First of all this is not intended to be a post that debates the merits in absolute terms between FWD, RWD, and AWD cars because that's been hashed out enough (here and elsewhere) and I think we all know where we stand on that individually
That said, my ideal realistic dream car would be a RWD wagon or 3 door hatch in the 2800-3300 lb range with 250-300 hp going through a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission for $22-$28k MSRP. There are cars that come close -- the new BMW 328 wagon fits more closely than anything else I know of but is over on price (until there are 1-2 year old used ones out there at least) and may or may not be problematic long term. I'd really love to buy a 2011 Mustang GT but due to recent change in circumstance if I were going to take the plunge on a faster, sportier car than what I have now, I'd be seriously tempted to go with a wagon or hatchback.
There are plenty of hot hatches and wagons out there, so that's great. Unfortunately, especially when taking price into account, the main characteristic of my ideal dream car that probably has to be sacrificed is a RWD drive train. There are FWD cars that run the gamut (e.g. the GTI on the "nicer" side and the Mazdaspeed 3 on the faster, more raw side) and there are AWD cars like the WRX, but to get a RWD wagon you really have to venture into the luxury territory right now.
I know RWD vehicles tend to have advantages in terms of cornering neutrality and the ability to steer with the throttle (even if that's subtle and muted by chassis tuning). My previous daily driver was a RWD car and while it was not really any faster than my current (FWD) car I do miss its cornering ability. So I'm wondering: Does a good AWD system like Subaru's provide some of the some driving fun advantages that a RWD setup can, or does it give pretty much the same understeering feeling that a FWD car has, just with better traction? My take is that I'd rather not have the complexity of an AWD system in my climate all other things being equal, but I would consider it a decent compromise if it contributed to a more entertaining drive.
Now, I'm not really serious about this yet and haven't driven any of these cars so this is really just a discussion topic. Obviously the real answer is to drive and compare individual vehicles -- but I'm interested in others' opinions.
That said, my ideal realistic dream car would be a RWD wagon or 3 door hatch in the 2800-3300 lb range with 250-300 hp going through a 5 or 6 speed manual transmission for $22-$28k MSRP. There are cars that come close -- the new BMW 328 wagon fits more closely than anything else I know of but is over on price (until there are 1-2 year old used ones out there at least) and may or may not be problematic long term. I'd really love to buy a 2011 Mustang GT but due to recent change in circumstance if I were going to take the plunge on a faster, sportier car than what I have now, I'd be seriously tempted to go with a wagon or hatchback.
There are plenty of hot hatches and wagons out there, so that's great. Unfortunately, especially when taking price into account, the main characteristic of my ideal dream car that probably has to be sacrificed is a RWD drive train. There are FWD cars that run the gamut (e.g. the GTI on the "nicer" side and the Mazdaspeed 3 on the faster, more raw side) and there are AWD cars like the WRX, but to get a RWD wagon you really have to venture into the luxury territory right now.
I know RWD vehicles tend to have advantages in terms of cornering neutrality and the ability to steer with the throttle (even if that's subtle and muted by chassis tuning). My previous daily driver was a RWD car and while it was not really any faster than my current (FWD) car I do miss its cornering ability. So I'm wondering: Does a good AWD system like Subaru's provide some of the some driving fun advantages that a RWD setup can, or does it give pretty much the same understeering feeling that a FWD car has, just with better traction? My take is that I'd rather not have the complexity of an AWD system in my climate all other things being equal, but I would consider it a decent compromise if it contributed to a more entertaining drive.
Now, I'm not really serious about this yet and haven't driven any of these cars so this is really just a discussion topic. Obviously the real answer is to drive and compare individual vehicles -- but I'm interested in others' opinions.