<Li> Road grip feedback--front wheels are not affected by engine and gearbox, thus allowing for better feeling of tyre grip on road surface . </Li> <Ul> <Li> Under heavy acceleration (as in racing), oversteer and fishtailing may occur as the rear wheels break free and spin . The corrective action is to let off the throttle (this is what traction control automatically does for RWD vehicles). </Li> <Li> On snow, ice and sand, rear - wheel drive loses its traction advantage to front - or all - wheel - drive vehicles, which have greater weight on the driven wheels . This issue is particularly noticeable on pickup trucks, as the weight of the engine and cab will significantly shift the weight from the rear to the front wheels . Rear - wheel - drive cars with rear engine or mid engine configuration do not suffer from this, although fishtailing remains an issue . To correct this situation, owners of RWD vehicles can load sandbags in the back of the vehicle (either in the bed, or boot) in order to increase the weight over the rear axle, however speeds should be restricted to correctly predicted available grip of the road . </Li> <Li> Some rear engine cars (e.g., Porsche 911) can suffer from reduced steering ability under heavy acceleration, because the engine is outside the wheelbase and at the opposite end of the car from the wheels doing the steering although the engine weight over the rear wheels provides outstanding traction and grip during acceleration . </Li> <Li> Decreased interior space--Though individual designs vary greatly, rear - wheel - drive vehicles may have: Less front leg room as the transmission tunnel takes up a space between the driver and front passenger, less leg room for centre rear passengers (due to the tunnel needed for the drive shaft), and sometimes less boot space (since there is also more hardware that must be placed underneath the boot). Rear engine designs (such as the Porsche 911 and Volkswagen Beetle) do not inherently take away interior space . <Ul> <Li> A rear - wheel drive vehicle with four - wheel drive, compared to a front - wheel drive vehicle with four - wheel drive, will have a less efficient interior packaging since the transmission is often under the front passenger compartment between the two seats, whereas the latter can package all the components under the hood . </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Increased weight--The components of a rear - wheel - drive vehicle's power train are less complex, but they are larger . The driveshaft adds weight . There is extra sheet metal to form the transmission tunnel . There is a rear axle or rear half - shafts, which are typically longer than those in a front - wheel - drive car . A rear - wheel - drive car will weigh slightly more than a comparable front - wheel - drive car (but less than four - wheel drive). </Li> <Li> Rear biased weight distribution when loaded--A rear - wheel - drive car's centre of gravity is shifted rearward when heavily loaded with passengers or cargo, which may cause unpredictable handling behavior at the hands of an inexperienced driver . It needs to be noted that rear engine cars are by their very nature, rear weight biased . </Li> <Li> Higher initial purchase price--Modern rear - wheel - drive vehicles are typically more expensive to purchase than comparable front - wheel - drive vehicles . Part of this can be explained by the added cost of materials and increased labor put into assembly of FR layouts, as the powertrain is not one compact unit . However, the difference is more probably explained by production volumes as most rear - wheel cars are usually in the sports / performance / luxury categories (which tend to be more upscale and / or have more powerful engines), while the FF configuration is typically in mass - produced mainstream cars . </Li> <Li> The possibility of a slight loss in the mechanical efficiency of the drivetrain (approximately 17% coastdown losses between engine flywheel and road wheels compared to 15% for front - wheel drive--however these losses are highly dependent on the individual transmission). Cars with rear engine or mid engine configuration and a transverse engine layout do not suffer from this . </Li> <Li> The long driveshaft (on front engine cars) adds to drivetrain elasticity . The driveshaft must also be extended for cars with a stretched wheelbase (e.g. limousines, minivans). </Li> </Ul> <Li> Under heavy acceleration (as in racing), oversteer and fishtailing may occur as the rear wheels break free and spin . The corrective action is to let off the throttle (this is what traction control automatically does for RWD vehicles). </Li> <Li> On snow, ice and sand, rear - wheel drive loses its traction advantage to front - or all - wheel - drive vehicles, which have greater weight on the driven wheels . This issue is particularly noticeable on pickup trucks, as the weight of the engine and cab will significantly shift the weight from the rear to the front wheels . Rear - wheel - drive cars with rear engine or mid engine configuration do not suffer from this, although fishtailing remains an issue . To correct this situation, owners of RWD vehicles can load sandbags in the back of the vehicle (either in the bed, or boot) in order to increase the weight over the rear axle, however speeds should be restricted to correctly predicted available grip of the road . </Li>

Whats the main benefit of driving a four wheel drive vehicle