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Drive concepts

Modern cars commonly use three drive designs: front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.

In front-wheel drive, the front wheels transfer the engine’s driving power to the road. This is currently the most widespread drive system. Its advantages include the space-saving installation of the engine and transmission and easy manoeuvrability while driving.

In the case of rear-wheel drive, also known as standard drive, engine power is transmitted to the rear wheels. This requires a drive train from the engine at the front to the axle at the rear. This means the drive train, tunnel and rear axle differential limit the space available in the interior and luggage compartment. Rear-wheel drive has advantages when transferring high engine output. However, cars with rear-wheel drive tend to oversteer, which can be difficult to correct.

All-wheel drive has established itself not only in off-road cars, but also in many passenger cars. A modern four-wheel drive system is particularly useful in powerful, sporty models in order to safely apply high driving forces to the road surface.