Is RWD really that amazing?

Amazing is subjective. A Renault Megane RS265 will perform better than the BMW 135i in terms of performance and handling though you do need to be a fairly good driver to get the most out of the Renault.

In the late 90s and early part of 00s there were 3 FWD cars that performed that could eat up most BMW 3-er of the same era with ease, they were the Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo, Peugeot 306GTI-6 and Honda Integra Type-R.

In terms of comfort, BMW 3-ers and MB C-class are no where near as comfortable as a Citroen C6 or a Volvo S60

Amazing is subjective. A Renault Megane RS265 will perform better than the BMW 135i in terms of performance and handling though you do need to be a fairly good driver to get the most out of the Renault.

In the late 90s and early part of 00s there were 3 FWD cars that performed that could eat up most BMW 3-er of the same era with ease, they were the Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo, Peugeot 306GTI-6 and Honda Integra Type-R.

In terms of comfort, BMW 3-ers and MB C-class are no where near as comfortable as a Citroen C6 or a Volvo S60

Give me a BMW 335D or a Merc C350 CDI over a ****roen C6 anyday

Yeah, enjoy that RWD in the icy winters.

How often does it really get that bad? Least not down south

Every year? Whist it may not snow every year, it does get icy every year. Gritters won't get every road.

Yeah, enjoy that RWD in the icy winters.

in any case switching to winter tyres is more important

But would the renault megane handle better than the 1 series if it was RWD, or the beemer was FWD?

Likewise are the 3 series and the C class less comfortable than the S60 and C6 purely because of their drivetrains?

driving to the conditions even moreso imo.. I used to do long distances in the snow (including a trip to germany) on my modified soarer - never had any issues without winter rubber on. Sure, it would have been an extra precaution worth taking, but there's no excuse for some of the driving you see going on in winter..

You can't really look at it that way. The only 2 vehicles I know off that can be had both FWD and RWD are a Ford Transit and a Renault Clio. The latter was a MR layout more than a FR layout though. One thing for sure that Clio was certainly a straight-line only car as handling on it was quite crap.

Partly the 3 and C are less comfortable due to its drivetrain as a RWD car tends to be heavier thus require tougher springs and there is less room to provide for better suspension travel.

We did run 2 Ford Transits with MWB and one was a FWD and the other RWD. Both were same age but the FWD had much more mileage when we bought it. Both had same engine, manual gearbox but different axle ratios. Now only the FWD version remains as the RWD was written off. The RWD had better towing capacity and could do loads up to 25% more, it has more foot room for the front seat passenger. Clutch was more durable and it was significantly easier to replace. The FWD has a lower load bay, 30% better fuel consumption, better ride comfort as it is less bumpy and better turning circle. Both has ESP but the RWD even with ESP you spin the rear wheels if the road is wet or icy, trickiest is when the path is muddy and the van is empty as you can do power-slides, donuts or go straight into a ditch.

Both won't be missed and neither would the Renaults, Iveco and VWs we have on fleet as we are moving on to a Mercedes Sprinter.

If RWD is so much less comfortable then why do chaeffuer cars like maybachs and rolls have RWD? I'm going to assume purely because the power output of those cars is way over what FWD can take.

Why the Sprinter Vans over the others? i heard the 3 litre Iveco is a bit of a beast

RRs and the likes are big huge cars with plenty of room to engineer a smooth ride and in all intent and purposes these can't be compared to regular everyday cars. You should check out the size of the air suspension units in a RR.

We did have an Iveco, the females that drove it complained the seats stank of male BO. The same problem as per the Renault. There were lots of other complaints about it too so we opted to get rid of it as it wasn't very comfortable to do long distances in and the parts are quite expensive. We took the Sprinter because we received a very good financing and maintenance offer for it and in terms of what we use it for, the fuel consumption was the best. Also everyone that drove it liked driving it as it is easy to operate plus comfortable for long distances.

do you limit the top speed of the sprinters? Cue them being ragged at 90 on the motorway