Front Engine, Mid Engine, Or Rear Engine, Which Suits You Best?
Modern cars are getting more and more varied with newer technology coming in every day. However, one integral part of the gasoline-powered car is the engine. The engine is the beating heart of any car, without which the car is just a lifeless object unable to do much. It’s more like a massive paperweight that can roll away at any moment at that point.
However, modern-day cars also come with a choice of where you want your engine to be placed. Do you want your engine to be in front of you, under you, or behind you? The difference you get is a front-engined car, a mid-engined car, and a rear-engined car. While you may ask which is the best to own, the answer is none and all. Each engine configuration comes with some advantages and disadvantages based on what you need out of the car.
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Front Engined Car
Put simply a front-engined car means that the engine is placed in the front of the car, under the hood. The engine rests on the front wheels and powers the entire car from there. This is the most common configuration found in most cars on the road. Since the engine is placed on the front axles the energy transfer from the engine to the axles is also very efficient.
Now, like with everything, the front-engined configuration comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of putting the engine in the front include good traction, efficient energy transfer, and also more cabin space as the engine does not eat up into the space of the car having a place dedicated specifically to accommodate the engine. In terms of maintenance, the front-engined car is also easier to manufacture and service as the various parts are easier to reach and easier to spot for mechanics.
More often than not, front-engined cars have a simpler drivetrain, usually FWD, making the entire mechanism more simple and cost-effective. Even in the case of an AWD drivetrain, it’s only a small part of the engine that is a little more complicated and is still easier to reach than a rear-engined, or mid-engined car. These types of cars also have a more efficient cooling system since the engine is placed in the direction of the motion of the car allowing the air to directly hit the engine through the front vents thereby keeping the engine at the optimum temperature which is important for the performance and the longevity of the engine.
Unfortunately, these cars also come with a certain level of disadvantages. One major disadvantage with these cars is torque steer. When the engine is made to be slightly more powerful, there is uneven torque distribution to the front wheels which causes one wheel to go faster than the other resulting in torque steer. This is one of the reasons why brands like Audi have worked on the AWD Quattro drivetrain to ensure that the engine power reaches all 4 wheels equally. AWD drivetrains usually manage torque steer much better than FWD cars.
Almost 98% of all passenger cars come with the engine in front of them. With smaller cars, it’s a bigger advantage as this configuration allows the engine to be more compact and fuel-efficient.
Mid-Engined Car
In this configuration, the engine is placed between the front and rear axles, closer to the rear axles. It’s more like the engine is placed right behind the driver’s seat. In most cases, the engine is behind the driver’s seat but in front of the rear axles. This is most commonly seen in performance cars, especially professional racing cars and supercars like Lamborghini, Ferraris, and even Formula 1 cars.
One of the biggest advantages of this engine configuration is that the center of gravity is maintained towards the center of the car, allowing better weight distribution on both axles with the rear axles supporting around 55% of the weight and the front axles supporting around 45% of the weight. Due to the distance from the rear axles, in most cases, these cars come with an RWD drivetrain, which again is a positive point for performance cars because when these cars accelerate fast, most of the weight is transferred to the rear wheels.
The advantages of a mid-engined car also include- a smoother ride, since the engine is on the rear axle and helps absorb bumps and rough roads better, it allows the motor, gearbox, and differential to be connected as one unit making it more compact thereby eliminating the chassis’s function of handling the engine torque, The low and central center of gravity of the car also allows the car to change directions faster.
However, the mid-engined car comes with its share of disadvantages as well. For starters, the engine layout eats into the cabin space quite a lot making these cars typically two-seater, the engine being placed at the back also means that the engine is not facing the wind directly. This can cause overheating, and to avoid that, large vents are cut out into the body panels to let the heat out and the cool breeze in. Another major disadvantage comes in the form of safety. Since the weight is very well distributed, fast turns are convenient, but then the car has a higher tendency to lose control and spin as it tends to pivot from the center. As a result, rivers need to be more skilled to keep the cars from spinning away at the slightest chance these cars get. Chevrolet Corvette C8, Audi R8, and Porsche Carrera GT are some of the most common examples of a mid-engined car.
Rear-Engined Car
In all honesty, this engine configuration is even rarer than mid-engined cars. In this engine configuration, the engine is mounted behind the rear wheels, right at the tail end of the car. These engines usually have an RWD drivetrain and are again most commonly seen in sports cars. This allows the car to have better traction, more high-speed stability, better acceleration, and more stability at high speeds.
Again, like the other two engine configurations, the rear-engined car comes with some issues of its own as well. One such disadvantage, especially with RWD drivetrain is that all the power goes to the rear wheels. So while driving at high speeds, it tends to oversteer. Whether you want to do a fast lap or drift/powerslide your car through the corners, keeping the car from going off the track and into the barriers takes skill. At the same time, it cannot be denied, especially for RWD cars, that these engines require smaller, lighter, and less complex drivetrains, and eliminates the need for a driveshaft. While this configuration is common in sports cars like the Porsche 911, it is also seen in some less-performance cars like the 911’s ancestor, the Volkswagen Beetle.
Final Thoughts
Which engine is best suited for you depends on what you want to do with your car. If you just want to go and enjoy driving with your friends and family without expecting too much performance out of you, the front-engined cars will be the best choice. They leave a lot of cabin space, are fuel efficient, and most easily available of all. However, if you are in the mood for some hardcore performance, and do not care about practicality even a little bit, then a mid-engined car is calling out to you. Rear-engined cars are pretty rare, but then they also have almost the same advantages as the mid-engined car minus the equal weight distribution, but with more cabin space. A front-engined FWD car and a rear-engined RWD car also eliminate the need for a driveshaft as they transfer power directly to the wheels under them.
This configuration also stands for Electric-powered cars depending on where you put the electric motors. Although getting a mid-rear motor is still not known, you have the option of having the motors in the front or the back, or a single motor for all 4 wheels if you want to go mad at the race track.
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