believe that I've been driving 34 years now, and I've still never actually driven a mid engined car for whatever reason. However I have always liked the idea of a Lotus Elise/VX220/Boxster etc though for sure.
Not sure it matters to me too much. I have a 911 at the moment, along with "good" FWD hot hatches such as a Clio 182 and 205 GTI. Before the 911 I had a couple of Elise S1's, and before that 944's, RX-8's etc.
I've enjoyed all of them enormously, both as daily drivers and on regular trackdays. I'm no driving god by any means - I'm a clumsy buffoon - but in all cases they were all a lot of fun and could all have their attitude adjusted with the throttle. Less intimidating - perhaps - in the FWD stuff, but all can oversteer/understeer on demand to an extent.
Hustling the FWD hatches around with the rear twitching away is just as rewarding as trying to drift the 911 around or delicately pointing the Elise down the road by your fingertips.
I guess I'd rather have a feelsome car of any configuration than a dollop.
If I'm being driven somewhere, though, a big V12 upfront and RWD please.
I've enjoyed all of them enormously, both as daily drivers and on regular trackdays. I'm no driving god by any means - I'm a clumsy buffoon - but in all cases they were all a lot of fun and could all have their attitude adjusted with the throttle. Less intimidating - perhaps - in the FWD stuff, but all can oversteer/understeer on demand to an extent.
Hustling the FWD hatches around with the rear twitching away is just as rewarding as trying to drift the 911 around or delicately pointing the Elise down the road by your fingertips.
I guess I'd rather have a feelsome car of any configuration than a dollop.
If I'm being driven somewhere, though, a big V12 upfront and RWD please.
Justin85 said:
Not sure it matters to me too much. I have a 911 at the moment, along with "good" FWD hot hatches such as a Clio 182 and 205 GTI. Before the 911 I had a couple of Elise S1's, and before that 944's, RX-8's etc.
I've enjoyed all of them enormously, both as daily drivers and on regular trackdays. I'm no driving god by any means - I'm a clumsy buffoon - but in all cases they were all a lot of fun and could all have their attitude adjusted with the throttle. Less intimidating - perhaps - in the FWD stuff, but all can oversteer/understeer on demand to an extent.
Hustling the FWD hatches around with the rear twitching away is just as rewarding as trying to drift the 911 around or delicately pointing the Elise down the road by your fingertips.
I guess I'd rather have a feelsome car of any configuration than a dollop.
If I'm being driven somewhere, though, a big V12 upfront and RWD please.
that's a great attitude to have. There is joy in all configurations.I've enjoyed all of them enormously, both as daily drivers and on regular trackdays. I'm no driving god by any means - I'm a clumsy buffoon - but in all cases they were all a lot of fun and could all have their attitude adjusted with the throttle. Less intimidating - perhaps - in the FWD stuff, but all can oversteer/understeer on demand to an extent.
Hustling the FWD hatches around with the rear twitching away is just as rewarding as trying to drift the 911 around or delicately pointing the Elise down the road by your fingertips.
I guess I'd rather have a feelsome car of any configuration than a dollop.
If I'm being driven somewhere, though, a big V12 upfront and RWD please.
Ultimately, mid-engined wins out for spirited driving imo. It's why the A110 is sublime and completely different to a Meg.
lancslad58 said:
Have previously owned front end, RWD, rubbish in snow unless you're a rally driver.
I've had rwd cars for as long as I've been able to drive and never found them as bad in the snow as people claim they are, chuck a set of winter tyres on and it's quite amazing what a rwd car can do in snow. And how often do we actually have snow in this country anyway...? Also, I'm most definitely not a rally driver! 
plenty said:
Justin85 said:
I guess I'd rather have a feelsome car of any configuration than a dollop.
I'm with you. Good damping and steering and three pedals matter more to me than configuration.only had front engined cars for quite a while - probably preferred as dailies, and super easy to drift around when on track. a lot of fun.
however a few years ago i switched to mid engined for the weekend car, on the assumption that if i wanted to get something really exotic, i better start getting used to mid engined handling.
to be honest, i can't say a mid engined car is any better than a front engined one - the nimbleness seems to be more dictated by the size of the car and the wheelbase, rather than where the engine is. however, mid engined cars are a lot harder to slide around, doesnt like to lose grip at the rear. so probably a faster track car.
i'm undecided whether my next fun car will be front or mid engined - might even be rear engined, who knows.
the important thing though, is that they're all rear wheel drive!
however a few years ago i switched to mid engined for the weekend car, on the assumption that if i wanted to get something really exotic, i better start getting used to mid engined handling.
to be honest, i can't say a mid engined car is any better than a front engined one - the nimbleness seems to be more dictated by the size of the car and the wheelbase, rather than where the engine is. however, mid engined cars are a lot harder to slide around, doesnt like to lose grip at the rear. so probably a faster track car.
i'm undecided whether my next fun car will be front or mid engined - might even be rear engined, who knows.
the important thing though, is that they're all rear wheel drive!
brillomaster said:
to be honest, i can't say a mid engined car is any better than a front engined one - the nimbleness seems to be more dictated by the size of the car and the wheelbase, rather than where the engine is. however, mid engined cars are a lot harder to slide around, doesnt like to lose grip at the rear. so probably a faster track car.
i'm undecided whether my next fun car will be front or mid engined - might even be rear engined, who knows.
the important thing though, is that they're all rear wheel drive!
really can't agree. the rotation of a mid is so different.i'm undecided whether my next fun car will be front or mid engined - might even be rear engined, who knows.
the important thing though, is that they're all rear wheel drive!
take a Meg and an Alpine side by side, chalk'n'cheese, esp on track.
not saying that any format can't be fun, rewarding and handle really well, but a good MR has something special. FWD hatches have been finely honed to be great cars, but the front weight is dictates much of its handling, including lift-off oversteer.
in connection to another thread on "how many cars", different formats are a great reason to have a fleet.
Horses for courses.
Mid Engine is great for balanced weight distribution and handling but a bit rubbish for carrying stuff and people. Rear Engine Like Hillman Imps, VW Beetles and 911s give great grip but are problematic on the limit off handling. Early 911s weren't called widow-makers for nothing. It took years of electronic trickery development to make them safer for the average driver.
Front engine was developed to allow greater space internally with no tunnel or rear diff. IMO the handling isn't as much fun as RWD. Although the original Mini Cooper S and later Peugeot 205 Gtis were absolute hoots to drive.
Now of course with EVs FWD, RWD or AWD is a matter of choice of the manufacturer as it has much fewer restrictions than an ICE and all the gubbins that goes with that.
Mid Engine is great for balanced weight distribution and handling but a bit rubbish for carrying stuff and people. Rear Engine Like Hillman Imps, VW Beetles and 911s give great grip but are problematic on the limit off handling. Early 911s weren't called widow-makers for nothing. It took years of electronic trickery development to make them safer for the average driver.
Front engine was developed to allow greater space internally with no tunnel or rear diff. IMO the handling isn't as much fun as RWD. Although the original Mini Cooper S and later Peugeot 205 Gtis were absolute hoots to drive.
Now of course with EVs FWD, RWD or AWD is a matter of choice of the manufacturer as it has much fewer restrictions than an ICE and all the gubbins that goes with that.
brillomaster said:
only had front engined cars for quite a while - probably preferred as dailies, and super easy to drift around when on track. a lot of fun.
however a few years ago i switched to mid engined for the weekend car, on the assumption that if i wanted to get something really exotic, i better start getting used to mid engined handling.
to be honest, i can't say a mid engined car is any better than a front engined one - the nimbleness seems to be more dictated by the size of the car and the wheelbase, rather than where the engine is. however, mid engined cars are a lot harder to slide around, doesnt like to lose grip at the rear. so probably a faster track car.
i'm undecided whether my next fun car will be front or mid engined - might even be rear engined, who knows.
the important thing though, is that they're all rear wheel drive!
It is the more difficult to slide around bit that has stopped me going for a mid engined car I think. I like a car to be playful, and in my head a mid engined car isn't that. But I could be completely wrong about that though, because I haven't driven one. however a few years ago i switched to mid engined for the weekend car, on the assumption that if i wanted to get something really exotic, i better start getting used to mid engined handling.
to be honest, i can't say a mid engined car is any better than a front engined one - the nimbleness seems to be more dictated by the size of the car and the wheelbase, rather than where the engine is. however, mid engined cars are a lot harder to slide around, doesnt like to lose grip at the rear. so probably a faster track car.
i'm undecided whether my next fun car will be front or mid engined - might even be rear engined, who knows.
the important thing though, is that they're all rear wheel drive!
I think a mid engined car would be great for lap times, but I'd imagine that they aren't as exciting on the road though in comparison to a rwd/front engined car.
cerb4.5lee said:
It is the harder to slide around bit that has stopped me going for a mid engined car I think. I like a car to be playful, and in my head a mid engined car isn't that. But I could be completely wrong about that though, because I haven't driven one.
I think a mid engined car would be great for lap times, but I'd imagine that they aren't as exciting on the road though in comparison to a rwd/front engined car.
Mid engine cars are amazingly exciting to drive. They can be quite tricky though, especially on the limit. I think a mid engined car would be great for lap times, but I'd imagine that they aren't as exciting on the road though in comparison to a rwd/front engined car.
Nomme de Plum said:
Mid engine cars are amazingly exciting to drive. They can be quite tricky though, especially on the limit.
I definitely need to get a go in one to see what they're like.The rear engined/rwd set up didn't go well for me back when I was 18 though, because I wrapped my Skoda Estelle around a lamp post in the wet! It just spun on me and I couldn't get it back, but I was an inexperienced driver back then though, and I will admit that it put me off rwd for a few years. I went fwd and 4wd after that experience for a while.
I have had mainly rwd cars since 2002 though, and I've kept all of those out of the scenery thankfully(touchwood).
cerb4.5lee said:
It is the more difficult to slide around bit that has stopped me going for a mid engined car I think. I like a car to be playful, and in my head a mid engined car isn't that. But I could be completely wrong about that though, because I haven't driven one.
I think a mid engined car would be great for lap times, but I'd imagine that they aren't as exciting on the road though in comparison to a rwd/front engined car.
you're obviously still a hooligan Lee I think a mid engined car would be great for lap times, but I'd imagine that they aren't as exciting on the road though in comparison to a rwd/front engined car.
I don't fully agree with your last point though. I prefer my Elise on the road as it's a scalpel with other cars around going in both directions. On track you can be more playful (or at least push towards that without getting a "no drifting" board), so a Caterham, BMW or high powered MX5 are great. Your'e right on times on track as it's there you realise how much you have to manage that weight up front compared to a mid-engined car. Besides, you can feel movement in a MR and if the wheelbase is long enough easily have a wiggle. The Elise however is pretty much rear engined so while you can slide it a bit on track with warm tyres I wouldn't push that far on a public road.
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