Automobile Magazine - Full Feature: FWD Fasties

Merc1 · **Automobile Magazine - Full Feature: FWD Fasties -** 06-18-2007, 02:22 AM

Work for a car magazine for two weeks, and you'll notice one thing above all else: New cars are fast as hell. Pluck any editor out of his comfy desk chair, put him in a car that does zero-to-sixty in less than seven seconds, and he'll yawn from boredom.

Most people think there is no such thing as too much power, but we disagree. And as cars become more and more powerful, a front-wheel drive layout becomes less and less appropriate. Since weight (and, ultimately, grip) is transferred to the rear wheels under acceleration, powerful front-wheel drive cars tend to just light up the front tires. Add some steering lock into the equation, and the recipe for wheelspin gets even stronger.

With a little help from our friends at Autodata, we compiled a list of 2007 and 2008 model year front-wheel drive cars, and sorted them based on their power-to-weight ratio. We noticed something very interesting - the cars with the lowest number of pounds for each horse to contend with were, of course, the fastest. But they weren't the most fun - in fact, some of them are dynamic disasters.

Our favorite front-wheel drive fasties weren't nearly the fastest of them all. Ranked from most powerful to least powerful, the GTI, for example, our Automobile of the Year and by all accounts a quick car, came in fiftieth. The Honda Civic Si came in thirty-ninth. So which cars are that much faster than those?

First Place: 2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (11.5 lb/hp)

With a 303-hp 5.3-liter V-8 mounted transversely over the front wheels, the 3490-lb Monte Carlo SS takes the top spot for Burnout King. It shares its engine with two other top-five contenders (Grand Prix GXP, 11.8 lb/hp, and Chevy Impala SS 12.2lb/hp), but since the Monte Carlo is the lightest of the group, it takes top honors.

With a power-to-weight ratio that rivals Porsche 911s of just a few years ago, the front-drive GM cars are dynamic disasters. Practically any throttle at low speeds breaks the front wheels loose, especially given the V-8's prodigious low-end grunt. (The Monte Carlo SS has 323 lb-ft of torque, which also makes it the torque-to-weight king, by a significant margin). If you enjoy shredding your front tires every 5000 miles, this is the car for you.

Second Place: 2008 Nissan Altima SE (11.8 lb/hp)

Without fail, every time we have an Altima SE in the office, you'll hear someone laughing about how fast it is. No front-wheel drive car has the right to be this quick - and the 3186-lb Altima almost pulls it off. Almost. But that's only because Ann Arbor's roads are mostly straight. As soon as you try to hustle the 270-hp Altima around bends, you realize that it's not, in fact, a poor man's G35. It's merely a wheelspin machine.

Third Place: 2007 MazdaSpeed 3 (12.0 lb/hp)

When the engineers program the engine computer to reduce power output in a car's first three gears, you know it has too much power for its own good. The 263-hp, 3153-lb MazdaSpeed 3 is a fast little car - but driving it hard, your hands had better be even quicker. See, because of its massive torque steer, the MS3 darts in every direction but forward as it scrambles for traction. Most of us really like this little car, but I bet we'd love it if it had a little less power.

Fourth Place: 2007 Acura TL (12.8 lb/hp)

One of the most amusing autocross runs I ever witnessed was in an Acura TL. The crowd was roaring with laughter, because the TL literally spun its front tires every single second that it wasn't under braking. The stunningly beautiful TL looks on paper to be a worthy contender to its rear-drive competition, but that impression goes up in a cloud of tire smoke when you push it. 286 horsepower is just too much for a front-driver, even if it's saddled with 3674 pounds of well-engineered Honda parts.

Full article and remaining cars:

- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

M