Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars.
Most rear-wheel drive vehicles feature a longitudinally-mounted engine at the front of the car.
Layout
The most common layout for a rear-wheel drive car is with the engine and transmission at the front of the car, mounted longitudinally.
Other layouts of rear-wheel drive cars include front-mid engine, rear-mid engine, and rear-engine.
Some manufacturers, such as Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Porsche (944, 924, 928) and Chevrolet (C5, C6, and C7 Corvettes), place the engine at the front of the car and the transmission at the rear of the car, in order to provide a more balanced weight distribution. This configuration is often referred to as a
transaxle
A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.
Engine and drive at the s ...
since the transmission and axle are one unit.
History
1890s to 1960s
Many of the cars built in the 19th century were rear-wheel drive, often with the engine mounted at the rear of the car. The first rear-wheel drive car with the engine mounted at the front was an 1895
Panhard
Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed ...
model, so this layout was known as the "Système Panhard" in the early years. The layout has the advantage of minimizing mechanical complexity, as it allows the
transmission to be placed in-line with the engine output shaft, spreading weight under the vehicle. In comparison, a vehicle with the engine over the driven wheels eliminates the need for the drive shaft (replacing this with the
transaxle
A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.
Engine and drive at the s ...
of lighter combined weight), but has the disadvantage of concentrating all the weight in one location.
In order to reduce the relative weight of the drive shaft, the transmission was normally split into two parts: the gearbox and the final drive. The gearbox was normally produced with its highest gear being 1:1, which offers some mechanical advantages. The final drive, in the rear axle, would then reduce this to the most appropriate speed for the wheels. As
power is the product of torque and angular velocity, spinning the shaft faster for any given power reduces the torque and allows a lighter shaft construction.
In an era when gasoline was cheap and cars were heavy, the mechanical advantages of the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive (FR) drivetrain layout made up for any disadvantage in weight terms. It remained almost universal among car designs until the 1970s.
1970s to present
After the
Arab oil embargo of 1973 and the
1979 fuel crises, a majority of American FR vehicles (station wagons and luxury sedans) were phased out for the front-engine, front-wheel drive (FF) layout – this trend would spawn the SUV-van conversion market. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most American companies set as a priority the eventual removal of rear-wheel drive from their mainstream and luxury lineup. Chrysler went 100% FF by 1990 and
GM's American production went entirely FF by 1997 except the
Corvette,
Firebird and
Camaro. Ford's
Mustang
The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, the ...
has stayed rear-wheel drive, as it must maintain a sporty presence, as were Ford's full-size cars based on the
Ford Panther platform (the
Ford Crown Victoria,
Mercury Grand Marquis, and
Lincoln Town Car) until they were discontinued in 2011 in favour of the Ford Taurus, which Ford discontinued production in 2019, being formally available with either a transverse front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive layout.
In Australia, FR cars remained popular throughout this period, with the
Holden Commodore and
Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate applied to several vehicles worldwide.
* Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970.
* Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford Argentina from 1962 until 1991.
* For ...
having consistently strong sales until their discontinuation in the late 2010s. In Europe,
front-wheel drive was popularized by small cars like the
Mini
The Mini is a small, two-door, four-seat car, developed as ADO15, and produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors, from 1959 through 2000. Minus a brief hiatus, original Minis were built for four decades and sold during ...
,
Renault 5 and
Volkswagen Golf and adopted for all mainstream cars. Upscale marques like
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquarte ...
,
BMW, and
Jaguar remained mostly independent of this trend and retained a lineup mostly or entirely made up of FR cars.
Japanese mainstream marques such as
Toyota were almost exclusively FR until the late 1970s and early 1980s. Toyota's first FF vehicle was the Toyota Tercel, with the Corolla and Celica later becoming FF while the Camry was designed as an FF from the beginning. The Supra, Cressida,
Crown, and
Century remained FR. Luxury division
Lexus has a mostly FR lineup. Subaru's BRZ is an FR car. The fact that a driveshaft is needed to transfer power to the rear wheels means a large centre tunnel between the rear seats; therefore, cars such as the
Mazda RX8 and the
Porsche Panamera forgo a centre rear seat and divide both seats by a centre tunnel.
In the 21st century, most cars are FF, including all front-engined economy cars, though FR cars are making a return as an alternative to large sport-utility vehicles. In North America, GM returned to the production of FR-based luxury vehicles with the 2003
Cadillac CTS. As of 2012, all but the
SRX and
XTS are FR-based vehicles. Chevrolet reintroduced the FR-based
Camaro in 2009, and the
Caprice PPV in 2011. Pontiac also had a short run with the FR-based
G8 and
Pontiac Solstice. A Chevrolet replacement for the G8 called the
Chevrolet SS was released in 2013 and uses the FR layout. Chrysler and Dodge reintroduced the
300 and
Charger on a FR platform. They also maintain FR layout on the now unibody Grand Cherokee and
Durango. Hyundai and Kia have also been working with new FR-based vehicles in the US, the
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
Coupe and Sedan, the
Equus and the new
Kia Quoris. Ford, on the other hand, seems to be moving away from FR-based vehicles with the discontinuation of the
Panther Platform in 2011 and the Australasia-only Falcon in 2016. Excluding trucks, vans, and SUVs, the Mustang is the only FR vehicle remaining in their lineup.
See also
*
All-wheel drive
An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand.
The most common forms of all-wheel drive are:
;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one ...
*
Individual wheel drive
*
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer ca ...
*
Front-wheel drive
*
Drive wheel
*
Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout
*
Rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout
In automotive design, an RR, or rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. In contrast to the RMR layout, the center of mass of the engine is between the rear axle and the rear bumpe ...
References
{{Authority control
Car layouts
Drivetrain
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles