front wheel drive truck

[ClownColor]

What are your thoughts on a front wheel drive truck? I'm generalizing here but most 1/2 ton drivers are probably like me who use their truck as a main vehicle and tow once twice a month average. Wouldn't a front wheel drive truck make a lot of sense? My two biggest gripes with my truck are gas mileage and driving in snow/ice. With front wheel drive you could increase gas mileage and stability come winter. You would lose some breaking and towing but what 5.x liter can't pull a typical to slightly large boat/trailer? I love trucks and the open bed, clearance, and 4x4, and just the looks but often think they maybe more then what the average person needs or uses.

What other concerns of front wheel drive keep manufactures from going this route? Or do u see this happening someday to meet the new EPA guidelines set for future trucks/gas mileage restrictions.

Just curious. Thanks

[CJH]

I believe the Honda Ridgeline is FWD/AWD and it gets no better gas mileage (15/21) than anything else, actually worse if you consider its smaller. In fact most of the American Co's offer base V6's with higher ratings than the Ridgeline. The aerodynamics make more of a difference than the drivetrain in my opinion.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Yup, the only option is the ridge line and it's not a great option.

We buy trucks to tow and haul. If you don't need to tow and haul buy a car. Thinking you can tow and haul with car, the same things you towed with a truck is good for business!

[aanderud]

As was said earlier, aerodynamics is the biggest factor in mileage. A vehicle that heavy and non-aerodynamic is not going to get measurably-better mileage just by going fwd versus rwd.

[SkunkedAgain]

With front wheel drive you could increase gas mileage and stability come winter

I would also argue that this is not always true. Yes you can accelerate quicker with front wheel drive, but stability is another issue.

When going around a turn, I would much rather lose traction with my rear drive wheels (fishtail) then with my front steering wheels. A skilled driver can juice the rear wheels to control the spin but you're out of luck when your steering wheels are slipping. Stability is not necessarily better with FWD.

[fish_eat_sleep]

Rear drive has better traction when towing and increased handling predictability. Iv driven the ridgeline and its not a bad urban truck, lots of convenience features and a rear locker but one thing i noticed is it rides like a car which is horrible for real off road maneuvers. Theres no suspension articulation therefor the wheels don't always touch the ground and the tires are not bulky enough to let air out and gain traction either. Spin all 4 wheels and go nowhere. pull a 2500# boat up a ramp and you can feel the AWD working, front tires chirp and then it goes.

[JOHNBIGDOG]

Ford Transit Connect and Transit are FWD, we will see how the commercial industry likes them. So far our dealership has seen two 2013 transit connects with "drive" and no neutral or revers. It appears the grill is packing full of snow and the transmission fails? both have had less then 10K.

[Biggestfish]

Load up a box of a Front Wheel Drive pick up truck with wood and then you have taken all the weight off the front wheels. Don't need to think too hard about why any truck worth anything has the rear wheel for it's main drive wheels. Towing a heavy load would be another good example. As already posted, trucks are made to haul and tow and that is way almost all of them are rear wheel drive. I also just read where Honda has stopped making the Ridgeline.

[fish_eat_sleep]

I like the BMW approach to red/awd performance cars. I would consider a unibody ridgeline type vehicle as an suburban commuter/ice fishing/small boat hauler for things around the metro if it had decent suspension articulation and a rear drive bias for the awd system similar to high end pickups and SUV's (gmc denali, ford limited) and I'm sure many others i can't name off the top of my head.

The idea of a V6 Unibody isn't bad i just think the front bias is bad. i think thats why FWD trucks don't make sense for most tasks. its not much more efficient. the dodge rampage would have sold like wild fire if it did.. ok thats a joke but still..

[SkunkedAgain]

Load up a box of a Front Wheel Drive pick up truck with wood and then you have taken all the weight off the front wheels.

Well...one could argue that would benefit the FWD truck. If you load up the rear so much that you're losing traction to accelerate, I'd like to know that before I start driving because more importantly those are your drive wheels! So having FWD would be an early warning system that your carrying too much weight in the rear. It's too late once you're going 60mph and can't make the curve.

Back in my day I was a tow truck driver. It was always scary when towing a heavy load and your front wheels were hopping down the street.

[CJH]

I like the BMW approach to red/awd performance cars. I would consider a unibody ridgeline type vehicle as an suburban commuter/ice fishing/small boat hauler for things around the metro if it had decent suspension articulation and a rear drive bias for the awd system similar to high end pickups and SUV's (gmc denali, ford limited) and I'm sure many others i can't name off the top of my head.

You basically just described a Subaru Outback (although 50/50 bias), Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk or even a Grand Cherokee (beefed up unibody platform, although RWD/4WD).