With the honourable exception of Minis, Alfasuds and a select few others over the years, cars driven by their front wheels have struggled for credibility among self-proclaimed ‘purist’ drivers. Without the showboating potential of rear-wheel-drive or all-weather traction of all-wheel drive, front-wheel-drive cars have commonly been looked down upon as effective but lacking in throttle adjustable thrills. This is a bunch of cobblers though, as any hot hatch fan will tell you. And these days advances in chassis technology, tyres, differentials and more have made the latest crop of front-driven cars more exciting than ever. So ditch your ‘wrong-wheel-drive’ prejudices and join the fun!
The seven best FWD cars on sale
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Renault Megane R.S.
Few manufacturers have done more for the credibility of front-wheel-drive cars as proper hardcore machines than Renault Sport. Over the years hot Clios and Meganes have thrilled owners, broken lap records at the ‘ring and even pushed the genre into serious performance car territory with the carbon-wheeled, stripped out Megane R.S. Trophy R and its astonishing £72K price tag. You don’t have to pay that much to appreciate Renault’s mastery of front-driven performance cars, though. In its Trophy trim the ‘regular’ Megane R.S. combines a mechanical limited-slip diff and understeer cancelling twin-axis front struts, rear-wheel-steering at the back and rally-inspired hydraulic bump stops. Pointy, alert, agile and more eager to go sideways than many rear-driven cars, in the right hands it’s one of the fastest things down a twisty road.
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Hyundai i20 N
While the Toyota GR Yaris is rightly winning hearts and minds for its rally-inspired all-wheel-drive the Hyundai i20 it competes against in the World Rally Championship has also inspired a thrilling little road car packed with enthusiast inspired tech and features. At heart the i20 N is a classic hot hatch – small, light, relatively affordable and with a gutsy 204PS (150kW) turbocharged motor. So far so predictable, but the devil is in the detail and the addition of a mechanical locking diff, faster steering rack, rev-matching, specific calibration for left-foot brakers and a ‘corner carving’ set-up inspired by its impressive i30 N big brother all show its true credentials. And it’s a serious alternative to that Fiesta ST. If the waiting list for the Yaris looks too much to bear the little Hyundai’s spirit – and significantly lower entry price – should be enough to compensate.
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Ford Puma ST
The Fiesta, the Focus and even the humble Transit can all be bought with a Quaife torque-biasing differential to make better use of their driven front wheels, this and Ford’s consistent ability to develop sharp handling cars a winning formula across the board. Perhaps the most unexpected beneficiary of this same tech is the hot ST version of the Puma crossover, based on its Fiesta namesake and using the same 200PS (147kW) turbocharged triple. Frankly a hot-hatch on stilts really shouldn’t work. But the Puma ST is one of those unexpected delights, and shows how a stiff chassis, fast steering, locking diff and a little steer-from-the-rear balance can make even a crossover fun. Like all good front-wheel-drive cars, it relishes being driven ‘on the nose’ and delivers so far over expectation as to be our pick of Ford’s front-driven line-up. Which is some statement.
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Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport
It’s perhaps a little unfair on the Golf GTI to consider it the sensible pants hot hatch but, given its heritage, it is certainly the elder statesman of the genre. The GTI version of the latest Mk8 Golf picks up where its predecessor left off and delivers the usual mix of discreetly sporty looks, slick handling and … plaid seat trim. The Clubsport is the one to get excited about, though, thanks to a power bump from 245PS (181kW) to 300PS (221kW), sharpened up settings for the front suspension and electronically controlled torque distribution across the front axle via that operates, in essence, like an active limited-slip differential. The only downer is that it’s DSG only but, that aside, the Clubsport is faster and sharper than the regular GTI and cheaper and lighter than the all-wheel-drive R.
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Mini John Cooper Works GP
The Works GP versions of the modern Mini have always been the hardest of the hardcore, with limited availability, more power, wild aero and seriously uprated running gear. The third-generation Mini John Cooper Works GP ticks all those boxes and then some with its mad carbon-fibre bodykit, distinctive wheel-arch aero ‘plates’ and huge rear wing. In true Mini fashion it puts its power – all 306PS (225kW) and 450Nm (332lb ft) of it – through the front wheels, a mechanical limited-slip helping it hit 0-62mph in just 5.2 seconds. Seriously impressive for a front-wheel-drive car and enough to deliver on the promise of those wild looks. The auto-only transmission is, perhaps, a disappointing choice for all the purist cred. But even with that we have to salute this hot Mini’s madness, and sheer pace.
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BMW 128ti
For purists the idea of a front-wheel-drive BMW is probably enough have them spitting coffee at the screen. But one carrying the legendary Turismo Internazionale badge once worn by legendary BMW saloon cars and racers? Utter sacrilege, surely! Lower your pitchforks for a moment, though. While it’s true the latest 1 Series has dumbed down from compact rear-driven rocket into a more conventional front-drive hatch the 128ti offers hope that the BMW spirit can survive the switch in driven wheels. Where the existing 306PS (225kW) M135i version uses all-wheel-drive to go chasing A35 AMGs and Golf Rs the 128ti deploys its 265PS (195kW) through the front wheels and Torsen locking differential. Down on the M135i, true, but it also weighs 80kg less and should – hopefully – feel agile enough to live up to that evocative ti badge. A true BMW hot hatch? Here’s hoping!
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Honda Civic Type R
Remember when Civics were about as wild and adventurous as the grey slip-ons worn by their stereotypical owners? Nor does Honda, the Civic Type R having got progressively wilder with each successive generation to the point where it now looks like a four-wheeled Storm Trooper with wings and body kit extreme enough to make aftermarket modders blush. And the driving experience more than delivers on the looks, thankfully. Perhaps the only car to rival the Megane R.S. for sheer, razor-sharp focus, the Type R deploys its 320PS (235kW) through a limited-slip differential and slick-shifting manual gearbox. There is simply no slack in this car, anywhere, and the way it disregards usual front-driven limitations of corner entry and/or power understeer is simply stunning. As close to a BTCC racer for the road as you can buy.
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Which is the best front-wheel-drive car on sale?
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