These Are Best Front-Wheel-Drive Cars Ever Made, According to Readers

Going to have to say it, Classic SAAB 900 Turbo.

Double wishbone suspension and “passive rear steering”, equal length front axles so minimal torque steer and impressive handling for a FWD car. And just look at it:

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Submitted by: AGBullit235

And...

Can’t believe we’re even talking about this.

Saab.

Went from airplanes to cars. One of the pioneers of FWD as well as shoulder seat belts, crumple zones, headlamp washers, side impact door beams

My 1985 900Turbo racked up hundreds of thousands of miles, half of them in the Chicagoland area blasting through show drifts, never, ever got stuck or stranded.

Submitted by: 900turbo

And...

Saab 900 Turbo Aero

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I had a manager who owned one c.1990, he let me drive it one time when we were driving back from a sales call in Ashville NC. What a blast!!

Fast, good handling, roomy, huge luggage area. Plus I just loved the looks of it.

I was tempted to buy one for myself until my insurance company quoted a monthly premium that would have been almost as much as the car payment itself.

Submitted by: Earthbound Misfit I

The GMC Motorhome. FWD was one of the big “innovations” in the design of the GMC. The absence of a driveshaft running front-to-rear allowed a lower floor, which is valuable in an RV.

Dammit. Every time I think about the GMC Motorhome, I decide that I want one, and have to spend the next few days reminding myself that I don’t need an RV.

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Submitted by: smalleyxb122

And...

You really need to spring for the EM50 upgrade.

Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

How do you define “best” here? Sure it’s easy to jump to conclusion with the likes of Civic/Integra or mini, but FWD cars are designed to get people over the mundane of daily grinds without having to pay any attention, so how does one describe what is the best for all that?

I give my nod to the A32 Maxima. It was my wife’s daily for many years, which became my daily, and then became the car we brought home our first born. The single word she used to describe her time with the Maxima is lovely. It has been a lovely ride for her through the years, and I think that perfectly sums up what “best” means in the real and mundane world.

Submitted by: OhAlbanianKar

And... a good counterpoint to the “best” query:

It doesn’t matter how they define best they just want a bunch of comments so tomorrow’s slideshow will write itself.

Submitted by: yougood

The Classic SE-R....

Nissan’s ‘90-’94 B13 chassis had the SR20DE motor in it, which had something Civics only dreamed about: torque.

It was beloved of Sport Compact Car, Motor Trend, et. al. It was the anti-Civic. If you weren’t around, Civics and Integras were the Jeeps of today; everyone had one and they were all soooo special to them. Mean Jeep headlights are the altezzas of yesteryear. Show up in an Isuzu Trooper, embarrass the Jeeps, and you will know what it is like to have an SE-R.

It punched so far above its weight it looked like a coffee poo knocking out Tyson.

It also engendered such stories as this:

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If it doesn’t take you to the “King for a day”, scroll down to the first post and give it a read.

Was it almost as rigid as a Radio Flexible Flyer? Yes.

Did 5th gear eventually need a bungee cord to hold it in? Yes.

Did it have ‘that VTEC, yo’? Nope.

Would you smile every time you wound it up to 7700? Abso-freaking-lutely

I have never successfully added a picture to kinja, so, but it is worth looking at this 2-door coupe.

Submitted by: Krymdog

Probably a Citroen,

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Mmm, definitely a Citroen. Why?

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Submitted by: nic

There will likely be several Hondas on this list (and rightfully so), and to me I always felt like the first-gen Acura TSX was Honda at their FWD peak. I’ve owned Civics, an Integra, a RSX, and a couple Accords, but my ‘05 TSX with the 6-speed felt the best. It was poised, taut, and fun, but also supremely comfortable with all the reliability and ergonomics of Hondas in that era. It was sport-luxury that us poor post-college graduates could afford when BMWs and Audis were still too far out of reach.

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Submitted by: paradsecar

The M100 Lotus Elan, it was the best handling FWD car, of it’s time.

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Submitted by: HJTravels

I envision a lot of people are going to submit performance cars. I’d like to offer an alternative.

The Honda Element.

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K24A Engine

Indestructible transmission

Most dog friendly vehicle ever produced

Dozens of seat configurations with the ability to make an uncomfortable twin sized bed with all of the seats folded down

Available as AWD but FWD was the most common

Hose washable interior

Came with a tiny subwoofer under the stereo

Easily hit 300k miles before major maintenance was needed

17 foot turning radius. That’s the same as a Mini Cooper.

Submitted by: Half Man Half Bear Half Pig

Final gen Prelude SH.

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Hailed by most reviewers at the time, as the best handling FWD ever made.

Car and Driver wrote:

“The Prelude holds a Ph.D. in precision. The steering was sharp at all speeds, in all curves. Body roll was minimal, and squat and dive barely perceptible. Understeer was prevalent but so subtle we had to think about it. “A precise tool on these roads,” wrote Csere. “Very precise, very stable,” added Winfield.”

Submitted by: Knyte

The FWD king will forever be the eg/ek Honda Civic for me. Track and street proven with tons of aftermarket and OEM parts that can turn an old lady’s hatchback into a fast and fun car.

Submitted by: finalformminivan

people will probably vote for the obvious, like the Civic Type R or the Integra Type R, but for me its the MK7 GTI in 2dr form. With the eLSD and big brake package they area a great platform. Very slight modifications massively improve handling and power and its the only FWD high hp car ive driven that can handle gobs of power without torque steer. Many out there make between 330-350hp or add the Golf R turbo and make 380-400hp. And the 2dr is lighter and stiffer. I loved the one i had

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Submitted by: boneheadotto

I’ll give the easy answer because nobody else has so far. Honda sports models. They know how to make a fun to drive, good handling fwd car better than anyone. Specifically I would say the best two are the 2nd gen CRX SI-R and the DC2 Integra Type R.

Submitted by: Jalisurr

The Golf, in all it’s variations. It wasn’t the first, but for so many generations it has simply been the standard FWD everyman car.

The original Mini was very innovative, but it was also a deeply flawed car in many ways.

Submitted by: krhodes1

The beauty of FWD is packaging. I mean sure, before stability aids, the tendency to under- rather than oversteer, while frustrating to enthusiasts/performance oriented drivers, was a nice safety blanket and all - but it’s the packaging that was the killer app. Think about a VW Golf vs. an almost equal footprint first gen BMW 1 series (which was RWD) - there’s a ton more space in the Golf.

If you look for vehicles that really make the most of the architecture:

Honda Fit - there’s no other car with that little footprint and that much interior usable space. And it’s a perfectly pleasant, solidly built, nice-to-drive modern subcompact.

FWD cargo-vans - basically the long line of French and Italian vans starting with the first Citroen Type H. Today’s iteration of that is the Fiat Ducato and all its European platform mates - in the US, we know that as the Ram Promaster. I have one of those (for camping and as a base vehicle for mountainbiking and windsurfing) - the load floor is tons lower than the competition with equal ground clearance, because of course there’s no driveshaft to the back and all that. Yep, a bit challenged for traction when fully loaded and going up a hill - but other than that, awesome (of course, the US minivan drivetrain sucks in comparison to the turbodiesels they have in Europe, but that’s a whole separate story).

Golf - nope, VW wasn’t the first to FWD. Nope, they didn’t invent the modern FWD compact hatch. But man, they defined the category. In Germany, for decades now, the Golf is generic for “car” - it’s big enough (inside) for small families, small enough (outside) to drive in congested tight cities, economical, reasonably fun to drive. And it has been that for decades now. The base models are reasonably priced, pretty underpowered, and sip fuel - and at the other end of the spectrum, you’ve got the R... And hey, with the GTI, they pretty much defined (even though they didn’t invent it) the hot hatch category.

For sheer fun in an affordable package (that was remarkably useful despite it’s small size) - the OG Mini; nuff said...

For a different kind of luxury - the OG Citroen DS. That thing still looks wicked cool today - and man, with the air suspension and all that space inside, it was also wicked comfortable.

Submitted by: G42dog

My dad owned a ‘67 Toronado, and it was indeed awesome. If living room on wheels luxury is what you want, then front wheel drive is definitely the way to go

Submitted by: Richard Bartrop

And...

First generation Toronado, because this is the car that made FWD sexy and pushed it from niche into the mainstream.

Submitted by: Scott Satellite

I’d prefer this earlier Olds Toronado which I believe was GM’s first full on shot at FWD.

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Submitted by: Monsterajr

No Lancias? Fessia was right up there with Issigonis for out-of-the-box thinking.

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The Fulvia and Flavia are stunning cars and some of the first non-French ‘executives’ to use FWD.

Submitted by: Amoore100

It really depends... best for what exactly? Best for commuting? Best for towing? Best for road trips? Best for fuel economy?

Each of those questions results in a different answer of which FWD vehicle is best.

So I’m just gonna go with which FWD car would be ‘best for me right now’... and that would be the Chevy Bolt:

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This FWD has the best energy efficiency of all time for FWD vehicles, doesn’t pollute (or simply pollutes less depending on how you look at it), it’s practical, very spacious for it’s relatively small exterior size and they don’t cost too much for what you get.

I would also say the Bolt is ‘Best for Commuting’.

Submitted by: Manwich - now Keto-Friendly