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Having never driven a rear wheel drive before, I was wondering how different they are to drive from a front wheel drive? And if there were any tips for driving a rear wheel drive?

Basically im asking because i'm considering buying a new car, and one of the contenders is a rear wheel drive. With never having driven a rear wheel drive before I was wondering if it would make much of a difference to how safe and easy the car is to drive? And if there is any real advantage to a rear wheel drive over a front wheel drive?

I know there is a lot of questions but all advice and help is welcome.

Thanks
Kris.

Unless you are taking it to its limits on a track it should make little difference. The theory is that front wheel drive cars are safer as most are engineered to understeer slightly near their limits, this is because it is much easier to recover in most skids.
If you are a driving enthusiast then you may enjoy the rear-wheel drive car as at its limits it should be more challenging to control but you will not be doing anything like this on the public roads. A rear-wheel drive car has better balance with the weight from the front transferring to the rear wheels during acceleration, whilst cornering the front wheels are doing nothing but steering unless the brakes are applied, if you put too much power on during cornering a rear wheel skid could occur and will be more difficult to correct than a front wheel skid on a front wheel drive car.

The only vehicles I've driven which are rear-wheel drive are buses although the Mercedes Benz O405 is a powerful beast and interesting when billed 'NOT IN SERVICE' .

PS. what model of car is this which you are considering.

Assuming that you are not interested in driving at the limit, expect the following practical differences:

The steering will feel a bit 'purer' because the application of power does not affect what you feel through the steering wheel. This is one of the main reasons many people think of BMW's, all of which are RWD, as drivers' cars.

RWD cars tend to be a bit less space-efficient, and to have a transmission tunnel in the centre of the back seat floor.

In very slippery conditions, and presuming you don't have winter tyres, a RWD car does not have as much traction as a car with the weight of the engine over the driven wheels, which means that you will be among the first to get stuck on any upslope in slippery conditions.

waremark wrote: In very slippery conditions, and presuming you don't have winter tyres, a RWD car does not have as much traction as a car with the weight of the engine over the driven wheels, which means that you will be among the first to get stuck on any upslope in slippery conditions.

However, it does mean you will be more aware it is slippery than others driving FWD vehicles.

Remember Oxtondriver if you are looking at a BMW to specify the optional extras like indicators and mirrors

oxtondriver wrote:Having never driven a rear wheel drive before, I was wondering how different they are to drive from a front wheel drive? And if there were any tips for driving a rear wheel drive?

Basically im asking because i'm considering buying a new car, and one of the contenders is a rear wheel drive. With never having driven a rear wheel drive before I was wondering if it would make much of a difference to how safe and easy the car is to drive? And if there is any real advantage to a rear wheel drive over a front wheel drive?

I know there is a lot of questions but all advice and help is welcome.

Thanks
Kris.

Which model are we talking about?

Hi,
Thanks for all the replies and sorry its taken so long for me to ge back to you all. There is some good advice there so thank you.

The Rear wheel drive model im considering is actually a BMW! Its a BMW 120d SE 3 door. Does any body have any experience of driving or owning one of these or any other BMW 1 Series?


Thanks for the help.

Kris

I have driven a 120d and other BMW Ones. They are very pleasant to drive. My earlier comments apply to the RWD aspect. By comparison to competitive cars the BMW is good to drive, has a lovely feeling of quality, and has excellent performance and economy. On the negative side it is as suggested before not space efficient and the ride is not as good as some competitors (probably because of the run-flat tyres fitted as standard). Newer versions have 'Auto Stop-Start' which will confuse you the first time you put the car into neutral and let the clutch out if you are not expecting it.

Thanks for the advice waremark.

I have read quite a few reviews on the BMW 1's and by and large they have been very positive. I have also read up on their Auot stop-start system, I must admit I was a bit confused at how this would cut down on fuel usage. I was under the impresion that every time you started the engine you used that little bit extra fuel. I think if you are aware of this then it would'nt take to long to get used to. The lack of space in the back of the car doesn't bother me to much to be honest as I only drive a little Clio now and you cant get much smaller than that.

I'm after a car that is nice to drive ( Fun+safe) and is economical on fuel, wont break the bank with regards to car tax and insurance. And after much looking the BMW 120d seems to tick all the right boxes. It does have some negatives but no car is perfect.

Thanks for your help!

Kris.

oxtondriver wrote:Thanks for the advice waremark.

I have read quite a few reviews on the BMW 1's and by and large they have been very positive. I have also read up on their Auot stop-start system, I must admit I was a bit confused at how this would cut down on fuel usage. I was under the impresion that every time you started the engine you used that little bit extra fuel. I think if you are aware of this then it would'nt take to long to get used to.

Cars use massively more fuel during cold running, but apparently they don't use extra for a hot start.

I agree you would get used to the stop-start, and indeed you would start to enjoy how clever it was. It was just the first time I experienced it when driving a demonstrator, not having been thinking about it in advance, that I wondered why I had stalled!

Are you being offered a very good deal?

Thanks for the reply waremark.
I'm just at the research stage at the moment made a short list of a few cars I liked, then I found out as much I could about them and the BMW 120d se came top in all areas apart from its a bit pricy. The only thing that concerned me about the BMW was that it was rear wheel drive, but as we cleared that up it really isnt a problem .

As im in the process of moving jobs I wont be looking to buy properly until im settled again so that wont be for a good few months yet but when I am i'll treat myself I think.

How have you come to drive them? is it through your work?

Thanks
Kris.

oxtondriver wrote:How have you come to drive them? is it through your work?

My son has been mad keen on One's since they first came out. He took me with him to try various demo's to decide which version to choose. He ended up getting a 123d Coupe, which is a great car.There are a couple of other One's in the fairly close family, and I also have a BMW.

Ive just had a look at the 1 series coupe and it is a very nice car. Will have to give that version some thought when it comes to looking properly. Has your son ever had any problems with his coupe? Or any of your family members with there one's?


Thanks
Kris.

Although using the manufacturers figures, rather than real life, this calculator is quite interesting for running costs of petrol vs diesel. It doesn't allow for road tax or insurance costs though.
http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/petrol-vs-diesel/#

The One's I know have not caused any trouble.

my vehicle is rear wheel drive but there again when slippy I can select 4 wheel drive that is just brilliant