Cartorque vol 5 - ‘FWD vs AWD Hatchbacks’
The four wheel drive hot hatchback is a point of contention within the CarTorque office. With each year we seem to see more of them on the road, the Golf R, the RS3 and now the Mazda3 AWD turbo to name a few.
It's not hard to see the appeal, the AWD approach to hot hatchbacks allows for more power to be pushed through the drive train while keeping the confidence that the car won't sporadically end up in a bush (well, mostly anyways). On the street, this counts for alot. When it comes to exchanging car stats between friends, power is often the number that reigns supreme.
Most importantly though, and something often completely omitted in our make shift games of top trumps, is how they feel and handle. AWD hot hatches feel planted thanks to torque vectoring and all of the technology that gets crammed into the modern pocket rocket. But for me, this is where the spirit of the hot hatch starts to dwindle with the AWD formula because alongside this they also feel heavy.
The original (and in my opinion, best) FWD approach to the hot hatch avoids this. By conceding a little bit of power, you gain the tossable agility that is undoubtedly the key to making a fun car. With fewer components the car provides a more direct undampened connection with the road through the wheel which is ultimately what you want in a drivers car.
There's quality of life improvements too, thanks to the lightness you get better fuel efficiency. The less complicated FWD makes them far cheaper, less complex and more interior space thanks to the lack of rear driveshaft tunnel/differential.
If you're on this website, the decision between Golf R and Golf GTI is one I'm sure you've pondered. But it's a shame that we do see so much of the former compared to the latter. You'll almost never get the same power from the FWD equivalent but it'll be so much more of a characterful experience than just seeing how much power you can put into a hatchback shape.
I say "almost" the same power, because the Honda Civic Type R exists. That thing is awesome.
Sean Isaac
Writer
