At present, most family cars adopt the front drive structure. Because the front drive structure is simple, the engine and gearbox can be arranged together, which saves complex transmission structure, has small power loss and does not occupy the rear row space. There is no need to arrange the transmission shaft in the back row, which leads to the bulge in the back row. But luxury cars don't need so many advantages to stand out from the crowd. For example, Cadillac, a second-tier luxury brand, is equipped with some rear-wheel drive models in order to increase its value, and also shouted the slogan "no rear-wheel drive, no luxury". If you use the rear drive, you don't need the front drive, because the front drive is too simple, and if you use the rear drive, the technology is more difficult. Ordinary front and rear drives need to redesign the chassis, arrange the transmission shaft and arrange the rear differential, which sounds very advanced. If the luxury car is more expensive, there will be more ways to play the rear drive, such as Mercedes-Benz SLR, which uses a mid-engine rear wheel drive and the engine is arranged in the center of the vehicle. So, it did not hesitate to make a long front and turned into two cars. However, such a car looks beautiful, and some people pay a high price. In marketing, the same car and luxury car can sell at high prices and need gimmicks.
The rear-drive structure, which is completely different from the family car, is a good selling point. The predecessor has the disadvantage of insufficient steering, which is not conducive to the performance of luxury cars. The front driver needs to concentrate the engine, gearbox, differential and steering system in a small place, which will inevitably lead to the overweight of the front. Take 1.5t as an example, the engine may weigh 130kg and the transmission 100kg, which adds up to nearly 500kg. Luxury cars, because of their high price and long body, such as BBA's BMW 5.7 series, Mercedes-Benz E.S class and so on. This kind of car generally adopts high-power engine, multi-speed gearbox and more complicated suspension system, which will inevitably further increase the weight of the front part. If the front wheel is used, it will be lighter before and after, and the effect of understeer when turning will be more obvious. In the case of rear drive, the front wheel is responsible for steering and the rear wheel is responsible for driving, which does not interfere with each other, so steering is more sensitive and better. At the same time, when turning, the dynamic index of horizontal swing will be greater because of the different weights before and after. When turning, the front wheel pushes the front wheel into the corner, and the rear wheel waits for the chassis to rotate, which becomes a mutual pulling force. Finally, the lack of steering affects the driver's driving confidence, thinking that the car is so expensive and the handling is so poor. The front engine and gearbox basically fill the engine compartment, and the front part is relatively heavy. The engine and gearbox are separated on both sides of the engine compartment, and the weight is uneven.
The gearbox is high and the wheels are low, so the transmission half shaft must be inclined to the wheels to transmit power. Because the gearbox is not in the middle, the lengths of the two transmission half shafts are not equal, so it is uncomfortable to think about it. The front wheel of the front drive is not only responsible for turning, but also for driving. The steering angle is small, which is not as flexible as the rear drive. Especially when the current drivers accelerate in parallel, they will obviously feel uncomfortable. Even in normal straight-line driving, the driver in front always feels that there is no thrust behind his waist, and there is a feeling of kidney deficiency. But the advantage of the forerunner is better control of snow. I think rear drive is the most perfect driving mode. The engine is longitudinal, located in the center of the engine compartment, and behind it is the gearbox. Power is transmitted to the rear axle differential through the transmission shaft, and then to the two rear wheels through two equal-length half shafts. Driving the rear wheel only drives the vehicle, which is flexible. The most important thing is to drive a rear-wheel drive, with a full waist and great comfort. I think the reason why luxury cars use rear drive is because it has better driving texture and handling. Although the transmission shaft will occupy some internal space, this space is the center of the vehicle. In the case of luxury cars, there are basically two seats in the back row. If you sit in the middle, it's a bit bad.