[FRiSson]

I bought my FR-S after having two front wheel drive cars. Both cars were compact and similar in dimension and weight to the FR-S. Both were excellent, but I had fond memories of the special feel of RWD. FWD fans will always repeat the mantra that FWD is essential for snowy climates, but I never found much more than a small advantage in the snow for FWD.

In terms of regular street driving, the thing that I like about RWD is the separation of steering from power delivery. RWD seems to give me a much better sense of what is going on in the front end. I can concentrate purely on handling instead of handling + traction + dealing with torque effects. In addition, I think this gives me a better sense of exactly what kind of traction I am getting from the rear wheels. And this translates into better control and the ability to subtly adjust direction through the throttle. After driving RWD, the rear end on a FWD car feels almost like a trailer for me - dumb weight.

So overall, I have to say that RWD is a total win for me - but not in all the obvious ways. I like the elimination of torque steer, but what I really like is the ability to better separate and process what is going on at the two ends of the car. As a result it just feels like I am driving more car.