For many years, sports cars were thought to be better when equipped with RWD. This changed when some cars with an AWD setup bested the RWD challengers.

Should you drive a vehicle with all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive? There are significant differences between these two items, but both have been found to be good for high-performance driving on a track.

What’s The Difference: AWD vs. RWD?

The most significant difference between AWD and RWD is the number of wheels that receive power. Many drivers have turned toward larger vehicles, SUVs, and trucks, which often have the choice of either RWD or AWD, giving you a choice of drivelines. Performance vehicles also offer these choices. The question you must answer is, How many wheels do you want to have power?

However, the answer has more than just power in consideration.

Pros and Cons of AWD

Pros

• Added traction with power sent to all four wheels
• Improved resale value compared to RWD models
• Less chance of spinning when exiting a corner
• Becoming more common than RWD
• Electrified vehicles utilize AWD

Cons

• False sense of security in wintry conditions
• Increased cost and complexity
• Worse fuel economy than RWD and FWD
• Tires wear out faster
• Limited off-road capabilities

Pros and Cons of RWD

Pros

• Ideal for impressive handling during dry conditions
• Less costly maintenance than AWD
• No torque steer, which is a characteristic of FWD vehicles
• Towing large loads is easier for trucks and SUVs
• Easier to drift with RWD than any other setup

Cons

• Handling is troublesome in rain and snow
• The transmission tunnel and driveshaft cut into the interior space
• Less trunk space
• The driveshaft adds more weight compared to FWD vehicles
• More difficult to master driving RWD vs AWD

Characteristics of AWD

Sending Power To All Four Wheels

All-wheel drive (AWD) sends engine power directly to all four wheels. This allows the vehicle to accelerate faster on dry pavement, but it also maintains traction and control on wet or slippery pavement as well. In the modern market, more vehicles are being offered with AWD than ever before because this driveline setup offers the most control and power delivery.

AWD Is Becoming A Performance Feature

Many high-end, performance cars now utilize AWD instead of RWD for better driving performance and power delivery. This driveline is found in any BMW with the xDrive system or Mercedes-Benz models that have 4Matic in the name. Audi calls its system Quattro and includes AWD in nearly every vehicle, while Subaru has a full lineup of vehicles that have standard Symmetrical AWD, with only the BRZ sports car setup with RWD.

Characteristics of RWD

Sending Power To The Rear

Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in vehicles in which the engine drives only the rear wheels. Until the latter part of the last century, RWD was the most common configuration for cars. In most cases, a RWD has a longitudinally mounted engine at the front of the car.

Some high-end sports cars have engines mounted behind the seats, which places more of the weight over the rear wheels. These cars almost always use an RWD layout, which makes sense because of the engine’s location.

When Performance Matters

The comparison of rear-wheel drive vs all-wheel drive vehicles is a matter of desired performance. Sending power to the rear wheels instead of the front wheels provides superior handling, acceleration, and braking. This setup is often found in sports cars and muscle cars, including the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Dodge Challenger.

Is AWD or RWD Better for Racing?

Straight Line Speed

The performance vehicle world continually argues over RWD vs AWD for high-performance sports cars. When it comes to straight-line sprints, an RWD vehicle has a distinct advantage. If you have two identical cars, one is AWD, and the other is RWD, the RWD car will win every sprint.

The RWD vehicle wins the sprint races because an AWD vehicle is slightly heavier, and the power must be split between the front and rear wheels. This advantage of rear-wheel drive vs all-wheel drive is why muscle cars are still made with RWD and not AWD.

Turning Fast Laps

Using the same scenario of two identical cars but sending these cars around a track with corners and turns, there are some changes. When you add turns to the equation and want to understand the difference between AWD and RWD, the car with better grip will be ahead when coming out of the corners.

Because AWD vehicles have much better grip than RWD models, an AWD car should be ahead when coming out of the corners on a track. Power and grip at all four wheels allow an AWD vehicle to handle hairpin tight turns with confidence and quickness while the RWD counterpart fishtails and could lose control.

At the end of a track race with long straights and several corners, these two cars would likely be dead even, which would be a lot of fun for spectators and drivers.