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Housey said:
For someone who enjoys driving in a more pure form the BMW would be the choice (better steering, RWD, more direct front when pushed). For someone who just wants a quick car, but with lots of nice stuff then pick the Audi.
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Very succinctly put. I don't mind admitting I fall squarely into the latter category. I'm not looking for the ultimate in handling as I know I don't have the skills to exploit it properly. I just want something rapid but surefooted and a decent sprinkling of tech/toys :)
 
chroniclard said:
RWD has a traction disadvantage in the wet. Its a fact. :D
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As has already been discussed, no it doesn’t. It has a potential for oversteer if you use the power mid corner (but FWD has just as much potential for drastic understeer), or shift the weight at the wrong time, but as has already been said mechanical grip doesn’t care what the driven wheels are.
 
I don't think anyone is debating that AWD has a traction advantage against RWD, but it has the SAME traction advantage vs. FWD as well. You (Chroniclard) said that RWD is rubbish in anything but perfect conditions, and that is simply untrue. It is no worse that FWD in those conditions, but the design of the vehicle and over which wheels the weight sits has more impact on the handling characteristics than the drivetrain does.

AWD has a traction advantage because each wheel is required to do less work to get the car moving, but it doesn't make RWD rubbish in anything but perfect conditions!
 
If the car is well balanced, it can be RWD and handle very well with lots of grip. A RWD car won't give you issues like torque steer either and as you accelerate the weight obviously shifts over the rear wheels, so RWD cars can put the power down better than FWD ones.

I chuck my gt86 around bends the same as I did in the Fiesta ST. Yes you can sometimes feel it shifting around in the wet, but you just have to learn to trust it. You can feel when the grip is going :D

Also, most of the AWD Audis still tend to understeer quite a bit as they are largely front wheel based systems. So that isn't something it will cure.
 
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MissChief said:
A wheel is a wheel, driven or not. A tyre can only provide so much grip. The advantage of 4WD is improved traction, not improved grip.
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The total maximum grip available from all four tyres in any given situation is independent of which wheels are driven. All wheel drive merely makes better use of the total available grip.
 
chroniclard said:
I loathe those sequential indicators, not sure why. It would actually stop me buying a car with them.....:p
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Same here. Selfie sticks were labelled "idiot antennas" and I consider those stupid indicators in the same vein.
On topic - 240i is a lovely car to drive and would buy one in a heartbeat if I could justify one!
 
Evo8 said:
For the record, my 4WD car will be quicker round a corner than most RWD cars. :)
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From my experience of track days, this most definitely was not true in both dry and wet compared to a friends EVO 8 FQ-400 at the time and it was the corners I had to be faster as I had less power. Demolished him on the dry track day, was very close in the wet but he still had to eventually let me pass at which point I then left him. :)

As others have said it is down to chassis setup and power delivery, the latter being very important with RWD.
 
Rimsy said:
Same here. Selfie sticks were labelled "idiot antennas" and I consider those stupid indicators in the same vein.
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Seems a tad OTT, considering they come as standard on a lot of the models.

I personally have no issue with them, the sequence is quick enough that it's not too different to a blink. It draws attention to it, so no one is going to miss your signalling. I honestly think people are way too touchy over indicators.
 
Havana_UK said:
I don't think anyone is debating that AWD has a traction advantage against RWD, but it has the SAME traction advantage vs. FWD as well. You (Chroniclard) said that RWD is rubbish in anything but perfect conditions, and that is simply untrue. It is no worse that FWD in those conditions, but the design of the vehicle and over which wheels the weight sits has more impact on the handling characteristics than the drivetrain does.

AWD has a traction advantage because each wheel is required to do less work to get the car moving, but it doesn't make RWD rubbish in anything but perfect conditions!
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The initial observation may have been a poor choice of words but it doesn't change anything, RWD has a traction disadvantage vs AWD in the wet and requires some moderation. No mention of FWD, they are also crap in the wet. :p
 
RWD/FWD has a traction disadvantage against AWD full stop. Conditions have no bearing on this.

You banged on at everyone for missing your point, which you didn't actually make until after telling everyone they missed the point 3 times. Your initial point, poor choice of words or otherwise, was that RWD was rubbish in anything but perfect conditions, and this is what everyone disagreed with. It's all there is white & blue...the internets doesn't lie! :p
 
Havana_UK said:
RWD/FWD has a traction disadvantage against AWD full stop. Conditions have no bearing on this.

You banged on at everyone for missing your point, which you didn't actually make until after telling everyone they missed the point 3 times. Your initial point, poor choice of words or otherwise, was that RWD was rubbish in anything but perfect conditions, and this is what everyone disagreed with. It's all there is white & blue...the internets doesn't lie! :p
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Those people are still wrong. :D
 
Rimsy said:
Same here. Selfie sticks were labelled "idiot antennas" and I consider those stupid indicators in the same vein.
On topic - 240i is a lovely car to drive and would buy one in a heartbeat if I could justify one!
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I do find them a bit "chintzy" to be honest but I'll live with them. Hardly comparable with selfie sticks as you have a clear choice whether to use them whereas the indicators come with the car. Not purchasing a car purely because of the indicators is just cutting off your nose to spite your face.
 
At this point it would be customary for me to make some sort of qipp about Audi constantly covering cars in ridiculous bling.

Then I remembered the new 520d has two enormous rectangular exhausts :(
 
You need to get out of a 5 series into something else Foxy or else you will become a 1 horse wonder, sitting in the corner sipping your sherry and eating your mince pie, dribbling and mumbling as people take a wide berth at the virtual OCUK Motors Christmas party. People will point and say "there's that bloke, he has been with that 1 car for about 2 centuries now.. He did it early and to be fair to him test drove loads of women....I mean cars, but now he is loyal to his old work horse and just gives her, I mean it, a refresh every couple of years, nip and tucks here and there, bit of plastic...and I hear leather too the kinky sod".
 
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